The Republic of Bulgaria

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The European Union is essentially a partnership among its Member States, which are united by shared democratic values.
 
The European Union is essentially a partnership among its Member States, which are united by shared democratic values. These countries cooperate closely in favour of their citizens. The EU is not a state and its purpose is not to substitute the states within its framework, nor is it an organisation for international cooperation.

The current 27 Member States have agreed to work together on matters of shared interest, whereby joint and coordinated initiatives can be more effective than the individual actions of any Member State.

Cooperation within the EU, built after the end of World War II, developed considerably in the past 50 years. Today the EU consolidates the peace and prosperity of Europe and has a strong voice on the global scene.

The functioning of the EU is regulated by a series of treaties drafted at Intergovernmental Conferences (IGC) and ratified by each Member State. The work of the EU is performed by different institutions, notably the European Council, the Council of Ministers, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

One of the key priorities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria is to defend the national interests in the Community policies through the country’s active participation in the work of the EU bodies and institutions and for further development of relations with current and future EU partners.

In this part of the website our aim is to present the principal issues discussed in the EU institutions, in which Bulgaria participates as an equal Member State.
 
Key facts about the EU:
27 Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and United Kingdom.

Total territory: 4,324,782 sq. km.

The EU has borders with: Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Norway, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Population: 490,426,060 (July 2007).

Population growth: 0.16% (2007)

Principal religious denominations: Catholic, Protestant, Christian Orthodox, Islam and Judaism.

Languages spoken (official): English, Bulgarian, Greek, Danish, Estonian, Spanish, Italian, Celtic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, German, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Hungarian, Finnish, French, Dutch, Czech and Swedish.

More information on the EU can be found at: http://europa.eu.