"EUROPEAN SECURITY ARCHITECTURE IN CRISIS?"

On April 15, 2025, a roundtable discussion titled “Is the European Security Architecture in Crisis?” was held in the “Egg” Hall at Sofia University’s Rectorate. The event was co-organized by the Master's Program in International Security at the Faculty of Law, led by Associate Professor Dr. Mira Kaneva, and the Master's Program in Crises, Conflicts, and Diplomacy in Global Politics at the Faculty of History, led by Associate Professor Dr. Boris Stoyanov. Special guest speakers included Yordan Bozhilov, Chairman of the Sofia Security Forum and former Deputy Minister of Defense, who outlined the future of European security architecture through the lens of Bulgaria; Dr. Plamen Dimitrov from the Bulgarian Geopolitical Society, who analyzed European security between Putin’s revisionism and Trump’s unpredictability; and Associate Professor Dr. Hristo Hristov, an EU Law lecturer at the Faculty of Law, who discussed the prospects for strengthening the EU's defense readiness. In the second part of the discussion, two student teams from the International Security Master's Program presented the results of their group research. Todor Mihaylov introduced the report “Autonomy in European Security – Can Europe Become Independent from the U.S. in Defense?”, co-authored with Simeon Krushev and Nikolay Slavkov. Their analysis focused on Europe’s dependency in key military capabilities, NATO’s role, options for enhancing EU defense autonomy, and the future of transatlantic relations. Verginia Petrova presented the report “China’s New Economic and Strategic Approach to Europe”, prepared with Iva Veselinova, Kristina Mincheva, and Yoanna Ognyanova. The report examined challenges to the EU's economic resilience, digital security, and strategic autonomy, and proposed a model of selective partnership with China. Their presentations sparked lively debate among students from both master’s programs, doctoral candidates in International Relations Denitsa Kovacheva and Nikola Peykov, and other guests. Discussions focused on security threats in the Black Sea region and the Western Balkans, the global commitments of the U.S. and EU, and hybrid threats such as algorithmic radicalization and anti-democratic propaganda.