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Разширяване на Европейския съюз – мисия възможна?

Author(s): Gergana Radoykova / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

The author reviews the enlargement perspectives of the EU highlighting the significant transformation from a ‘continent of wars’ to a ‘continent of peace’. The European perspective is challenged in the recent years but the enlargement policy is the strongest tool the EU could use to exercise its influence and stimulate the democratic development among its neighbours. The article outlines Turkey and the Western Balkans as two potential geostrategic directions for enlargement.

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Stagnation, Tabula Rasa, Variable Geometry, Differentiated Solidarity: Four Scenarios for the Future of the European Union

Author(s): Eckart D. Stratenschulte / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Development of the European Union is marked by many setbacks. Various attempts at integrating the continent of Europe have failed. The European Defence Community and the European Political Community, for example, never saw the light of day, the Constitutional Treaty was rejected. Nevertheless, the EU has developed further, one might say, it has grown from failure to failure. This historical perspective is an aid in categorising current challenges. The European Union is at the threshold of a reorganisation. Everything is pointing towards a “Europe of concentric circles” coming into being, in which there will continually be varying depths of integration – or, as the 2017 Declaration of Rome terms it: different intensity. Each Member State needs to decide for itself which circle it wishes to associate with.

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Contradictory Assessments and Interpretations to the Ongoing Discussion on Flexible Integration in Romania

Author(s): Georgiana Ciceo / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The discussion on flexible/differentiated integration is far from novel being able at times to surge up on the European Union agenda. During the past few years the economic crisis, the migrant crisis and more recently the BREXIT have brought to the fore a number of cleavages that now threaten the unity of Europe. It became more than evident that a thorough discussion on the future of Europe is now more than ever required. Ever since an obvious preference for flexible integration has marked the discussions. Against this background the Member States of the European Union have attempted to position themselves in order to either avoid being relegated to a second class statute or dismiss the possibility that without deeper political and economic integration European Union might fall apart. As the whole discussion on a future more flexible Europe has revolved around a deeper Eurozone integration, the countries outside this core have found themselves faced with a number of challenges that need to be addressed. The present article attempts to shed light on the particular situation of those Central European states which are not part of the Eurozone with a particular emphasis on Romania, who is seemingly still not ready for this, but willing to support deeper integration.

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Elitist and Participatory Democracy: Towards a New EU Citizen

Author(s): Miruna Andreea Balosin / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Can we provide a valid EU model of governance that combines the characteristics of the elitist and participatory democracy? Is it possible to accept the civil and political elites as educators and propagators of the EU participatory democracy and obtain as end-result an accountable and responsible model of an EU citizen?

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Началото на фактическата дезинтеграция в ЕС: казусът „Брексит“

Author(s): Svetla Boneva / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

The aim of this research is to present the disintegration processes taking place in the European Union (EU), to clarify the prerequisites for them and the process of a member state (the UK) leaving the EU. The research methods utilized in the analysis include induction and deduction, analysis and synthesis, historical-logical analysis, tabular and graphical presentation of the available empirical material. The most important results of the study are an analysis of the main theoretical developments on the topic and empirical data, which lead to the conclusion that the further development of the European integration process is threatened by the processes of weakening non-functionalism and increasing intergovernmental approach which in turn is a main cause for disintegration in the EU.

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The European Union Has a Future

Author(s): Zlat Milovanovic / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Addressing the Chatham House Conference in London on January 30th, Guy Verhofstadt said it was Europe’s “last chance to form a more perfect union”. He called for giving the EU more powers so that it could tackle its crises. Europe should be rebuilt along the lines of a confederation or a federation based on the US model. It may have not been the last chance, but the EU needs reforms. The threats to the EU are real and should be dealt with. The EU can be reorganized as a state because it already performs so many functions of a state. Should it become a federation or a confederation? Should it be based on the US model? These questions require major research and rethinking. This paper addresses several issues: the EU power and its geo-strategic position, constitutional development and other reforms currently taking place, some federalist theories behind European integration, and the EU’s future. Our research here is mainly in the realm of legal and political study. Our conclusion is that the EU has a future as a well-established and indispensable part of today’s world.

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Polity Modelling. Political Culture Based Modelling of the Eastern European Polities

Author(s): Camelia Florela Voinea / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

This paper addresses the area of political methodology and presents an approach on polity modelling. Polity modelling is analyzed from both historical and paradigmatic perspective by emphasizing the differences between classic (empirical) approaches and complexity-based approaches. The contribution of the paper consists in the modelling method: it combines democracy modelling with political culture modelling into a unified simulation framework. The modelling approach is focused on the Eastern European polities which have combined after the fall of the iron curtain in 1989 democracy-building with state-building processes. The paper presents a class of simulation models which explain operation of a polity as a complex adaptive system of interdependences between processes of democratization and political culture processes. The paper presents preliminary research results which combine agent-based system with complex adaptive system modelling.

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European Crisis: The Rise of Populism and Euroscepticism

Author(s): Hristina Runcheva-Tasev,Milena Apostolovska-Stepanovska / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Eurosceptic and populist parties have shown strong tendencies to win power and set the political agenda for the last decades in several EU countries. The elections in some of those countries have shown that they didn’t achieve their goals, but they won significant number of votes that indicates that euroscepticism and populism are not dead. The paper presents an overview of the results of some Eurosceptic and populist movements at the national elections in several EU Member States and it searches for an answer to the questions whether populism and euroscepticism are a 21st century invention, what is the ideological background of the crisis of legitimacy in the EU, how do they relate to classical political ideologies, what is the response of the mainstream politicians to these threats. The theoretical debate, which includes an overview of some of the key authors, is enhanced by the author’s contribution of recommendations for the possible convincing alternatives which should be put forward to counter this phenomenon to preserve the European project.

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Дезинформационните войни – ключ към бъдещето на Европейския съюз

Author(s): Borislav Mavrov / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

The purpose of the present report is to outline the extent of the disinformation war between Russia and the EU (this does not mean, of course, that the centre of disinformation wars against the EU is, as a rule, always and only related with Moscow; such actions begin very often. from Islamist sites), its specific manifestations and the main "battlefields". This study provides a brief overview of the activities of the East StratCom Team, the Strategic Communications Task Force to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service (EEAS), its effectiveness and recognizability. It also shows how the main suspected opponent in the face of Russia reacts on the other side of the "front" and outlines some possible directions for further counteraction not only on "Brussels" level but also on national level in the member states.

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Is Migration Europe’s Death Threat? Migration Policies Negatively Impact European Union’s Legitimacy

Author(s): Vihar Georgiev / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The increasing trend of migration to the European Union (EU) Member States has given rise to asymmetric political and social effects produced by the presence of immigrants in the EU and the resulting wave of populist, extreme right-wing parties and movements. This paper studies the impact of the current migration crisis on the legitimacy of the EU and its institutions. The EU appears engulfed in a migration governance crisis. The paper argues that current approaches for moderating the migration crisis have undermined the legitimacy of the EU and its political institutions. New space is opening for opportunistic division based on ethnicity and/or nationality in the EU. The paper then proposes a new research agenda for interdisciplinary studies of European migration policies.

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Мобилност и европейска гражданственост: истории от София

Author(s): Ildiko Otova / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

This paper aims to trace the link between mobility and the construction of European citizenship. Considering the initial fact that the concept of mobility is deeply rooted in the idea of the European Union, and based on empirical material, the text analyses the construction of a European identity among mobile citizens who have chosen to live in Sofia. Particular attention is focused on redefining the classical understanding of the citizenship as binding the individual to a nation state, author offers an analytical input through the concept of civic activity and civic engagement, going beyond the boundaries of the national public space.

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Да преосмислим мястото на България в Европейския съюз

Author(s): Kaloyan Simeonov / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

It is essential to rethink the role of Bulgaria as an EU member state. There are several reasons why now is the right time to do so. On January 1, 2017, Bulgaria celebrates 10 years of its membership in the EU. Celebration is not the right word, perhaps, as there have been only few events in the country which have focused on this issue, and even more importantly, little debate about the effectiveness and the results of this first decade of EU membership. Bulgaria will take over the presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2018. Preparations for the presidency have already begun reaching an advanced stage. In the first six months of 2018, the role of Bulgaria as a member state leading the rotating presidency will be very important not only for the country but also for the entire EU. The already initiated Brexit negotiations and the debate on the future of the EU are other driving forces triggering discussions about the need for Bulgaria to rethink its place and role as an EU member state. Bulgaria should enhance its efforts to become part of the Euro area, the Banking Union and the Schengen area. The country shall also play a more vital role in the EU's enlargement process to the Western Balkans.

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„Брюксел ни каза така да направим“

Author(s): Gergana Radoykova / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

The 10th anniversary of Bulgaria's full EU membership is not just a time for evaluation . It is important for two reasons, at least. Firstly, the EU is in one of the most serious crises in the history of European unification, waves of Euroscepticism are sweeping across many member states. Secondly, in just half a year our country will have the extremely serious responsibility of taking over the rotating presidency of the Council. In this context, it is of fundamental importance how the Bulgarian citizens make sense of the Presidency, the European Union in its entirety, and last but not least, their place in it.

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Rethinking the European Social Model: New Social Risks, New Social Values and New Policy Paradigms

Author(s): Georgeta Ghebrea / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The crisis of the European Social Model (ESM) was discussed mostly from economic, demographic and institutional perspectives. The new social risks, the changes in values and lifestyles of European citizens were less addressed. However, the legitimacy of the ESM is based on a set of common social values, which were a European “brand”, a source of pride and prestige, both for European citizens and elites. This paper intends to find out if and how these values have been affected by recent economic and migration crises. Our focus is the axiological change in public opinion and in social policy. The research uses statistical and document analyses. Main sources are the European social survey, social statistics and recent changes in the social acquis. The research results show a process of erosion of specific European social values. The community of values between the European nations diminished and the diversity is growing. ESM has to answer these mutations – not to be limited to minimum social standards or to the generalization of best practices of national social policies – but to truly represent a supranational level of social policy, effectively adjusted to globalization and to citizens’ expectations.

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How to Enhance the EU Enlargement of the Western Balkans

Author(s): Zhidas Daskalovski / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The European Commission praises the accession policy “as one of the European Union's most effective foreign policy instruments”, but four main challenges pose obstacles to the accession of the Western Balkan countries: lack of popular will in EU Member States; flagging interest on the side of the EU; bilateral challenges thwarting implementation of regional cooperation; and indifference to the EU from the side of increasingly authoritarian regimes in some Western Balkan countries. Emerging regional powers, such as Turkey or Russia, are ready to step into a vacuum. Without a new impetus towards enlargement, the EU will risk losing strategic influence in a neighbouring region to other regional powers. This study examines how to recharge the enlargement process, which will require an enhanced reform drive and better communication by the governments in the region and involvement of the civil society. The EU should improve the evaluation process of the progress made, induce consensus on EU enlargement among parties in the region, as well as support enhanced regional cooperation mechanisms and bodies, in particular the Regional Cooperation Council and the South-East European Cooperation Process. EU needs to modify its “good neighbourly relations” approach by proactively intervening to overcome bilateral disputes blocking accession progress. The EU should launch a more intensive engagement with the Western Balkans, start the screening process and open accession negotiations with all of the countries as soon as possible, because the accession process is a powerful tool to drive reforms and institutional transformation.

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Transformative Power of the European Union in the International Relations

Author(s): Marjan Gjurovski / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

This paper analyzes the essential elements of the normative and transformative power of the European Union and their fundamental specifics. The research of these power concepts is directly inspired by their significance and mutual interference and also by their applicability to the existing worldview of the European Union in the XXI century international relations. Likewise, these two concepts have different generic features but identical discourse, which is worth to be decomposed in order to discern their essence, their existence and legitimacy. The main research intention of this paper aims to define the epistemological structuralism of the previous mentioned concepts, and thus, through the prism of the international relations, security and defense consequences of the ЕU as such.

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Turkish Citizens’ Perception and Expectations About EU After the 12-Year Nomination

Author(s): Funda Çoban / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Turkey’s “adventure” for being a part of EU dates back to 1959. However, the country has only been accepted as a candidate member in 2005. Since then, both EU and the idea of EU have changed as well as Turkey’s approach to EU. In this context this study, which has been based on the report of "The EU Support and European Perception in the Turkish Public Opinion" of the Economic Development Foundation (2015) emphasizes on the Turkish public opinion on the EU membership in a sociological map in comparison with the latest political fluctuations about EU policy of Turkish governments and the responses from the EU authorities. From this vein, it is crucial that Turkish people have been losing their beliefs to be accepted as a Member State in the EU despite their desire for membership. Thus, it is stressed that both sides, the Turkish and the European institutions, have responsibilities to decrease the hopeless and desperate mood to improve the idea of EU.

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Аспекти на европейската идентичност през погледа на Навид Кермани

Author(s): Daniela Decheva / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

Navid Kermani is one of the most influential contemporary intellectuals in Germany, an active participant in the public debate on Europe. The aim of the report is to reveal his perspective on crises inside and outside Europe, which directly affect the debate on the pan-European identity. Through a content analysis of two collections of reportage-essay texts, speeches and journalistic texts, Kermani's reaction to these crises is derived. Results: the author sees fundamental European values as threatened not only by some external enemy, but by double standards and insufficient determination of the European policies. Special emphasis and persuasiveness in his public presence are expressed through his advocacy of Christian-Islamic reconciliation, his criticism of the growing persecution and killing of Christians in Islamic countries, and the perversion of Islamic religious thought and practice, which undermines not only peace and democratic rights but also the Islam itself. Conclusions: according to Kermani, European identity is possible only in the humanistic and cosmopolitan tradition, to which the respect for religion inseparably belongs. European societies need to redefine their perception of themselves, upholding their own values through self-criticism, unity and political responsibility.

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Западните Балкани и еврото – различни подходи към обща цел

Author(s): Kaloyan Simeonov / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

The countries from Western Balkans region have chosen the same strategic goal - the path to the EU accession which should lead in distant future to join the Euro area. Nevertheless, they have chosen different options in terms of their exchange rate and monetary policy. Serbia and Albania apply a managed float regime, Croatia - a managed float regime with limited fluctuation, Macedonia - a stabilization regime with the euro as a reference currency, Bosnia and Herzegovina apply a currency board fixed to the euro, Montenegro, and Kosovo - a unilateral euroization. All these countries, except for Albania, until recently were part of another monetary union and they shared the same currency - the Yugoslav dinar. Should they manage to join the EU and the Euro area afterwards, they would be again part of a same monetary union, sharing the same currency. Nevertheless, they have chosen different ways to achieve this strategic goal.

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Querying the Role of Trade Among the EU and the Western Balkans for a United and Strong European Union

Author(s): Elif Dağdemir Uçkan / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The European Union (EU) has always been a unique example of an effective and successful economic integration for the academia of social sciences. For instance, we refer to the EU when we are studying the theory of monetary union, the effectiveness of the common market or the welfare effects of the free movement of labor and capital. Nevertheless, when it comes to the political integration issues, the scene becomes a little bit blurry. Even though the European integration has begun with a political will, the impetus was given with economic integration goals. In spite of the legitimate success stories of economic as well as political integration since 1950s, the EU has been experiencing hard times recently with the compelling issues ranging from quasi-instability within the euro area to Brexit, from migration and refugee agenda to the reluctance of Poland to the EU tasks and some regional issues. Along with these integration issues as mostly referred to deepening, the EU has been trying to hold its momentum on enlargement. As of 2018, Western Balkan countries and Turkey are at the enlargement agenda as candidate countries. Actually, issues like migration and refugees, energy, sustainable development and environment which are embodied within the deepening tasks, constitute an integral part of the EU enlargement agenda, as well. Such a compelling and inter-related agenda could be more competently tackled with a united EU.

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