Much has changed in Bulgaria since the fall of the Iron Curtain, but corruption and organized crime persist, according to a July 2007 cable from the U. S. Embassy in Sofia.

And East German citizens still Shared with the Bulgarians the reputation of being the most quiescent people in the Soviet bloc.

On 25 April 2005 Bulgaria signed the Treaty of Accession with the European Union and is set to join the bloc in 2007.