The Pomakistan Way - EU meets the Eastern Mentality

Frankly, this is a prelude to what we should expect if Turkey joins the EU. This is a story of what happens when EU money and EU ideas meet their ultimate opponent - the Orient.

Bulgaria joining the EU - the once in a lifetime chance for asset strippers

I kept wondering, what the hell was the Bulgarian royal heir thinking before his Bulgarian prime ministerial adventure a few years back. Out of the blue, he suddenly upped anchor and left his safe berth in Spain sailing into the Sargasso Sea of Bulgarian politics. This did not make sense at the time. It makes a lot of sense now when looking at the aftermath and the participants.

In the 90-es I thought that the rule of lawlessness has reached its ultimate peak and there is simply no way for the chaos to go any further. I now understand how naive I was at the time. The times of Simeon and his coalition showed that it is possible to go way further. Especially if the result at the end of the day is a few hundreds millions in the accounts of right people.

"Beautiful Bulgaria" - The Rule of Lawlessness exemplified

There are many examples of embezzlement, fraud, asset stripping and outright theft of monumental proportion in the last few years. Compared to the scale of some of the bigger operations "Beautiful Bulgaria" is petty cash - lunchbox money. It is however an excellent example of what went on in Bulgaria during the last decade.

So what is "Beautiful Bulgaria" in the first place? During the decade after the fall of the Berlin wall many natural beauty spots and monuments of historical significance became dumps and reached a state that can be called with one word - disgraceful. The aim of the "Beautiful Bulgaria" program was to fix this by using EU and BG government money handed directly to local councils to pay for repairs, refurbishment and restoration. The first thought is - how noble. A country that is on its knees economically, which has been dragged through the dirt for mode than a decade is trying to restore its heritage and national pride. It is a fantastic idea. Or a fantastic delusion.

All over the world it is customary to make a good living off a government handout. Anything else is bad for morale and the countless parasites dependent on government pork throughout the world can testify to that. However at least in the EU it is also customary to deliver at least something after receiving the money. "Beautiful Bulgaria" is one of those examples which show that this is notion is perceived as rather silly in the East. The Oriental tradition of dealing with Government handouts is not to deliver something - it is to deliver NOTHING. And that is exactly what "Beautiful Bulgaria" did within the region which Bulgarians themself call Pomakistan - South of the Maritca valley and to the East of the Mesta river. The EU money met the Oriental way of thinking with the expected result.

Kleptuza - an example of "Beautiful Bulgaria"

The Kleptuza Springs is a cascade of artificial lakes fed straight off the mineral water springs overlooked by a park and a restaurant. The spring is fairly warm so the lakes are kept above freezing all year round. It used to be a place of stunning beauty. The crystal clear water of the lakes used to reflect the park above its shores. Marble staircases ran up from the lake to secluded benches and sightseeing spots. The goldfish in the lake slowly cruised under the surface picking bread from the countless tourists.

During the 90-es it became a dump. The old restaurant fell into disrepair. A number of illegal smaller constructions sprang around the shore. The goldfish as well as most of the ducks end up in the dinner pot of "minority members". The lower lakes water was no longer crystal clear. It now had the distinct smell of swamp and sewerage overflow.

It received at least several hundred thousands of dollars of money for restoration. I do not know the exact total from all projects there, but I would not be surprised if it is even in the millions range. And this is what you get for a million quid of EU money in Pomakistan:

However quite clearly the money to illegally tap into the mineral spring for the new hotels across the river was there. So much for the protected status of the springs I guess. And even here the predominant Pomakistanic greed and "we do not give a flying f*** about the future" attitude has taken its course - not a single penny was spent on the derelict Kleptuza bridge despite it being loaded with additional weight well beyond its structural integrity limits:

And well... We all know where the money really went: