Bulgaria shows how closely linked security and integration are. Its forthcoming accession to the euro area sends a clear signal of stability – for Sofia and for the whole of Europe. Bulgaria knows how challenging, but also how rewarding, the path towards Europe is. Bulgaria’s experience is a compass for the countries of the Western Balkans, whose Foreign Ministers I met in Belfast just last week. That meeting made clear once again that EU enlargement is not a technical issue. It is valuable; it is vital for security policy; and it also makes economic sense.
