Two separate opinion polls released in the past few weeks reveal a curious paradox about Bulgaria.

Although Bulgarians are amongst the more optimistic Europeans, with 61 per cent telling the EU-wide Eurobarometer poll that they are optimistic about the direction of the EU, they don’t share similar optimism about NATO.

Data from the annual Munich Security Conference Report, To the Brink - and Back, published in the beginning of February, show that only 47 per cent of Bulgarians responded “Yes” to the question: “Would you help defend NATO allies?”

This unwillingness to fight is comparable only to Slovakians, some 54 per cent of whom are willing to help. It is a far cry from levels recorded in Romania [81 per cent], Poland [90 per cent] and even Hungary [68 per cent].