Thank you for visiting the British Embassy in Sofia’s website and for reading my quarterly newsletter. It aims to give you an overview of the Embassy’s activities during the preceding quarter.

Consular Work

The summer season is a busy period for the consular team in the Embassy and the consulate in Varna. Bulgaria is a very popular holiday destination for Britons – over 400,000 in 2007. I visited Sunny Beach, the largest resort, at the start of the season to meet tour operators and the local authorities, including the police; we’ll be visiting again in October to review the season and to identify any action points before next summer. Statistics released by Sofia Airport for the first half of 2008 showed that 198,500 passengers flew between Sofia and London – more than between Sofia and any other city and a 45% increase on the first half of 2007.

Regional Travel

I visited Haskovo on 8-9 September to attend the signing of the formal town twinning agreement between Haskovo and Leicester. It is the first formal twinning between a British and Bulgarian city and is the culmination of over 10 years practical cooperation between the two cities. On 18 September I visited Lovech for the UEFA cup match between Litex Lovech and Aston Villa.  We had worked closely with the two clubs and the local police authorities to help ensure a safe and enjoyable occasion for both the home fans and the visiting Aston Villa fans. All went smoothly and I was glad to be able personally to thank the Mayor of Lovech and the Regional Director of Police. As for the match, the winning goal was scored by a Bulgarian: Stilyan Petrov of Aston Villa! On 22 September I went to the beautiful and historic town of Veliko Turnovo for the celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of Bulgaria’s proclamation of Independence. I delivered to President Parvanov a message of congratulations from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Defence & Security

The main international crisis over the summer was of course the events in Georgia. The special European Council on 1 September expressed a clear and united EU position, condemning the Russian action and calling for the respect of Georgia's territorial integrity. In developing a EU and NATO policy towards the Black Sea and Caucasus region, Bulgaria has an important role to play because of its expertise, influence and knowledge of the region. We welcome Bulgaria’s contribution to the team of EU observers that have just been deployed to Georgia.

We had two top level military visits in September, which advanced both our bilateral defence cooperation and NATO business. Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope is the UK’s Commander in Chief Fleet (CINC FLEET) and has operational command of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group One (SNMG1).  Admiral Stanhope visited Bulgaria from 3-5 September, first for bilateral talks in Sofia and then to Varna to visit his NATO fleet ships from the Spanish, US, Polish and German Navies. From 12-14 September the UK’s Chief of Defence staff (CDS) Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup visited Sofia to attend the meeting of the NATO Military Committee Chiefs of Defence (MCCS) conference.

The fight against organised crime

Bulgaria is a key partner in the fight against the threats to the UK from international organised crime, the trafficking of drugs, people, weapons and illegal smuggling of goods such as cigarettes. Bulgaria is situated on a key trafficking route from Turkey and the Middle East, and it is also of course now the external frontier of the EU. So an important part of my work is supporting my team from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and their important operational cooperation with their Bulgarian counterparts.

But organised crime does not respect national boundaries. That’s why we also attach considerable importance to Bulgaria’s own fight against internal organised crime and high level corruption. On 23 July the European Commission published its annual report on Bulgaria’s progress on benchmarks established when it joined the EU. The report highlighted some progress but expressed concern at the lack of sustained, tangible results. The EU Council of Ministers in September endorsed the Commission’s assessment, and urged the Bulgarian government to step up its efforts. The Commission published a separate report on the management of EU funds, noting some key control weaknesses which needed to be addressed.

We continue to provide practical assistance to support the reform process, including on the management of EU funds. For example on 16 September, together with Professor Valery Dimitrov, Chairman of the Bulgarian National Audit Office (BNAO), I opened a seminar aimed at “strengthening the capacity of the BNAO”. This project, which the Embassy is funding, aims to strengthen the capacity of the BNAO to audit the management of the EU Structural and Cohesion Funds in Bulgaria. It is the latest in a series of projects we have funded, and will further strengthen the excellent cooperation between Bulgaria and the UK NAOs. As part of a project implemented by the British Council in August we helped the Ministry of Public Administration and Administrative Reform to prepare a methodology for risk identification in projects to be financed by the EU’s operational programme “Administrative Capacity”.

Climate Change

We continued to give priority to climate change issues. At the policy level we are engaging closely with the Bulgarian government in preparation for the important decisions the EU will need to take in December on an ambitious climate change and energy package. Our invitation to tender for project proposals on the theme  “ Climate Change: Opportunities for Business” generated a number of high quality project proposals. After careful scrutiny of each bid we selected the winning proposal. It will start in early October and will aim at alerting businesses to the opportunities for innovation and growth that combating climate change brings. We want to show companies that being green can provide a competitive advantage and increase profitability.

Within the Embassy we try to practice what we preach. We are working on our first environmental report for the Embassy’s green activities in 2007 –2008. We’ll post it on our website when it’s finalised in October. We continue to look for ways to reduce waste and to help improve the Embassy energy efficiency. Our efforts to reduce our environmental impact were covered in the interview given by my deputy Nick Leake for the August edition of Business Week and in the “green” issue of Capital’s weekly supplement Karieri.

Trade and Investment

Despite the turbulence in the world financial markets, UK exports to Bulgaria in the first 7 months of 2008 were £134 million – a 33% increase on 2007. UK investment in Bulgaria remains strong, though we are starting to see the expected cooling off in the real estate sector.  My commercial team – UK Trade and Investment Bulgaria – remains very active, helping UK companies to win business, and to identify Bulgarian partners. Activities included organising a delegation of leading Bulgarian recycling and waste management companies to the Recycling and Waste Management Exhibition 2008 – the biggest UK exhibition in this sector. The Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Environment and Waters, Mr Chavdar Georgiev participated. A number of targeted meetings were held with UK companies supplying equipment, products and waste management services.

British Council

The British Council is very active in Bulgaria and helps to deliver the UK’s objectives, especially in the areas of education and cultural relations. In July I attended the opening of the video and photo exhibition Close to Home in the Academia Gallery in Sofia, an exhibition exploring the themes of migration and minority communities in South East Europe. There were also three events supporting public discussion of scientific subjects, on the themes of the role of molecular analysis in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, what Darwin really said about human beings and “fairytale science”.

September saw the re-opening of the British Council’s library and information centre after a refurbishment, and the beginning of the new academic year for the British Council’s teaching centre, which delivers English language and skills training to over three thousand students every year.

The UK is an increasingly attractive place for Bulgarians to study. Following EU accession, Bulgarians pay lower UK university tuition fees and can apply for student loans to cover these fees. In April – July this year a record number of 3,800 Bulgarian students and young professionals sat the academic module of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the upper levels of the Cambridge English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) examinations, which are recognised by British Higher Education and Further Education institutions as proof of English language proficiency. These exams are administered by the British Council.

More information about the British Council’s activities can be found on its website at http://www.britishcouncil.org/bulgaria.htm

BBC World Service

As a result of a prolonged dispute with the Bulgarian broadcasting authorities over terms of its licence, the BBC World Service stopped broadcasting in Bulgaria on FM in September. I issued a press statement saying how much I, like other listeners, would miss the BBC World Service’s high quality, impartial and comprehensive broadcasts. I expressed appreciation for the contribution that the BBC World Service has made to Bulgaria over the last 68 years. I know from the reaction and disappointment of many that I have spoken to that that view is widely shared.

Georgi Markov was of course one of the BBC World Service Bulgarian Section's most noted contributors. So it is poignant that September also marked the 30th anniversary of his murder. The Metropolitan Police Service continues to work with the Bulgarian investigating authorities to investigate every lead possible in their attempts to solve this case, and we are very grateful for this continued close co-operation. The anniversary gives us a chance to reflect on how the relationship with between Britain and Bulgaria has changed in this time. Whereas before we were divided by ideology, we now stand together as EU and NATO partners and allies, united by common values and a commitment to work together on the world's most pressing challenges, such as climate security, sustainable development, and stability.

Seasonal workers in the UK

The summer saw some stories in the British and Bulgarian press about poor conditions of employment for a small number of the many Bulgarian workers who travel to the UK each year under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). The response of the UK authorities demonstrates how seriously we take protection of the rights of workers. All workers, regardless of nationality, enjoy the same very high standards of social protection in the UK, and the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) exists to enforce these standards. Anyone who has a complaint to make can report it, also in the Bulgarian language, via the GLA website at: http://www.gla.gov.uk/report

And finally...

If you have any comments on this newsletter or anything else on this website, I’d greatly value your feedback. You can send it to me by e-mail on information@british-embassy.bg

Steve Williams
3 October 2008