Bulgaria New MEP Says No to Two-Speed Europe

"Enlargement fatigue should not be used as a political instrument," Svetoslav Malinov told the Bulgarian National Radio on Thursday. File photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's newest member to the European Parliament has made it clear his country won't buy a two-speed Europe with the virtuous in the slow lane.

"I am going to the European Parliament at a time when the situation in Europe is very serious. We are facing the real threat of an attempt to revive the old idea of a "two-speed Europe". We must not allow the idea of EU enlargement to be used against us. Enlargement fatigue should not be used as a political instrument," Svetoslav Malinov told the Bulgarian National Radio on Thursday.

Malinov from the rightist Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) party of former Prime Minister Ivan Kostov took a seat in the European Parliament on December 1 under amendments to the Lisbon treaty which added 18 extra members to the current legislature

He ruled out the collapse of the single currency, a gloomy prediction, which has recently become pretty fashionable.

"A breakdown of the euro is just impossible. I want to tell those speculating on the breakdown that the cost of the euro zone collapse, the exit of Greece or some other radical scenario, is far higher that the price member states will have to pay for implementing radical reforms now."

"I want to tell the skeptics that Europe has been under pressure many times and the EU been repeatedly mocked, but in the last ten years this has just made it stronger."

Malinov was next in line after the 17 Bulgarian MEPs who made it to the European Parliament. As Malinov becomes the new Bulgarian MEP, this means one extra deputy for the European People's Party from Bulgaria.

"At this point it is important for Bulgaria to have one more member in the European Parliament," Malinov commented.

He sees no obstacles to combine his work as Vice-President of the DSB - a post to which he was elected a few days ago - and MEP as in the party he is in charge of European affairs policy.

The number of MEPs needed to be increased because the last European Parliament elections were held under the rules of the Nice Treaty, which set the number of MEPs at 736, while the new Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force on 1st December 2009, provides for 751 seats.

The allocation of new seats was decided during the Lisbon Treaty negotiations. Twelve countries will be sending extra MEPs to Brussels and Strasbourg: Spain will get four new seats, Austria, France and Sweden will send two, while Bulgaria, Italy, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and the United Kingdom will each get one extra Member.

The only country to have fewer MEPs under the new treaty is Germany, which loses three seats, from 99 to 96. However, as all 99 current German Members will keep their seats until the end of this term, the number of MEPs will temporarily rise to 754.

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