Back in 1976, I took a deep breath of Oxygen. Many of my friends did the same. In 1989 the world changed. No, I was not a dissident; I was not a hero, just a normal person seeking refuge in music. His music conveyed the message of freedom. On 25 September 2013 in a Paris… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

Now that she has won a third mandate as Chancellor, Angela Merkel might decide to give more impetus to the European project. Merkel has argued that a treaty change could help enforce fiscal rules to avoid repeats of the debt crises plaguing members of the eurozone. Even those who reject federalism agree that without further… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

Back in the Brussels bubble after the summer recess what strikes most is the changed mood vis-à-vis Ukraine. Before, many had doubts as to the real intentions of the Ukrainian leadership. The President Viktor Yanukovich had long cultivated ambiguity. But now Yanukovich, the government, to oligarchs, everybody unequivocally say that the choice of the Ukrainians… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

I realise some readers won’t like this blogpost. It is politically correct to report only positively about the Sofia protests. I will take a more critical approach. The protests started on 14 June, when the three-day old government of Plamen Oresharski nominated Delyan Peevski as leader of the State Agency for National Security. On that… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

There is word is that Bulgaria needs a grand coalition to get the country from the impasse and prepare early elections, probably to coincide with the European elections on 22 May. No matter how antagonistic the relations between the party GERB of former prime minister Boyko Borissov and the Bulgarian Socialist Party BSP may be,… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

I just made these photos of Commission President Barroso, who had a veeeery long telephone conversation. This happened in Vilnius on 5 July, the day of the celebtation of the beginning of the Lithuanian Presidency, at 17.30hrs. All the Commissioners were here, so obviously he was not speaking with one of them. Van Rompuy was… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

This post was long overdue. It’s been more than two months since I haven’t blogged. Indeed, I have tweeted a lot in the meantime. The reason is probably that the developments in Bulgaria, overwhelming for me, have been too confusing. And probably they deserved short messages rather than longer texts which risk proving wrong. For… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

Interview I took from Sir Graham Watson, President of the liberal ALDE party, 7 May 2013, Brussels. The European Parliament Civil Liberties LIBE committee will vote today (7 May) to decide what follow up the European Parliament and the EU in general should decide on the unfolding eavesdropping scandal in Bulgaria, which was dubbed by… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

I am publishing without any interference the insightful interview my colleague Veselin Jelev took from Bulgaria’s Ambassador to the EU Dimitar Tzantchev I kept the original title chosen by dpa. Georgi By Veselin Jelev, dpa, copyright dpa Insight EU. On photo: Dimitar Tzantchev, MFA Why has Bulgaria joined Greece in opposing an immediate opening of… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

This is the title of Bulgarian daily “24 chasa” yesterday (25 April). I thought this was a decent newspaper, but I was wrong. The article was included in the daily press review of the European Commission (see photo). I know how the Bulgarian press works. This is a publication commissioned from very high places, which… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev