Are the Germans going to sort us out?

Analysis by Svetoslav Terziev, Sega Daily. The government is trying to wipe out all incriminating evidence by German "brooms" at a moment when it should be forced, not advised how to work.

We are going to appoint German advisers to unblock the suspended EU funds, Deputy PM Meglena Plugchieva delighted us with the news and even went to Berlin in person to look for the right men for the posts. We are expecting Germany to send us at its expense "qualified employees with broad experience in the implementation of EU programmes and having good communication with Brussels".

What more could we want - we are getting sort of Mercedeses in our administration, with all the extras on top of that. Time out of mind Bulgarian men of power have had a soft spot for Mercedes, because they are aware of its reliability. Money is not spared on them. No expenses will be spared for German advisers as well, who are coming to help heads of Bulgarian agencies with much slender salaries. Thus, Bulgaria will make a step towards comparing its incomes to the European ones which will be the first evident benefit from the German presence.

There are other possible benefits as well. "Bulgaria has admitted that it needs independent high-level expert opinion", wrote the European Commission (EC) in its report on internal affairs and justice system dated 23 July. So this is where the problem lies - someone should have come to teach us how to fight organized crime and corruption but we were simply ashamed to admit it so far. Pleased with its find though with certain cautiousness, Brussels announced that it was ready to "provide assistance but wants the beneficiaries to... follow their advice". Probably the naive ones in the EC are nearly extinct, too.

Why does Bulgaria need foreign advisers if it lacks the willingness not only to listen to them but also to fight against crime at all, as the EC noticed? It has already been mentioned - for unblocking EU funds through good communication with Brussels and with those capitals which are twisting the arms of the Cabinet. Berlin is known by being most diligent in this respect. Germany was the last country to agree to Bulgaria's accession to the EU in 2007 and has incessantly criticized us since then.

A reference to the reactions on Deutsche Welle Radio during the last two weeks of July only, gives a good idea of Germany's attitude. "Bulgarian politicians should be punished most severely. The situation in Bulgaria is like in some African country, this cannot be tolerated anymore", says count Philip von Walderdorf, former member of the managing board of the German Commercial and Industrial Chamber and a business consultant at present.

"Bulgaria is becoming a burden for the EU", says Thomas Silberhorn, German MP from the Christian Social Union (CSU). "The government in Sofia should resign", notes Klaus Shrameyer who was the second man in the German Embassy in Sofia during the 90-es. "The outcome of the analysis in the EC report regarding the absence of progress in Bulgaria does not surprise me", says the chairman of the Bundestag Committee on EU Affairs Gunther Krichbaum.

"Bulgaria cannot twist Brussels round its little finger", the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Gernot Erler was indignant. The German historian and political scientist Heinz Bram went even further by forecasting what would follow: "After the EC report, the Bulgarian government will be busy sweeping up tracks". However, he didn't figure out that the cover-up might involve German "brooms" as well. We should admit that the Bulgarian government is always one step further. It has great experience not only with German, but also with other European consultants, under the so-called twinning projects financed by PHARE and knows well how to disarm them.

Most often these are retired employees or specialists who were sidetracked after some political jolt. The assignment in Bulgaria provides them with an opportunity to feel important while their own countries ease of the burden of their presence. This is a chance for them but at the same time puts them in a rather complicated conflict-of-interest situation. They should not be too fastidious to the Bulgarian authorities so that they do not come up as unwelcome guests and get the sack.

After all, this is cooperation by mutual agreement. At the same time they need to report some sort of results to their countries and to Brussels - for example, that they are helping Bulgaria to tackle conflict of interests in the road construction field (there will be such German adviser in the new road fund as well).

A diplomatic source conversant with the subject shared with Sega Daily his impressions on the work of German advisers in Bulgaria so far: "During their public appearances they spare the authorities which are their secondary employer, whereas in the reports to their primary employer in Berlin express discontent with not having their advice followed". When you are a servant of two masters, you need to please them both. But Bulgaria strained itself with experts hired for a fee directly from Brussels.

This was the case with Klaus Jansen, Chairman of the Association of Criminal Investigators in Germany, who, in February 2006, outraged with his deadly criticism the former Interior Minister Rumen Petkov. The latter expressed his indignation at the upbringing of the former. In the end, Jansen also got the sack - as a result of intensive pressure exerted by Sofia, the team in charge of Bulgaria at the EC DG "Enlargement" gave up the idea to hire him for its future expert check-ups.

The Germans, who will have none of it, are causing real trouble to the Bulgarian government. Such as Dirk Ahner, Director-General for Regional Policy at the EC. On 24 January he has suspended the funds under ISPA over conflict of interests and corruption in the Roads Fund. On 22 July he confirmed in a second letter that the freezing refers also to the money under the Structural and Cohesion Funds designed for road construction. Thus, the German blocked 1,3 milliard euros which his fellow-countrymen should release at Plugchieva's request in their capacity of future Bulgarian advisors. The task is a very delicate one because the EU bureaucrats are obliged to avoid national influences.

Bulgaria ran upon the rocks not only with regards to the Eurocrats in Brussels but also with Germany itself whose word will carry considerable weight with the Council of the EU (Foreign Ministers) which will analyze in September-October the Commission's criticism of 23 July and bring forward respective corrective measures. Besides the suspension of funds, what might follow is tightening of the cooperation and verification mechanism which is not giving results so far. France, as current rotational president of the EU, is sparing of criticism towards Bulgaria but would not let itself diverge radically from Germany which has a clearly cold attitude towards us. It is hardly a coincidence that the German chancellor Angela Merkel has not set her foot in Sofia yet and the Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev visited her only once at a dinner two years ago. No official visits of heads of government have been exchanged for years or are expected.

If Germany wants to achieve something through its pressure on Bulgaria, its advisers are welcome as soon as they try to teach us order and discipline which we lack so much. But diplomacy games will not be helpful to anyone. Due to the absence of political will, Bulgaria already is in need of warders, not advisers. The men in power should not be taught but made to do their job. The time has come when things should be called by their right names. Sweeping away problems, even with German "brooms", could in no way contribute to the cleansing of the country.