[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 322 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 322
Reaffirming the alliance between the United States and Bulgaria,
congratulating Bulgaria on its July 11, 2021 parliamentary elections,
and calling for continued progress in Bulgaria towards combating
corruption, respecting the freedom of the press, and protecting
minority rights.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 27, 2021
Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. Tillis)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Reaffirming the alliance between the United States and Bulgaria,
congratulating Bulgaria on its July 11, 2021 parliamentary elections,
and calling for continued progress in Bulgaria towards combating
corruption, respecting the freedom of the press, and protecting
minority rights.
Whereas Bulgaria, which is an original signatory of the Conference on Security
and Cooperation in Europe, done at Helsinki August 1, 1975 (commonly
known as the ``Helsinki Final Act'')--
(1) has transitioned from a Cold War-era, Soviet satellite to a multi-
party democracy with a market economy; and
(2) remains an active and constructive participant in the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE);
Whereas because of its progress on the institutionalization of democratic
systems and economic reforms, Bulgaria joined the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) in 2004 and the European Union in 2007;
Whereas Bulgaria is a steadfast ally of the United States in an area of
strategic importance to the United States;
Whereas bilateral security cooperation between the United States and Bulgaria is
deep and growing stronger, including through the October 2020 signing of
a 10-year defense cooperation roadmap, and regular United States
military training conducted in Bulgaria, including at the Novo Selo
Training Area;
Whereas Bulgaria has contributed approximately 21,000 troops to various NATO
missions;
Whereas Bulgaria is on track to consistently reach defense spending of at least
2 percent of its gross domestic product by 2024;
Whereas the international observers representing the OSCE Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe concluded that
Bulgaria's July 11, 2021, parliamentary elections were ``competitive
with fundamental freedoms generally respected'';
Whereas, on July 8 and 9, 2021, Bulgaria hosted the annual summit meeting of the
Three Seas Initiative, a unique region-led undertaking launched in 2015
to create a political platform and investment fund to promote
transportation, energy, and digital infrastructure connectivity across
its 12 member states (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia,
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia);
Whereas Bulgaria's continued progress has been threatened by multiple internal
challenges, including corruption, and Bulgaria is consistently among the
lowest-ranked European Union member states in Transparency
International's Corruption Perceptions Index;
Whereas Bulgaria was ranked 112th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without
Borders 2021 World Press Freedom Index, which is the lowest position of
any European Union country;
Whereas, on March 10, 2021, a Reporters Without Borders expert stated, ``Press
freedom has reached an impasse in Bulgaria and independent media are on
the brink of disappearing'', citing political interference with public
broadcasters, and the abuse of privately owned media for political
purposes, among other concerns;
Whereas Bulgaria is an attractive, low-cost investment destination with a
talented, tech-savvy labor pool, but has problems with endemic
corruption, including in large infrastructure projects and in the energy
sector;
Whereas, on June 2, 2021, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign
Assets Control announced sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human
Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114-
328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) against 3 Bulgarian individuals and 64
associated entities, while the Department of State announced visa bans
on 5 former Bulgarian Government officials due to corruption;
Whereas religious pluralism has long been a positive feature of Bulgarian
society, though the Muslim community still encounters obstacles in its
quest to reclaim property and build new houses of worship in Sofia;
Whereas the Romani community faces systemic discrimination in Bulgaria,
including discrimination in access to education, rights to residency,
and access to voting, and Romani settlements faced particularly harsh
restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas Bulgaria has withheld its support for neighboring North Macedonia to
open accession talks with the European Union; and
Whereas America's most successful and enduring relationships are built on shared
values: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) reaffirms its commitment to the historic partnership
between the United States and Bulgaria and to advance
democracy, prosperity, and security in Bulgaria;
(2) congratulates the Bulgarian people on the successful
conduct of the July 11 parliamentary elections;
(3) declares its support for the Three Seas Initiative;
(4) urges Bulgarian authorities to redouble efforts to
address corruption, sustain and protect a healthy independent
media, and protect the rights of all minority groups in
Bulgaria, in line with its commitments to the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe;
(5) encourages Bulgaria to support the aspirations for
European Union membership of neighboring North Macedonia;
(6) supports Bulgaria's efforts to diversify its energy
sources to minimize the malign influence of dominant suppliers;
and
(7) affirms its intent to continue to support Bulgaria's
efforts in these areas, including through the application of a
wide range of supportive measures, such as--
(A) targeted Global Magnitsky Sanctions, as and
when appropriate; and
(B) support for independent journalism, including
through the recently returned Radio Free Europe
Bulgarian Service, which excels in investigative
reporting.
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