Relationship dossier
Bulgaria
Canada
Relationship assessment
NATO allies with practical cooperation on social security and travel
Bulgaria toward Canada
+20Bulgaria cooperates with Canada as a fellow NATO member and participates in the bilateral social security arrangement, which coordinates benefits for eligible people connected to both countries.
Canada toward Bulgaria
+20Canada cooperates with Bulgaria as a NATO ally and participates in the bilateral social security arrangement. In 2017, Canada removed visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens, facilitating travel to Canada.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship is underpinned by NATO alliance and practical bilateral arrangements, including social security coordination and Canada’s removal of visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens in 2017. These features support a cooperative assessment, while the scale of wider bilateral engagement is less clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Bulgaria and Canada have a cooperative relationship as NATO allies, reinforced by bilateral arrangements including a social security agreement. Canada’s 2017 removal of visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens was a concrete step facilitating travel. The relationship reflects practical cooperation, though the scope of bilateral activity beyond these arrangements is unclear.
Key developments
A bilateral social security agreement between Bulgaria and Canada entered into force.
Canada removed visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation beyond the social security agreement are unclear.
- The extent of ongoing bilateral defense and security cooperation is unclear.