[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 741]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATING BULGARIA ON BEING ADMITTED INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, this has been a joyous new 
year for the people of Bulgaria. On January 1, Bulgaria and Romania 
were admitted into the European Union. In less than 16 years Bulgaria 
has successfully transitioned from a Communist totalitarian regime into 
a free market democracy.
  Three years ago, I was honored to be at the White House with former 
Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha as Bulgaria was admitted into 
NATO. Bulgaria has proven to be a true ally in the global war on 
terrorism and there are currently plans for three U.S. bases to be 
located within Bulgaria. Bulgaria has one of the fastest-growing 
European economies, and membership in the EU will accelerate its pace.
  Congratulations to President Georgi Parvanov, Prime Minister Sergey 
Stanishev, Ambassador to Washington Elena Poptodorova, and my longtime 
friend and former ambassador to Athens, Stefan Stoyanov. I am grateful 
to serve with Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher as co-chair of the Bulgaria 
Caucus.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September 11.

                          ____________________