This newsletter aims to give an overview of the Embassy’s activities over the past three months.  April marked the start of our financial year, when we agreed the Embassy’s objectives for the next 12 months.  Like other British Embassies around the world, we are doing work in support of the whole of the British government, not just the Foreign Office.  In today’s globalised world, the distinction between “foreign” and domestic” policy is increasingly artificial.

It’s been a busy time on for our trade and investment work.  Lord Jones, our Minister for Trade and Investment, visited on 23 - 24 April.  As well as his official meetings he gave interviews to Capital and Panorama.  The UK has been the largest foreign investor for the past 2 years, and cumulatively we are the 4th largest.  Our exports, in contrast, are quite modest at £200m.  We want to improve on that: there are good opportunities for UK companies, especially in sectors that will benefit from EU funding like the environment and transport.  Several British companies exhibited at “Water Sofia”.  We also had the first ever trade mission to Bulgaria from Northern Ireland in June – a further sign of the growing interest among British companies in the Bulgarian market.  Defence sales is an important part of our trade work – and we had strong UK participation in the recent HEMUS trade fair in Plovdiv.  I was proud that on 3 June my Commercial Team was awarded with an Outstanding Team award by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) for its work in support of UK business.

We continue to work closely with Bulgaria on some of the key challenges facing the EU – on issues like energy security, economic reform, international terrorism, climate change.  The Bulgarian Minister for Europe, Gergana Grancharova, visited London on 5 June and held talks with her British Counterpart, Jim Murphy MP, and we held talks at senior official level on EU issues in Sofia on 14 - 15 April.  

Climate change is a really important issue: we have been working with local partners to increase public awareness of the issues.  We gave some financial support to an NGO EuropeSpaces 21, which produced a stimulating DVD called “The Ailing Planet” – aimed at school children.  I attended a showing of this video at a school in Veliko Turnovo and was really impressed by the quality of the debate that followed.  We’ve also worked with BNT on a documentary, to be screened on Kanal 1 at the end of June, on climate change, and the UK policy responses.  We’ve also just launched a tender for project proposals designed to encourage creative thinking about the business opportunities that climate change may bring.  And we’re trying to practice what we preach: the Embassy has just adopted an environmental policy, to make our own operations as “green” as we can.  For example, my official car is now a “hybrid”, that runs most of the time in the city on electricity rather than petrol: good for the environment and good for our fuel bills!

We have really good operational co-operation with Bulgaria on the fight against international threats from the trafficking of drugs, people, arms and counterfeit goods.  We’ve had senior visitors from our Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) to underpin the work of our local team.  And of course if Bulgaria can successfully tackle the internal problems of organised crime and corruption, our operational co-operation can be even better.  In my meetings with the new Government team, I’ve been underlining the importance of achieving concrete results.

We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Justice on reforms to the prison services.  On 13 May I attended the opening ceremony of the latest twinning project to help the reforms of the probation service in Bulgaria.  A contract was also agreed between the Ministry and the UK National Offender Management Service (NOMS) for the second stage of a twinning project on reforms to the prison system in Bulgaria.  This is expected to be officially launched in September

I’ve been travelling round the country as much as I can both on pleasure (a wonderful 5 days in the Rodopi with my wife at the beginning of May) but mainly on work.  I visited Burgas in April and Veliko Turnovo in June: a good opportunity to meet the Mayor, Regional Governor, Chief of Police and other leading figures; and also to meet representatives of the British community.  I gave press interviews to the local newspapers.  I also went to Haskovo and Kurdzhali along with other EU Ambassadors at the invitation of President Purvanov.  In Haskovo I joined the Mayor in opening a new road – I was given this honour because Haskovo enjoys a close twinning relation with the English city of Leicester.  While I was in Haskovo and Kurdzhali, my deputy, Nick Leake, and my Defence Attaché, Col Jon Mulroy, attended the annual ceremony in Svoge to commemorate the death of Major Frank Thompson, the British soldier killed fighting with the Bulgarian partisans against the Axis forces in the Second World War.

The number of British nationals that live permanently or semi-permanently in Bulgaria continues to grow steadily.  On 3 April we held a seminar on “Britons in Bulgaria” at which the results of a small independent research project, funded by the Embassy, were presented.  The two headline conclusions were encouraging – overall (and of course with exceptions) (a) the permanent British community in Bulgaria is becoming well integrated and (b) the local Bulgarian population has been welcoming to the new arrivals.

The number of British tourists also continues to grow steadily – over 400,000 in 2007.  Many go to the ski resorts in winter or the Black Sea resorts in summer, but there are increasing numbers of independent tourists.  As part of the preparation for the busy summer season, a representative from our Consulate in Varna attended a briefing in June for tour operators and Embassies organised by Nessebar Municipality (covering the Sunny Beach resort).

My aim is to write a newsletter every quarter.  I hope you find it interesting – I’d welcome your feedback.

Steve Williams

STEVE WILLIAMS