More and more Bulgarians against the accession of Balkan countries to the European Union

One-fifth of Bulgarians think it would be bad for Bulgaria if Macedonia were to be admitted to the European Union. The data came from a nationally representative survey by BBSS Gallup International on the topic, conducted in early October and commissioned by Klassa.bg.

In 2008, soon after we joined the European Union, Bulgarians declared a more open and welcoming attitude towards the possible future accession of countries like Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia to the Community. According to the data recorded in the survey conducted this month, there is an upward trend in the share of Bulgarians who fear that the possible expansion of the EU via the accession of other Balkan countries could lead to negative consequences for Bulgaria.

We recorded the most significant growth in the opinions "against" regarding the accession of Macedonia to the European Union. In 2008, almost half of adult Bulgarians (49%) thought it would be good for Bulgaria if Macedonia also became a full member of the Community. This year, the share of Bulgarians supporting the accession of Macedonia fell to 35%. However, the percentage of Bulgarians who think it might be bad for Bulgaria if Macedonia joined the EU increased from 8% in 2008 to 21% in 2012.

Attitudes towards the possible membership of Bosnia and Herzegovina are similar. In 2008, 42% of people thought it would be good for our country if Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the Community. This is now 7% lower - 35%, while 13% are concerned that the membership of Bosnia and Herzegovina may lead to negative consequences for Bulgaria.

Currently, Bulgarians show the highest level of support for EU membership with respect to Croatia and Serbia. Just over 40% of Bulgarians think that it would be good for Bulgaria if the Croats and Serbs join the European Union. However, the support for Serbia's membership has decreased slightly, compared to 2008 - from 48% to 41% this year.

As for Turkey, the attitudes of Bulgarian citizens remain without a significant change, compared to 2008. Just under a third of public opinion in Bulgaria is in favour of our southern neighbour's membership in the European Union and about a quarter of Bulgarians believe it will lead to negative consequences for our country.

Currently, as well as four years ago, Bulgarians are most sceptical about the possible admission of Albania in the European Union. Today, only 19% of the respondents agree that it would be good for Bulgaria if Albania became a member of the Community. The positive attitudes this year are eight percentage points lower than in the first issue of the survey in 2008.

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