Bulgarian rhapsody

摘要

For a man facing the threat of bankruptcy in six months' time, thanks to European Union sanctions on his country, Stefan Pe-trov has pretty warm words for Brussels. Mr Petrov is a dairy farmer from the rolling hills of northern Bulgaria. Two-and-a-half years after his country joined the EU, his business is in peril after €800m ($1.1 billion) in transitional aid for new members, including farm aid, was frozen by the European Commission last year, amid complaints about fraud, contract-padding and conflicts of interest. About €220m of the frozen money has been lost for ever, after a deadline for spending the cash expired in November. The pot of €110m that includes Mr Petrov's grant is due to expire at the end of this year. Yet the farmer does not quarrel with the logic of the decision to freeze Bulgaria's aid, which is the toughest sanction ever imposed on any eu member. "Those who govern us tried to steal the funds, and partly succeeded," says Mr Petrov, when asked why the European money was blocked. The EU, he insists, is "good for farmers".