Bulgaria takes up EU presidency for 2018

Bulgaria, the EU's poorest member state and seen as its most corrupt, takes up the rotating presidency of the EU Council from January 1
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Among its priorities are the "EU candidate countries":http://ec.europa.eu/environment/enlarg/candidates.htm in the Western Balkans.

"The pre-accession period is very important for these countries," Daniel Smilov from the Center for Liberal Strategies told Euronews.

"In fact, Bulgaria experienced its fastest development and most important reforms during this period. So if we give the Western Balkans a clear perspective, we can expect a good development. On the other hand, the government will be able to divert attention from topics that are not very pleasing to it, such as the fight against corruption."

Bulgaria and the fYRoM signed a "friendship treaty":https://www.reuters.com/article/us-macedonia-bulgaria-treaty/macedonia-bulgaria-sign-treaty-to-improve-ties-idUSKBN1AH4E3 in 2017, but difference still exist between the neighbours.

"The problem that arises every time between Bulgaria and Macedonia (fYRoM) always has the same origin: the non-recognition of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria and the questioning of the Macedonian nation," explained Stoiko Stoikov, OMO-Ilinden-Pirin.

"It has always caused conflict. Unfortunately, since the signing of this agreement, and with Sofia's policy, there has been no real development on this issue."

An "EU-Western Balkans summit":http://www.balkaneu.com/bulgaria-to-host-western-balkans-summit-in-sofia-in-may-2018-during-eu-presidency/ is scheduled for May 2018.

Read more: Bulgaria takes up EU presidency | Euronews

EU: It is high time we stand up for our Europe - "united we stand but divided we will fall"

Our Europe is in danger. 

Nationalism, xenophobia and insularity threaten its fundamental values.

Our Europe, the most impressive political construction of modern times, cannot stand by as national governments jeopardise its democratic, economic, social, cultural and environmental model.

They have shown inertia and distrust when faced first with economic crisis, then with refugees and most recently with terrorism. Each successive threat has been worsened by a lack of cooperation and coordination between European governments.

The time has surely come for Europe’s citizens to make our voices heard, to express our desire for ever stronger unity and solidarity, for deeper political union.

Europe is not the cause of our problems, but the solution. For too long, our fate has sat in the hands of national and foreign leaders and partially discredited European institutions.

Once a symbol of peace, openness and solidarity, Europe has become synonymous with insularity, exclusion and self-absorption. And where Europeans are increasingly struggling to see their values reflected.

Let us not consign ourselves to helplessness, to a lack of confidence, to doubts and fears, to images of refugees dying at our borders because of a lack of solidarity from member states and because our leaders do not have the courage to do the right thing.

It is now urgent for us to move beyond the strictly national arena and to construct a truly European political foundation to take on the challenges of globalisation, modernity and a revived democracy through the direct elections of EU leaders and a progressive independent foreign policy which is not tied to any destructive foreign nation's policy.

Our sense of belonging to a European people, to a community of values, is too often thwarted by our inability to translate this desire into politics.  We need to continuously send messages to our political leaders, stating that Europe is our nation and that it can have no future without political union and the construction of a firm shell around a united European state with its own foreign policy.

“If we cannot dream of a better Europe, we will never construct a better Europe” Václav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic once said.. Let us show our desire for Europe to step forward.

Let us fly Europe’s flag – our flag – on our social network profiles, our web pages, our houses, our cars and bikes, everywhere!

This call is supported, among others, by VOXEurope, Fabien Cazenave, Pietro De Matteis (Federalist Party), Bernard Guetta (France Inter), Eric Jozsef (Libération), Ovidiu Nahoi (Dilema Veche, RFI Romania), Wojciech Przybylski (Eurozine), José Ignacio Torreblanca (El País), Anne Tréca, Nicolas Vadot (Le Vif), Francesco Belluscio, Mario Benvenuto, Esther Cordero, Luca Feltrin, Sabrina Paglierani, Davide Pozzo, EU-Digest

EU-Digest