A Comparative Analysis between Bulgaria and Other European Countries Regarding the Benefits of EU Membership

EU support among Bulgarian citizens has significantly decreased in recent years. The research aims at answering the question whether there are economic reasons for this disillusionment with the EU. The chosen methodology is quantitative analysis of the economic parameters of several countries including Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Austria and Portugal. The comparative analysis is based on GDP, GDP per capita, minimal and average wage for two years – 2006, i.e. the year before Bulgaria’s entry into EU, and 2023. The results show that Bulgaria has achieved a far higher economic development than Serbia and North Macedonia, two of the neighboring countries outside of the EU. The development is several times faster than some old member states like Austria and Portugal, so Bulgaria is catching up in terms of economic development. The conclusion is that Bulgaria has significantly gained from its EU membership and the resentment doesn’t have economic grounds. Any actions putting in doubt Bulgaria’s membership in the EU would have serious negative economic implications. Those findings are contrary to those in publications by renowned Bulgarian economists that put in doubt the benefits of EU membership.