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On May 30, former Bulgarian foreign minister Solomon Passy discussed Bulgaria and its contribution to EU security in a dinner organized by GMF's Berlin office.  The participants included numerous members from the Bulgarian, German, and Romanian Governments, and think tank and NGO representatives.   Passy, the chairman of Bulgaria's parliamentary foreign policy committee, made an argument for Bulgaria to join the European Union.  Among his reasons, he said the Black Sea’s geopolitical importance for the EU’s energy securitypolicy, and Bulgaria’s function as a bridge between the transatlantic alliance and the Black Sea.  Passy mentioned the positive report of Bulgaria’s application for EU membership by pointing out how the Commission has not recommended postponement of Bulgarian accession.   The comments evolved into a productive discussion about Bulgaria and the EU.  Participants said the Black Sea countries have yet to achieve regional identity, but modeling the integration after NATO’s Partnership for Peace could be the answer.  German participants focused on the issues of corruption, illicit movement of goods and people across boarders, and organized crime as evidence for the lack of law enforcement in the country.   The original date for Bulgarian accession was set for January 1, 2007, however, domestic concerns have brought a cloud of uncertainty.  Passy pointed out that the uncertain January 2007 date was already producing negative effects on tourism and the investment climate, partly due to the Bulgarian government preparing two budgets — one with accession and one without.  Some suggested there is a need for the country to become less dependent on Russia for energy, sparking a discussion on nuclear energy for Bulgaria.