The Herald
19 януари 2007 г.

Scots taste the January 2007
Cate Devine

When Kate Maslanka first opened the Polish Delicatessen in Paisley, people would cry when they came in and smelled the Polish bread. "They were Poles who had settled here after the war and they'd missed the smells of home. Bread is one of the things Scotland doesn't do well," says Maslanka, who is from Katowice and has lived near Paisley with her husband, Shimmey, and two children for three years.

"Scottish bread is awful. We call it sponge bread because it's so full of air and chemicals. Polish bread is dense and nutritious as it's made from rye."Beetroot soup, stuffed cabbage leaves and pierogi - dumplings stuffed with meat or vegetables such as mushroom and sauerkraut - are among the most popular items at the shop, along with juniper-smoked sausages, pork loin, bacon, herring and giant gherkins in brine. These are delivered weekly direct from Poland in jars or tins, while the pierogi are frozen and the meat is vacuum-packed. The Maslankas don't import fresh produce as the vegetables most common in Polish cuisine - beetroot, cabbage and celeriac - are already widely available in UK supermarkets.

But for all the tears, the appeal of Polish produce is not only based on the nostalgia of the elderly. If initially Maslanka's customers were first-generation Poles, now a new generation of young Lithuanian, Slovakian, Czech and Polish customers are swelling their numbers since joining the EU in 2004 and coming here to work. There are now some 40,000 eastern Europeans working in Scotland, though the true population is probably more than that as official statistics do not take into account the self-employed or those here but not working. Unofficial estimates go as high as 100,000 - and the majority are Polish

The appeal of east European cuisine has spread to Scots with no obvious Polish connections. "One-third of our 300 weekly customers are Scots who come from Paisley, Glasgow, Motherwell, Dundee and even Aberdeen," says Maslanka, who has cousins in Paisley and came to the UK straight from school 15 years ago. "There are no pesticides in Polish agriculture so the meat is naturally organic. It's healthy food and that's what people appreciate."

The Maslankas also run an online delivery service and are now looking to the future and plan to launch Scotland's first wholesale business, Little Poland, which will supply Polish food to supermarkets to reflect its widening appeal.Business has been brisk - and the competition increasingly fierce - since the Maslankas opened 14 months ago, in the same week that Deli Polonia opened in Edinburgh. Since then, another 10 independent outlets have swelled the ranks in Glasgow and Edinburgh. On Monday, Aurora, Edinburgh's first east European restaurant, will be opened in Edinburgh by Vlad Moroz, the Russian who runs the Nostalgia delis in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Meanwhile, both Tesco and Morrisons, which already sell a range of imported Polish food in their Scottish stores, plan to increase their offering over the next few weeks. Tesco will add sauerkraut soup, pea soup with pork and sausage, mushroom salad, mustards and beer, and Morrisons plans to "dramatically extend the existing range shortly".

The newest entrant on the scene is Matthew Owczarek, from near Warsaw, who chose Glasgow's Saltmarket for his White Eagle deli-cafe because it is close to a large east European community in the Gorbals and Parkhead, and the Polish labourers who work in construction around the Trongate. Dumplings, goulash, herrings and smalec (pork fat mixed with meat and onions), all delivered direct from Poland each week, are on the daily menu.

Although he's only been open three weeks, Matthew is busy: within 10 minutes of our visit he had served two young Polish couples at the counter and at the table a working man who ordered bigos served with dark rye bread and a bowl of sliced gherkins. Two older Glaswegians from a neighbouring shop came in for a look, too.Many of Owczarek's customers are young Poles, with some Czechs and Slovakians. A Romanian family has eaten there once. But he says he is "amazed" that 50% of his customers are Glaswegian east- enders. "They even know the Polish names for things like kabanos (sausage)."Many Scots in the area have their own business and employ immigrant Polish workers who buy the boss their lunch from us. That is how Glaswegians are learning about and experiencing Polish food. They like it."Even though it comes vacuum packed or tinned, Owczarek believes Polish food is healthier than Scottish. "Here, there is too much fried, salty food like pizza, fish and chips," he says.

Nostalgia sells whole frozen saltfish, mackerel, hake and sprats to customers who like to munch them with their beer. Maria Mazaava, the young Belarussian sales assistant at the Glasgow store, which was opened three years ago by Vlad Moroz and expanded to Edinburgh six months ago, says the particular appeal of the fish has yet to spread, although there is a "huge" Scottish customer base.

She says she put on 10kg within a year of moving to Scotland because she ate too many chips, pies and sweets. "The food here is not too healthy," she says. She has now returned to her slim figure by sticking to her usual diet of fresh sauerkraut, gherkins and boiled carp or pelmeni (stuffed ravioli), which is delivered to the store from eastern Europe each week.The appeal of eastern European food to naturally open-minded Scots does not appear to match the appeal of Scottish food to all new members of the European Union. But if we are hungry for the new tastes being brought in to this country, it's doubtful whether we'll get to sample Bulgarian or Romanian cuisine to the same degree, even though migrants from both countries can now come here to work, having just entered the EU.

Professor Nikolai Zhelev, the honorary Bulgarian consul in Scotland, does not expect the same number of Bulgarians as Poles to arrive in Scotland. He estimates that the existing 2100 already living in Scotland will increase by only around 1000 this year, with even fewer Romanians. "People migrate to places where they have connections. Bulgaria does not have the historical relationship with Scotland that Poland has, so there is not the same level of nostalgia," he says. "I think there will be even fewer Romanians coming over."

As 80% of Bulgarians are already in Dundee, that's where he expects the new arrivals to settle. "The vast majority of Bulgarians living here work in agriculture so they want to be near Fife, Angus and Tayside," says Zhelev, a professor at Abertay University. "But Bulgarian cuisine is fresh and healthy, and it would be good to have it in Dundee," he adds. "Bulgaria has lots of natural sunlight and enjoys a hot climate, which means fantastic fruit and vegetables and great wine."

Bulgarians already have a choice for eating out in Scotland as their cuisine has lots in common with Greek and Turkish food. "Although they don't eat pork, the meat is prepared in much the same way as ours, very spicy," says Zhelev. Romanian cuisine has more in common with east European food.

Zhelev says Bulgarians do their food shopping at Lidl, the cut-price German supermarket which has 5000 branches in European countries, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, and has plans to open further stores in Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania and Latvia. "Their vegetables are very good - European - and better than the other supermarkets.'"None of the UK supermarkets has plans to stock Bulgarian or Romanian produce yet, though they are on a watching brief. A spokeswoman for Morrisons said: "A decision to stock Bulgarian or Romanian food will depend on the success of our new Polish range."

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Sunday Herald
7 януари 2007 г.

Stars in their eyes

By Julia Fields

Thousands of migrants are expected to seek a better life in Britain following the accession of Bulgaria nd Romania to the EU. But is their arrival a business opportunity … or an economic burden?
WHEN BULGARIAN and Romanian politicians hoisted their European Union flags for the firsttimelastweek, Charles Cormack was one of thefewBrits who rolled out the welcome mat. The Peebles-based entrepreneur hopes to bring highly educated Bulgarians to work in Scottish technology firms. And he sees even more scope for helping businesses here outsources development projects to low-cost centres in Bulgaria.

In today's political climate, such ambitions could prove controversial. But Cormack doesn't mind being unpopular."My view is that we are living in an increasingly global economy. We're part of the same single market
place as Bulgaria and Romania. One of the fundamental founding principles of the EU is free movement of people and workers," he says. "Given our ageing and declining population, it seems to me we should be positively encouraging people to come to Scotland."

The accession of Bulgaria and Romania into the EU last week kicked off another round of debate on the economic benefits or lack thereof of migrants coming to the UK. Journalists, who crowded into Heathrow airport to intercept the next wave of workers from eastern Europe, were left disappointed as barely a trickle walked off flights arriving from Sofia and Bucharest. The UK government has placed restrictions, initially only allowing around 20,000 agricultural-type workers to legally stay, along with a small number of higher-skilled migrants and the self-employed.

Nevertheless, economic analyst Capital Economics estimated last week that 50,000 workers from Romania and Bulgaria will head to Britain this year, some of whom will enter as tourists and disappear into the black market. Even in the face of such forecasts, the latest wave of enlargement is unlikely to have anywhere near the same impact as the last major accession in 2004 that brought 10 new countries into the EU - and more than 600,000 people to our shores.

Bulgaria and Romania are now the poorest members of the EU, with per capita wealth totalling one-third of the union's average. In Romania, more than 30% of employment is in agriculture and in many areas that is subsistence farming. Many observers were surprised that the two countries were given the green light for accession given the European Commission's concerns over incomplete reforms of the judiciary and tax systems and the ability of these countries to sufficiently control corruption.

Still, experts believe there are economic benefits to be had from the entry of two fast-growing nations with more than 30 million citizens between them.The question is, are those advantages more likely to come from migrant workers or trade and investment in Bulgaria and Romania itself?

According to the Home Office, the last group of central eastern European migrants contributed £240 million to the UK economy during the first eight months of 2004. After an extensive study, the government also concluded that there was no statistical evidence that the influx had resulted in higher unemployment claims in Britain.

However, lobby group Migration watch UK released research last week saying that the benefit to each member of the native population of the UK from immigration is worth about 4p a week. The body pointsoutthatwhileimmigration brings economic growth, it also adds nearly proportionately to the population so that the benefit to the host nation is small. It argues that because immigration holds down pay levels it reduces the incentive for the 1.7 million unemployed and the 2.7 million on incapacity benefit in the UK to return to the workforce. And it questions the often-trotted out argument that migrants fill jobs that Britons simply refuse to do. Migration watch, which is chaired by former UK ambassador Andrew Green, has been campaigning for the government to set annual immigration quotas and would have preferred Tony Blair to have introduced an employment ban on Bulgarians and Romanians for a set period, until other EU states made it clear when they will open their borders.

But Migration watch's report was immediately lambasted by both the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and London think tank, the Institute For Public Policy Research (IPPR).Laura Chappell, an IPPR Research Fellow, says that Migrationwatch had looked at an extreme macroeconomic level equation over a short time-frame, rather than drilling down to capture the knock-on effects of immigration in the longer term. "There are very serious methodologicalproblemswith Migrationwatch's report on the economic contribution of migrants," she argues. "Migrants often fill gaps in Britain's public services, like nursing for example, which are relatively low paid but are essential to the smooth running of the economy. Migrants also fill hard-to-fill vacancies in strategic' industries, like agriculture.Withouttheseworkers, these critical sectors would face massive challenges. Migrant workers play an important role in keeping prices in the shops down and controlling inflation. Their skills can also help to raise productivity, contributing to future wage growth for British workers." She continues: "The report also does not take account of the impact of the promotionsthat migrant workers will achieve. Research proves that, on average, economic migrants are people who climb the career ladder more quickly, earn higher wages, and therefore contribute more to GDP over time."

At a more local level, research from the University of Abertay paints an equally positive picture of the arrival of migrants in Tayside during th elast few years. The study estimates that there were 4000 migrant workers in the region in late summer 2005, employed mainly in processing and machine operative-type positions or in skilled trades in construction.Two-thirds of employers surveyed said that their business performance had either improved or significantly improved from these new hires. And unemployment fel in migrant-heavy areas, suggesting that labour shortages had been filled rather than local workers displaced.

But equally, data from the Tayside Economic Review 2005 showed that wages had fallen by 1.2% across the region, while the Scottish average increased by 3.1%. And the study admitted that the increased numbers, particularly in small rural settlements, were likely to put pressure on the availability of rental housing. But will the latest entrants from Romania and Bulgaria have a similar impact?

Professor Nikolai Zhelev, honorary Bulgarian consul in Scotland, believes that fears over a tidal wave of new migrants are unfounded. In an interview with a European news website, he does not hold back in his assessment of the media frenzy and the politicking that has followed: "The job of the opposition is to criticise the government. In this case, Bulgaria happens to be the scapegoat and the Conservatives are exploiting the issue to criticise the government of Tony Blair. Unfortunately, some Labour members are joining in."

There are very few Romanians in Scotland. And according to Professor Zhelev, just 2100 Bulgarians currently work here, three-quarters of whom reside in Dundee. The majority stay from March to October and work in agricultural and food processing. There are also 150 nurses; a small group of academics, scientists and technologists; and a group of self-employed people mainly in construction trades.

Professor Zhelev expects a further 1000 Bulgarians to arrive in Scotland during 2007; and that the UK-wide number will not even reach the 20,000 government-imposed cap. Surveys have shown that Bulgarians and Romanians prefer other destinations such as France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Nikolai Zhelev, a former employee of biotechnology firm Cyclacel and now a professor at the University of Abertay, has been meeting with members of the Scottish parliament to press their case and will also lobby Westminster for a reversal on the restrictions on the grounds that they are unnecessary and against the principles of the EU. Professor John Bachtler, head of the European Policies Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde, agrees that the scale of migration is likely to be less than what followed the last accession. Although Bachtler anticipates that a significant black market economy could develop in response to the restrictions imposed by the UK government, he adds: "A lot depends on what happens with the UK economy in terms of demand. A lot of migration has been driven by the availability of work rather than access to the benefits system."It also depends on what happens to the existing supply of labour from countries like Poland. What we've seen is people coming for seasonal work and then leaving or coming to save money for a house or some other investment and then going back. As economic conditions change we will see less migration from these countries. If that's the case, people from Bulgaria and Romania might be required to make up the shortfall."

That is something that Cormack will be keeping a close eye on when he makes a decision on whether to go ahead with his recruitment company. But, in any event, he believes that there is more money to be made by doing business in Bulgaria itself. "We're looking at a country that is part of the same market as us, but its economy is growing between 8% to 10%. It's going to be getting billions of Euros from the EU to develop its economy. It seems like madness for Scottish companies to make a huge effort to develop business in a far-flung place like the Philipines when these markets are much closer and using UK money to improve their economies."

He and Bulgarian business partner Diana Radeva have set up an umbrella company in Varna, called Radeva Cormack, to exploit a number of opportunities. At the moment, the main activity is advising Brits on real estate investment in Bulgaria. Cormack is also working with fellow Scot Chris Harris, who has set up a not-for-profit business called BLEU that will develop trading links between the two countries. They are organising a Scottish visit by interior minister Rumen Petkov and 20 Bulgarian companies later this month. Other links in development include using technology from the Roslin BioCentre to support agricultural advances in Bulgaria, and accessing EU funds for smaller tourism projects. But so far, Cormack and Harris are among a very small band of entrepreneurs who have seized upon the latest enlargement as a business opportunity.

Romania and Bulgaria, like a number of other central eastern European countries, are relatively small trading partners of the UK and particularly Scotland. According to Scottish Council For Development and Industry (SCDI) figures, Romania and Bulgaria rank 48th and 58th on Scotland's list of destinations for manufactured exports. In 2006, Scotland exported £30m worth of mainly office equipment and whisky to Romania; and just £16m worth of products to Bulgaria.

"We're starting from a relatively small base," says Bachtler. "But there are significant opportunities in a number of sectors. Romania is potentially an important consumer market. They are both countries where there are still huge requirements for infrastructure, such as telecommunications,roadbuilding and water sanitation."
During the next six years, the EU will give Romania and Bulgaria 27 billion to improve these areas as well as towards initiativesthatwillboosteconomic development. "A lot of that money will be spent on infrastructure. That's where there are opportunities for foreign trading partners. They are going to need help and advice in terms of investment in education and training, research and development capacity, and services. These are areas that the UK has expertise in," says Bachtler.

Both the SCDI and the UK Trade & Investment have been promoting the two destinations, but there hasn't exactly been a headlong rush by British companies to venture in that direction.The UK was slow to grasp onto the business opportunities during the last EU enlargement. While countries like Ireland, Portugal, Germany and Italy were getting a handle on the corporate terrain five to 10 years in advance, Britain only really made any concerted effort to forge economic links with the 10 countries in the 18 months leading up to accession.

According to Jane Gotts, trade mission manager for the SCDI, that could be part of the reason why Scottish firms have yet to take a serious look at Bulgaria and Romania. "I think a lot of the companies we deal with are still coming to terms with the previous enlargement. They are just establishing businesses in Poland and the Czech Republic," she says. Indeed, it could be that the latest two entrants to the EU get bypassed altogether as companies start looking ahead to the next country on the path to accession - Turkey.

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Sunday Mirror
7 януари 2007 г.
SPEAKING OUT…BULGARIANS WHO CAME TO SCOTLAND

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The Courier

5 януари 2007 г.

State of the union

 

By Michael Alexander
Since the turn of the New Year, the European Union has swelled to 27 members—up from 15 three years ago—and a population of half a billion. The Government has stated that a bigger Europe is good for Britain and the economy, with Bulgaria’s leader describing EU entry as a “heavenly moment” and Romania’s president describing accession as an “enormous chance for future generations”.

However, Bulgarians and Romanians coming to work in the UK are facing more restrictions than other EU citizens—including the Poles, Latvians, Hungarians and Czechs who joined just three years ago. The Government says the measures are designed to “manage” the flow of migrants in the “best interests of the country”. The Tories, meanwhile, are calling for even tighter immigration controls and fear an influx of illegal workers.

Here, Nikolai Zhelev, honorary Bulgarian Consul to Scotland and medical professor of biotechnology at the University of Abertay in Dundee, explains why he is “embarrassed” by negative headlines surrounding EU expansion and states why he believes all EU members should be treated equally.

The gates to the European Union have only been widened for a few days, but already there has been no shortage of warnings from the Home Office and sections of the media about a possible influx of “undesirable” migrants from the new EU accession states, Bulgaria and Romania.

In one report, a Government dossier reportedly warns of increases in cash machine crime, sex trafficking, street violence and fraud. Under EU rules instigated by the Government when the two new members joined the EU on Monday, Bulgarians and Romanians coming to work in the UK face more restrictions than other EU citizens. The measures, designed to avoid the under-estimated influx seen from the eight ex-communist states which joined the EU in 2004, come amid xenophobic and as yet unsubstantiated warnings of Gypsy Roma turning up in Britain in massive caravan convoys.

But amid all the scepticism of EU expansion, and controversy over British immigration policy in general, one man who is “embarrassed” by the negative headlines—while himself being a great advert for multi-cultural integration—is Nikolai Zhelev, honorary Bulgarian Consul to Scotland and medical professor of biotechnology at the University of Abertay Dundee.

Nikolai (46), who has lived in the Dundee area for almost 10 years, was born in a village in southern Bulgaria, and graduated from Sofia University with a degree in biochemistry in 1985. He’d already made an academic name for himself winning the university’s Gold Medal for excellence. But it was the following year, while studying for his PhD and in the dual role as president of his university’s students’ association, that his name came to the attention of the authorities—resulting in him being expelled from university for political reasons. “It was still the height of Communism, and I was expelled because I made a speech about democracy,” Nikolai explains with a smile as he thinks back to those days in Sofia more than 20 years ago. “Gorbachev had come to power in the USSR in March 1985, so across Eastern Europe, we started feeling the winds of change. As a result of this, people started speaking about democracy—and students have always been at the forefront of revolution!”

As Bulgaria at that time was still a Soviet ‘satellite state’ locked behind the Iron Curtain, Nikolai was barred by the authorities from living in Sofia, so he started thinking about a career elsewhere. As Communist regimes across central and eastern Europe started to crumble in the late 1980s, he took the opportunity to work on his PhD in Denmark before moving to Germany then, in 1991, Kings College, London.

It was 1997 when, together with his wife—also a scientist—he discovered Scotland. He joined Sir David Lane as the first employee of drugs development company Cyclacel Ltd, based at the University of Dundee.

In 2003, Nikolai made the short hop across the city to the University of Abertay to set up a research group working in the field of medical biotechnology. He also holds professorships at seven other international universities—including, somewhat appropriately, Sofia! It was around this time that the Bulgarian government decided to establish a Bulgarian Consulate to cater for the needs of a sizeable Bulgarian community already in Scotland, and promote cultural, scientific and educational links between the two countries.

Nikolai explains that, prior to Bulgaria joining the EU this week, there were already something like 1500 Bulgarians in the Dundee area—mostly farm workers living and working around Angus, Fife and Perth—and the biggest concentration of the 2100 anywhere in Scotland. Others work in the biotechnology and nursing sectors. “There are three times more doctors per capita in Bulgaria than the UK. One of the good things about Communism was that education was a priority. A lot of ‘working class’ people were able to study to the highest level. Before we joined the EU, it was difficult but not impossible to get a visa to work in the UK.”

But when Nikolai read recent headlines in the British Press about the “threat” of Bulgarians “swamping” the British economy and welfare system, he felt disgusted and embarrassed by some of the things printed. In fact, his own report predicts that as few as 2000 additional Bulgarians will come to Scotland—and around half of these, he predicts, will join the Bulgarians already living and making a positive contribution to society in the rural hinterland around Dundee.
“It’s been embarrassing to read some of these unjustifiable allegations in the press,” Nikolai explains with a sigh and shake of the head. “Reports have stated that Bulgarians are going to swamp the health system, education system, exhaust the special benefits system. If you look at the FACTS, it’s quite the opposite. It is mainly young, healthy people who come to work here. They are hard working and pay the same amount of taxes as you, me and all the other Scottish taxpayers. Most of them don’t have children, so they have no need to rely on these benefits. Ninety-nine per cent do not know where their local surgery is because they don’t visit it.

“It’s been predicted by some that 40,000 criminals will come to the UK from Bulgaria following EU expansion. But again if you look at the FACTS, and the Bulgarians who already live here, not a single Bulgarian has been charged with a crime by Tayside Police in the past year and there is not one Bulgarian in the area claiming social security benefits. If they don’t find jobs, these people tend to go back home. I had a chat recently with the Polish Consul in Edinburgh, and he says the same. To suggest otherwise is a slur on the character of the Bulgarian people.”

Nikolai predicts that the 1000 or so additional Bulgarians coming to the Dundee area will do so because housing is still generally cheaper than many other parts of Scotland, there is the attraction of the farm jobs, good universities for study and also tourists wanting to visit their relatives. At the same time, he’s been interested to note that around 1000 Scots —including a number of Dundonians —have been investing in property in Bulgaria, taking advantage of prices, relatively cheap by Scottish standards there, as well as budget airlines, an increase in the local standard of living and expected take-up, in time, of the Euro.

Two months ago, the Home Office unveiled limits on Bulgarians’ and Romanians’ right to work in the UK, saying the only unskilled working allowed would be in food processing and agriculture under a specific scheme with 20,000 places. The Government has exercised its right under the EU rules to restrict access for these workers for up to seven years. EU rules also mean Romanians and Bulgarians are free to live in the UK and to take any job if self-employed.

But with the Scottish Executive’s Fresh Talent initiative specifically targeting east European migrant workers to travel north of the border, Nikolai doesn’t think it’s right that the British Government has imposed restrictions on which and how many Bulgarians can come to the UK. “I don’t think that was necessary,” he sighs. “It slightly contradicts the European principle of free movement of people and labour. They’ve limited the number of Bulgarians to 20,000, but I wouldn’t expect any more than 15,000 to come to the UK.”

Nikolai is proud of the strong Bulgarian community already established in the Dundee area, and the Bulgarian Association, with around 400 members, is going strong. Having lived in Scotland for 10 years, he is also amazed by the similarities between the attitude of the Scottish and Bulgarian people. “We are friendly people who like dancing, drinking and enjoying ourselves. We are very similar small nations who’ve been suppressed for many years by bigger neighbours! It means our people have developed a similar psychology. Bulgaria can learn a lot from Scotland!”

But while EU expansion and the opening up of opportunity and investment is very important for the long term future of Bulgaria, he is also keen for greater integration between the Slavic and Scottish people at a local level, with plans for a Slavic East European Institute centred on Dundee.

“The Slavic people are all similar. We led a very similar life under Communism. We have a similar language. I am in discussion with other Slavic Consuls—the Czechs, Ukrainians, Russians, Slovenians, the Poles, to set up a Slavic East European Institute, centred probably in Dundee. It would promote these strong links between the Slavic nations and Scotland.

“I would invite all people to join us for a Bulgarian celebration in Dundee on January 29 when we will be joined by a Bulgarian Minister Rumen Petkov. It promises to be a good party! In the meantime, can I wish all Bulgarians and Scots a Happy New Year”!

It’s clear that the future success of these nations depends not just on European funds and resources, but also on their own hard work and ambition—something that doesn’t appear to be lacking. Bulgaria has already had to make changes to comply with EU regulations. It’s had to shut down part of its only nuclear power plant because of EU safety rules and has been warned that 55 of its aircraft could be grounded unless they reach EU safety standards. Both Bulgaria and Romania also remain much poorer than the rest of the EU, with GDP per capita of about 33% of the EU average, compared with 50% in Poland. It’s surely understandable then why young mobile migrants might be tempted to up sticks and try a new life in the ‘west’.

It might not be such an issue in Scotland. But as the European Union prepares to celebrate its 50th birthday this year, the fact that Britain under-estimated the number of migrants who came here post-2004 is likely to mean that border controls remain a contentious issue for some time to come.

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The Times
2 януари 2007 г.

Goodbye Sofia, hello to . . . Dundee

Lucy Bannerman

Consul says 1,000 will join expatriates

But émigré Scots head for Balkans

The biggest impact of Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union yesterday could be on Dundee, a city best known for producing marmalade, The Beano and The Dandy.

The Institute for Public Policy and Research estimates that 15,000 Bulgarians will exercise their new right to move to Britain. And according to a report by Nikolai Zhelev, Bulgaria’s honorary consul in Scotland and a professor at Abertay University in Dundee, about 1,000 of them will bypass London and Edinburgh and head straight for the Tayside city to join the community of 1,500 Bulgarians who already live there. Only 600 Bulgarians who live legally in Scotland have settled outside Dundee.

Part of its appeal is cheap housing and the availability of seasonal work on farms in the surrounding countryside of Perthshire and Angus. The Bulgarian community has established its own church in the city, the fourth largest in Scotland, and Rumen Petkov, the Bulgarian Interior Minister, is due to visit this month. The wave of new residents has stemmed the decline of the city’s population which had fallen from almost 200,000 in the early 1970s to just over 142,000.

Professor Zhelev said that Bulgaria’s accession to the EU would also boost the local economy. The newcomers would include a large number of farmers, technicians, doctors and nurses. He said: “Dundee is the centre of Scotland, not only geographically but in the scientific, technological and agricultural sense.

“Like many Ukrainians, Russians and Poles, lots of Bulgarians are farmers by trade and the 2,100 or so who are currently working in Scotland have helped to revive the country’s farming industry. But it’s not just farmers who will be coming over. Bulgaria has a high number of intellectual and medical staff who will be coming to work in the universities and hospitals.” Far from creating further problems for an already over-burdened NHS, the influx would invigorate the workforce of the city, which is the leading Scottish centre for new industries such as software development and biotechnology.

Professor Zhelev said: “Most of the migrants are healthy young workers who come over and are net contributors to the economy. The migrants that are already here are filling up spaces in the understaffed nursing jobs and Bulgaria has three times as many doctors per capita as Scotland.”

The migration is not all one way. Professor Zhelev’s report also found a surprisingly large number of Scots emigrating to Bulgaria. One village on the outskirts of the Bulgarian town of Kavarna is populated almost entirely by Dundonians. He said: “Property and land prices are very good in Bulgaria so there is also now a high demand amongst Scottish people to buy property over there — people who want to settle somewhere other than Scotland as they get older — leading to an outward migration of Scots.”

Figures from the Institute for Public Policy and Research also estimate that 41,000 Romanians will come to work in Britain during the coming year.
FOREIGN CHARM
Dundee, left, Sofia, right
DUNDEE
City of jute, jam and journalism and Dennis the Menace. Population 142,170. Birthplace of the actor Brian Cox and the MP and Celebrity Big Brother star, George Galloway. Home to the RRS Discovery, used by Captain Scott on the 1901-04 expedition to the Antarctic. Twinned with the Palestinian Nablus
SOFIA
Capital of Bulgaria. Has a population of 1,246,000. Boasts a Unesco World Heritage site in the 10th- century Boyana church and a booming film industry, as well as Vitosha Boulevard — ranked as the 22nd most expensive commercial street in the world

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Daily Record
2 януари 2007 г.

SOFIA SO GOOD FOR BULGARS IN SCOTLAND
2100 enjoying life here and more on the way

By Lee-Ann Fullerton
SCOTLAND is set for an influx of migrants after Bulgaria joined the European Union yesterday. And Dundee has emerged as the top destination, with 1000 expected over the next few months - swelling the city's Bulgarian population to 2500. A report by the honorary consul in Scotland, Professor Nikolai Zhelev, has found that of the 2100 Bulgarians already living legally in Scotland, three-quarters are in Dundee.

Cheap housing and the availability of seasonal farm work in Perthshire and Angus account for Dundee's fast-growing Balkan community. Later this month, interior minister Rumen Petkov will travel to the city from the Bulgarian capital Sofia.Wages are also an attraction, with Dundonians earning an average £392 a week - more than the typical monthly pay packet in Bulgaria.The Bulgarians have also stemmed the decline of Dundee's population, which has tumbled to 143,000.

Professor Zhelev, who is based at the city's Abertay University, said: "We found most Bulgarians will be coming to Dundee rather than Glasgow or Edinburgh."Of the 2100 Bulgarians in Scotland at the moment, 1500 already live in Dundee so I believe the bulk of the new accession migrants will come here also."Dundee has its own Bulgarian church, a large Bulgarian community and the first Bulgarian consulate in Scotland is also here."

Professor Zhelev added that Bulgaria's accession to the EU, along with Romania, will provide a boost to the local economy. He said: "Lots of Bulgarians are farmers by trade and the 2100 currently working in Scotland have helped revive the farming industry. But it's not just farmers who will come."Bulgaria has a high number of intellectual and medical staff who will be coming to work."But some Bulgarians, who complain of exploitation by Scots farmers, do not believe there will be a substantial influx.Zapryan Popov, 26, of Monifeith, Angus, said: "I think most people who wanted to come, already have."

Professor Zhelev's report also found many Scots emigrating to Bulgaria.He said: "Property prices are very good in Bulgaria so there is now a high demand among Scottish people to buy there."

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The Herald
1 януари 2007 г.

Balkan nations welcomed to EU

DAVID LEASK and ROBBIE DINWOODIE

Britain last night welcomed Romania and Bulgaria into the European Union, saying their membership would be good for Britain. The two Balkan nations formally accede today after years of negotiations and amid widespread predictions of mass migrations. Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said their membership would bring huge opportunities for the UK and was a "great achievement" for the two former Communist states. That, however, did not stop the British government launching a last-minute £280,000 advertising campaign discouraging people without work permits from migrating to the UK.

For weeks, right-wing newspapers and anti-immigration pressure groups have been carrying grim warnings of tens of thousands of "poorly educated" migrants about to pour into Scotland from Bulgaria and Romania.The government, having spectacularly underestimated the influx of workers from Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, and other Eastern European nations after they signed up for the EU in 2004, has imposed restrictions. Just 20,000 from Bulgaria and Romania will be allowed into Britain to work, although there will be no limits on people coming to the country for other reasons. Ministers have set strict rules for permits for Romanian and Bulgarian workers. The aim is to encourage people with specific skills to come to Britain. Mrs Beckett said: "The journey has transformed both countries, creating opportunities not just for their citizens, but for everyone in the EU and in Britain. Since 1989, democracy and freedom of speech have become entrenched and are now taken for granted. "In the past few years economic growth in both countries has been rapid and UK trade has boomed alongside it. These two countries will bring their own particular contributions to the EU." Mrs Beckett admitted, however, that organised crime would pose challenges for the bigger EU. She said: "We look forward to working closely with Bulgaria and Romania on such challenges as energy security, climate change, organised crime and terrorism."

The Scottish Executive, which previously appealed to Poles and others to come to Scotland, had not issued any fresh appeal for Bulgarians and Romanians.A spokeswoman said: "It is well known that Scotland's population is in decline, and predicted to fall even further in years to come. We launched our Fresh Talent initiative to try to reverse this worrying population decline." Making no specific reference to the new East European nations, she added: "We need the brightest and the best from around the world to come to Scotland to live, study, work or do business. If we can continue to nurture and retain our home-grown talent, while attracting fresh talent from abroad, then Scotland's future prosperity can be secured."
However, many experts doubt the highest estimates of Bulgarian and Romanian emigration.

Nikolai Zhelev, a professor at Abertay who doubles as Bulgaria's consul in Scotland, believes no more than 1000 of his compatriots will move to Scotland to work or study. And Bulgarians themselves do not expect a huge influx of those seeking a bright new future.

Eddie Ahmed and Zapryan Popov – both 26 and Bulgarian – think it very unlikely that Scotland will be swamped.  Eddie's proper name is Erdoan Ahmed. The nickname is only for his Scottish friends. He is a Bulgarian Turk.Mr Popov, who has made a new home in Monifieth outside Dundee,said: "I don't think a lot of people will come. I think most people who wanted to come, already have. Bulgaria has become a really popular tourist destination and there are a lot of jobs being created at home."Mr Ahmed, who is paying tuition fees to study for a masters in computing at Abertay University, does not know any friends back home who want to come. He is the kind of migrant First Minister Jack McConnell has been trying to encourage with his Fresh Talent initiative. Educated, clever and hard-working, Mr Ahmed should be able to work wherever he wants after graduating. "I wouldn't mind staying in Scotland if that is what I have to do," Mr Ahmed said. "But it wouldn't be my first choice. I don't like the climate. I like four seasons in a year, not one – and the cooking is awful. I don't like the lifestyle either." Graduate Velislava Lefedjiev grew up in England and Scotland, but has close roots in Bulgaria. "There just isn't going to be anything like the Polish rush," she said.

Scotland, meanwhile, has not really covered itself in glory in Bulgaria. Word has got about that it is not the best place to go. The tiny Bulgarian community in Scotland, almost all of which is concentrated in and around Dundee, mostly thanks to the seasonal farm work in Angus and Perthshire and cheapish housing, is full of stories of rip-off farmers and bad weather.A summer picking berries or potatoes can mean a great deal for students from eastern Europe, learning a bit of English and travelling. Most go home, despite being counted among 32,000 eastern Europeans officially being listed as having moved to Scotland.

Prof. Zhelev predicted: "I really don't think there will be any more than 2000 Bulgarians in Scotland," he says. "Most of them will be young people who will work or study hard, contribute to the economy and then go home to retire." The Bulgarian government is not expecting an exodus either. That is because hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians have already left in the 17 years since the fall of Communism. Emilia Maslarova, the country's Labour Minister, in December gave an official estimate of 40,000 emigrants over the next five years: to the whole of Europe, not Scotland. Governments, of course, have been badly wrong about migrant figures before.

The Institute for Public Policy Research reckons some 15,000 Bulgarians and 41,000 Romanians will come to work in Britain in 2007. Most, the think-tank said, will go to countries where there are long-standing relationships. Romania, for example, does nearly one-fifth of its trade with Italy, with which it has strong cultural and linguistic ties. Few have made it to Scotland. Bulgarians too are more tempted by neighbouring Greece and Spain and Italy, the IPPR believes.

The country also has had a reputation, like many others in the Balkans, for crime. "We have never had a Bulgarian in jail in Scotland or a Bulgarian who is unemployed," Mr Zhelev says. Meanwhile, Scots are talking full advantage of Bulgaria's EU accession. Thousands are buying holiday or retirement homes. Many more are enjoying visa-free holidays.  Ilyan Stefanov, an academic at Dundee University, believes face-to-face contacts will quickly overcome the stereotypes. "One day," he says, "Bulgarians will be buying cottages for holidays on the west coast." If they can cope with the Scottish weather, of course.

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Вестник “Стандарт”
24 август 2006 г.
Интервю

Българите са добре дошли в Шотландия

Важни сме за много бизнес сектори, казва проф. Николай Желев

Професор Николай Желев е почетен консул на България в Шотландия от 2003 г. От 1990 г. живее в чужбина, професор е в Университета в Дънди, почетен професор в 7 други университета. Член е на биологичното отделение на Академията на науките на Великобритания. Женен, с две деца, съпругата му е българка и също е научен работник в областта на биотехнологиите.

- Професор Желев, от известно време в британските медии върви  кампания срещу евентуалните имигранти от България и Румъния, когато двете страни  влязат в ЕС през 2007 г. На какво се дължи страхът и има ли основания за  него?

- Първо трябва да се изясни кой стои зад тази кампания. Фактът, че правителството не успя да предвиди точния брой на имигранти от Източна Европа, се използва от опозицията за обвинения в некомпетентност. Проблемът се използва за вътрешнополитическа консумация. Работата на опозицията обаче е да критикува правителството. В този случай ние за съжаление се оказваме жертва на това и консерваторите използват въпроса, за да критикуват кабинета на премиера Тони Блеър. Наближават и избори в страната и е нормално да се търсят всевъзможни грешки на правителството. Като цяло обществото във Великобритания е много добре настроено към имигрантите, особено що се отнася до Шотландия. Въпреки че не е самостоятелна държава, Шотландия има определена самостоятелност във вътрешната политика и имиграционната й политика се различава от тази във Великобритания.

- Какви са настроенията в Шотландия и как се гледа на евентуалното пристигане на български и румънски работници?

- Като цяло хората тук гледат много благоприятно на това. Първата вълна от поляци, словенци и други източноевропейци бе приета много добре и запълни ниши в обществото, които не бяха заети. Тук има нужда от медицински сестри, лекари, интелектуалци, работници в селското стопанство и обслужването. Смятам, че ние, от Източна Европа, се справяме много добре с тази работа. Младите източноевропейци носят финансова полза, тъй като те плащат данъци, но не ползват в същата степен социалните придобивки. Много от тях се връщат в родината си и няма да се пенсионират тук.

- В които области на местната икономика има нужда от работна ръка?

- Българската колония в Шотландия от постоянно пребиваващи е 650 души и 1500 студенти, които идват през лятото да работят. Ако тях ги няма, трудно може да се говори, че ще има селско стопанство в Шотландия. Ние сме заели тази ниша. Имаме и много компютърни инженери, които са добре образовани. В българската общност има и много интелектуалци. Имаме двама професори в университети, много ръководители на департаменти, инженери. Като цяло източноевропейците се реализират много добре в интелектуалните сфери. Шотландия има нужда от млади и интелигентни хора. Като цяло страната може да абсорбира много по-голям брой имигранти. Ние се срещахме с всички видни шотландски политици, с Гордън Браун, сочен за наследник на Тони Блеър, с шотландския премиер. Категорично бе мнението, че българите и румънците трябва да бъдат равнопоставени с останалите европейци.

- Излиза, че Англия и Шотландия имат различни имиграционни политики?

- Да, Шотландия си е оформила собствена имиграционна политика. В Шотландия има нужда от имигранти, особено от тези от Източна Европа. Ние сме интелигентни, висококвалифицирани, образовани. Миналата година шотландското правителство пое една инициатива за привличане на "нови таланти". Това означава, че наши студенти, завършили във Великобритания, имат право да останат тук и да работят без нужните разрешителни за работа. Англия и Шотландия имат различни нужди и по тази причина двете водят различни имиграционни политики. Тук няма подобни изявления срещу имигрантите като в Лондон. От нас има и "генетична" полза, тъй като в едно такова затворено общество има нужда от нови гени. Искам да допълня, че българите, членове на Лейбъристката партия в Шотландия и приятелите на България в нея, подготвяме подписка за по-ранното премахване на визите за българите. Разбира се, това зависи от британското външно министерство. Мнението на шотландските лейбъристи е категорично, че България трябва да е равноправен член на ЕС и българите да могат да пътуват и работят.

- Какъв според вас е рискът Лондон да ни наложи 7-годишен преходен период, в който българи и румънци да нямат право да работят в страната?

- Това е възможно, но като цяло вероятността е малка. Даже и да дойде на власт по-дясно правителство, то набързо ще забрави критиките. Смятам, че ако източноевропейците не идват в Шотландия, това ще бъде катастрофа за страната. Това означава селското стопанство да спре да функционира, старческите домове да не работят. С две думи, доста сектори ще спрат да работят нормално. Българи заемат важни позиции и в секторите на биотехнологиите, високите технологии, компютърните специалности.

- В качеството ви на почетен консул обръщат ли се към вас бизнесмени, които искат да работят в Шотландия?

- Да, както български, така и шотландски бизнесмени, които искат да работят в България. Последно ме потърси шотландска високотехнологична компания, която търсеше български специалисти. Освен това шотландците много харесват страната ни. Ние дори обмисляме да създадем български културно-информационен институт в Шотландия.

Красимира Темелкова

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The Courier
9 август 2006 г.

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The Courier
1 август 2006 г

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Вестник “ЯНТРА ДНЕС”
25 юли 2006 г.

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25 юли 2006 г.

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Вестник "24 ЧАСА"
7 май 2006 г.

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