Bulgaria and Romania are to become the next two members of the European Union (EU) on 1 January 2007. Lets start with a look at a few interesting facts about two of the poorest members of the EU most people know very little about.
A few interesting facts about Bulgaria
Until 1989 the country was known as the People’s Republic of Bulgaria (PRB) and was ruled by the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP). By the time the impact of Mikhail Gorbachevs reform program in the Soviet Union was felt in Bulgaria in the late 1980s, the Communists, like their leader, had grown too feeble to resist the demand for change for long and they moved towards democracy.
Unemployment remained high and when Bulgaria was given a chance to join the EU after leaving Communisim behind, it jumped at it as it means greater access to markets. Bulgarians associate their dreams of European citizenship with the salaries of the Germans, the houses of the French and the holidays of the Scandinavians. Before joining the EU Bulgaria has had to tackle lots of economic and social problems including high crime rates.
A few interesting facts about Romania
Romania is the largest...