H.E. Don Jose Luis Tapia, Spanish Ambassador to Sofia: The goal of my term in office is to bring more Spanish companies to Bulgaria

The new Spanish Ambassador to Sofia, H.E. Don Jose Luis Tapia, officially presented his credentials to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria on June 29. He was born on August 25, 1948 in Bejar. H.E. Don Jose Luis Tapia has been holding top diplomatic jobs since 1978. He has graduated in Economics and Diplomatic Relations. He has worked at the Permanent Representation of Spain in the European Economic Community (EEC) and Spain’s diplomatic missions around the world - New Delhi, Moscow, Montevideo, Cuba, Libya. His most recent appointment before coming to Bulgaria was as Consul General of Spain in the town of Pau (France).

- Your Excellency, yesterday there was a barbaric terrorist attack at Burgas Airport. Quite naturally, analogies were made with the bombings at Atocha station in Madrid. What should Europe’s response to terrorism be hereafter?
- The Spanish Government condemned this vile and barbaric act of terrorism, and declared its empathy with Israel and Bulgaria in this sad moment. Through the Israeli and Bulgarian authorities, our Government is conveying the feeling of pain and renouncement of terrorism of the Spanish people, as well as their sympathy with the families and relatives of the victims. We also declare our full support for all efforts aimed at combating terrorism.

I assured the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Rosen Plevneliev, that the Spanish Government strongly condemns this barbaric assault against a group of Israeli tourists at Burgas Airport, in which a Bulgarian citizen was killed as well. I expressed my own condolences and those on behalf of the Embassy of Spain, I also expressed the solidarity and support of Spanish authorities to the friendly Bulgarian people and the Government of the country. I sent a message to Bulgarian Prime Minister, Mr. Boyko Borissov, reaffirming the unequivocal position of the Spanish Government, which condemns yesterday’s barbaric act at Burgas Airport and, through the Bulgarian Prime Minister, I expressed my deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.

I sent a personal letter to my colleague, the Ambassador of Israel to Bulgaria, strongly condemning the bomb attack against the Israeli citizens in Burgas. I would like to convey the empathy on behalf of the Embassy of Spain in Bulgaria and on my behalf, and express condolences to the families of the victims and wish soon recovery to the wounded.

In Europe, and worldwide, there are mechanisms for fighting terrorism, but more importantly – there is an explicit and unambiguous will to fight terrorism which attempts to take life - the most important human right. Let us use all the existing mechanisms of cooperation in order to achieve the desired result against this malignant phenomenon.

- Can you remember when you saw Bulgaria for the first time?
- In the 1970s. Those were depressing times, indeed. I can remember the grey colour, but not that of the streets and the city. I mean the grey colour in the spirit and thoughts of people, in their way of speaking. Bulgarians felt depressed, they did not dare answer when you asked them something. I would like to say right away that on arriving, as Ambassador to Sofia, I was fascinated with the change. It’s really pleasing to see the result of restored freedom. Now, we can all safely express our positions. Bulgarian people have practically demonstrated their great ability to retain their identity despite the bitter morsels, swallowed during the reign of totalitarian regime.

- In what colours do you see Bulgaria now?
- (Laughs) Mediterranean! Full of vitality, like Spain. Colours that give you joy. Both countries - Spain and Bulgaria - are in the same big joint project called the European Union. All Europeans are on the same boat. We have our national identity but we belong to a united Europe. There are difficulties everywhere and also in Spain and Bulgaria. But there are always opportunities to overcome them. Gladly, we are overcoming the difficulties. So, I would say that I feel the Mediterranean spirit in Bulgaria, enthusiasm and desire to recover from the crisis as soon as possible.

- What will be the priorities of your term in office?
- The big goal is to give people an opportunity to work, to live a life of dignity and to enjoy what they have achieved after the end of their active life. This requires a resource and work is the best one. Let us abandon the idea of the patriarchal State. The State should only provide society with the legal context - safe, durable, stable - because this safety will encourage private entrepreneurs, economic agents to invest. Money comes as a result of work. This means that there should be enough jobs in the country. Thanks to the legislative and legal security ensured by the State, investments will come, creating jobs and new opportunities.

Foreign investments in any country are something very positive that bring new technology and give access to other markets. Therefore, as an Ambassador, I have set as my goal to bring more Spanish companies to Bulgaria. That is why, Bulgaria must send to Spain sufficiently clear messages that Spanish companies are welcome to settle and work here. This is valid for all countries. I do not mean only the Spanish or the Bulgarian market. We live in the same world with an open, global market.

- Many Spanish companies came to Bulgaria, but left disappointed.
- The key factor is an explicit, secure and predictable legal and economic framework. Usually, when a company settles abroad, it faces new challenges which it has to address. Entrepreneurs should look for solutions. In this case, we cannot be a side or judge. Whenever investing in a foreign country for the first time, the situation and effective legislation have to be surveyed. Companies are not NGOs. It is only logical that when coming to Bulgaria they will want their investment to be profitable. Therefore, the risk and expected profits should be assessed. Any foreign investment creates new jobs, capital flows to the country, there is a transfer of technology, new markets are opened, platforms for stepping onto other markets are being built. This is good for everybody.

- From a purely economic point of view, we are in a crisis. Both Bulgaria and Spain are suffering.
- Yes, we are experiencing a crisis, but Europe will emerge stronger from the crisis, because it is taking the decisions that it must really take. Let us not forget the methodological approach used by the Fathers of Europe – Schuman and Monnet – they supported the policy of small steps, i.e. if we want to erect a big building, we should first build one room, then another, then we should build a backyard, and finally the building will be ready.
At present, we are members of a currency union, we are sharing a common currency. But we need to take a big step forward. Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo defined that step as the rethinking of Europe. He means political rethinking, because the Euro problem is not an economic one, but a political one. We should take the necessary decisions in order to lay a solid foundation for monetary policy, so that we correct asymmetries between the EU member-states. According to the Minister, in an emergency situation such as the current one, we should immediately do four things: make sure that loans reach companies; restore calm on the markets; avoid a recession through growth policies; and establish a banking union. According to the Minister, the rethinking of Europe should take place in three stages: fiscal convergence, the establishment of a European Monetary Fund and redefining the monetary union. The European Central Bank should be structured as a real central bank, i.e. as a creditor of last resort similar to the U.S. Federal Reserve or the Bank of England.

- Many Bulgarians work in Spain now. How do you assess the Bulgarian presence in your country?
- Their presence is of extreme importance. Bulgarians emigrated for understandable reasons – for the same reasons that the Spanish emigrated to Germany in the 1960s. By working in Spain, Bulgarians receive money, they support their families, they even send money to their own country, but they also learn a language which is really useful and opens new doors for them. The Spanish language can help your country benefit from the opportunities of Spanish and Latin American markets. That explains the keen interest that Bulgarians take in the Spanish language. I find the high qualification of Bulgarian workers – both those in Bulgaria and those in Spain – extremely valuable. In fact, I think the time has come to learn more about each other. Bulgarians know more about Spain, while the Spanish know less about Bulgaria, but recently I have been seeing, more and more often, offers for tourist travel to Bulgaria. We are keeping tradition alive and we appointed an excellent diplomat as Bulgarian Ambassador to Spain, namely Kostadin Kodzhabashev, who was previously Consul General in Valencia. He has perfect command of Spanish and is very well acquainted with Spain. He is a very important factor and, thanks to the efficient way he carries out his duties, we will become better acquainted with each other and we will benefit more from each other's experience. In the tourism sector, for example, we have gained considerable experience and you could learn from it – not only from our achievements, but also from our mistakes!

- Could you give us some advice, considering your experience in tourism?
- When I read that two-thirds of Bulgaria's territory are forests, I was amazed because I adore nature. I was born in a mountainous land with forests. Bulgaria has ideal conditions for all types of tourism, so that their seasonal nature will not greatly affect the industry. You can offer summer and winter, as well as mountain and agritourism, water sports, golf... Let me give you some advice – you should protect this wealth. Be careful with mountain jeeps. An oak tree needs as many as 14 years to grow 30 cm high. Jeeps break into the forest and, if they deviate from the permitted route, they destroy biodiversity. Therefore, legislation should stipulate that these vehicles drive only on the roads designated for the purpose. Because this forest nature is an enormous wealth!
Agritourism has great potential in Bulgaria. I am sure that there are easier credit terms and preferential conditions for those willing to turn their village house into a guest house. Rooms only need to be furnished and adjusted to this type of vacation. Tourists want to be comfortably accommodated, to taste local culinary specialties. I personally convinced myself that Bulgarian wines, both red and white, are excellent and you have ideal wine-growing conditions. Thus, enology tourism is also a highly promising field. When foreigners come to Bulgaria and travel around village regions, they will enjoy the forest and the mountain, they will buy some wine, visit museums and spend more than those who spend their holiday solely at the beach. I would like to repeat once again – your country is a favourable destination for all types of tourism – agritourism, mountain, culture, culinary and wine tourism. That is Bulgaria's treasure.

- Golf is among sports activities that seem reserved for the wealthy. Do you think Bulgaria should make an effort to lure more tourists of such rank?
- Golf is not an elitarian sport, the exclusive domain of the world's extremely wealthy people. It is common knowledge that many middle-class people play golf too. A perfect case in point is the great Spanish champion Severiano Ballesteros, who started out as a caddy and ranked as top player, thanks to his discipline and willpower. I also play golf, whenever I have the chance, and I am already a member of a golf club, just outside Sofia. I also visited Bansko, which is another wonderful place in your country. This is yet another kind of tourism Bulgaria has to offer its guests, thanks to the way nature has molded this land. Studies show that it is five times more expensive to create a job in the agricultural sector than it is in the golf industry, and jobs in the latter bring 20 times as much revenue. Moreover, huntsmen, golf players and people who love mountains are typically more mindful of their actions' effect on nature, even if their motives are selfish. Outdoor sports are environmentally neutral.

- Not so long ago, in 2004, in your capacity as Spain's Ambassador to Libya, you spoke in staunch defence of the Bulgarian medical specialists on trial there. You were the first foreign diplomat to visit our nurses in the Jadida prison.
- That is correct. And I'm very happy that we got the chance to meet again, this time here in Sofia, in my capacity as Ambassador of Spain. The meeting in my residence was really emotional. My memories of the trial are that of a real-life drama – in their eyes I could see the horror of what they were going through, the anguish caused by essentially manufactured charges and what abuse of the basic human right of freedom is like.

Together with other European ambassadors, we agreed on a common stance in defence of the group of Bulgarian medical specialists and the Palestinian doctor Ashraf. During Spain's EU presidency in the first half of 2002, I included Lyudmil Spasov, Bulgaria's Ambassador at the time, in all meetings because we were all convinced that your country will return to the bosom of Europe's big family, where it has always belonged.

I was constantly in contact with another Bulgarian diplomat, Rumen Petrov, who worked very actively on the case and played a big part in its outcome. I also met Mr. Solomon Passy, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, whenever he came to Libya. He paid frequent visits to the Bulgarian nurses in Tripoli and then in Benghazi, and demanded that the Government of Libya's dictator free his countrymen. Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's Cabinet, the Foreign Minister and the Bulgarian Embassy carried out their duties superbly in an extremely tough environment and under intense pressure. Now, the nurses are free but the totalitarian regime in Libya deprived them of 8 years of their lives. Let's hope we never have to deal with such dramatic and tragic events again.

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