THE ENLARGEMENT POLICY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION - PRESENT AND FUTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF WAR IN UKRAINE 2022
The purpose of the article is to examine the present and future of the European Union's enlargement policy, in the context of the complex realities related to the war in Ukraine and new initiatives and conceptual ideas of the EU on the 2018 Enlargement Strategy, the new methodology for accession from 2020, the concepts of phased integration into the EU with the transitional clause for consolidation, for a European political community and a new European convention.
Monika Panayotova
Article
European Union
PILLARS TO OVERCOME 3 FALSE MYTHS ABOUT EU AND ITS CSDP IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
This publication aims to look at the 3false myths about the European Union and its CSDP:1) EU is a soft power and political dwarf;2)EU should be post national and individual member states’ veto on CSDP must end;3)First European countries take NATO, then the EU. The analysis show how the Russia-Ukraine war provoked the EU’s geopolitical awakening and what could be the key pillars that would make the EU a permanent global power. In the context of Russia-Ukraine war, is analysed the transformation of the EU into “smart” power with a great potential to become a “transformative” power for the Eastern partnership countries
Monika Panayotova
Article
Global Challenges
Security and Defense
European Union
THE DIFFICULT NEUTRALITY OR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPORT AND CONFLICT IN THE MODERN GLOBALIZED WORLD
The article examines the relationship between sport and politics as one of the most enduring and pervasive examples of societal impact/influence on sport.
Dr. Ivo Tsekov
Article
Global Challenges
Security and Defense
PROSPECTS FOR EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY AFTER THE TREATY OF LISBON
The article aims to focus on the unique nature of the EU as an organization – sui generis and the first transnational democracy in the world. It investigats the emergence of pan-European instruments of deliberative and participatory democracy, namely: the Conference on the Future of Europe and the European Citizens' Initiative, as well as the ideas of transnational lists and the system of "Spitzenkandidaten", demonstrating the evolution of the democratic process in the EU after the Lisbon Treaty and the potential for its modernization within the Do Talks framework. In the context of the upcoming European elections 2024, it is reminded that democracy rests on the empathy of citizens and the ability to politicians to hear the "vox populi", showing them that their opinion matters.
Monika Panayotova
Article
Global Challenges
European Union
A PARADIGMIC SHIFT – FROM FAR-FETCHED LABELLING TO DOWN-TO EARTH REASONING
Even before Russia’s invasion in Ukraine approx. eight months ago, there has been some conventional wisdom that the war can be explained through the prism of the first debate in IR theory, i.e. Realism vs. Idealism. As far as Kremlin’s transgressions of Kyiv’s sovereignty have been the stepping stones of an escalating crisis since the Crimea’s annexation in 2014, it is taken for granted that the explanatory potential of the first debate remains valid. This paper, however, argues that the dynamics of the warfare peels off the superficial layer of explanation and bares the deeply rooted behavioral drivers and structural factors.
Mira Kaneva, PhD
Article
Global Challenges
Security and Defense
MATCHING RISK ASSESSMENT AND CAPABILITIES: CHALLENGES TO CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN MEMBER STATES
The Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have a specific perception of risks and threats and hence unique views on how to guarantee their security. This is particularly relevant with regard to their attitudes towards Russia. This article was written for the Martens Centre for European Studies
Yordan Bozhilov, President of Sofia Security Forum
Article
Security and Defense
European Union
NATO