February 5, 2010
President Traian Basescu announced on 4 February that Romania’s Supreme Defence Council had accepted an invitation from US President Obama to host an anti-missile shield. I am not an arms expert, but I expect Russia to react strongly. It appears as if the US insists deploying missiles as close to Russia as possible. As a… » read more
Posted by Georgi Gotev
February 4, 2010
I told the Bulgarian commissioner-designate Kristalina Georgieva that I was receiving compliments for her performance at yesterday’s hearing. I did not deserve those compliments, but those present who knew me apparently felt how proud I was as a Bulgarian for her performance. I knew that she was familiar with the portfolio, so what I liked… » read more
Posted by Georgi Gotev
January 29, 2010
I have been to Moldova a few years ago and I realised that I speak one more language. My Romanian is good, and the people in Chisinau I met spoke the same language. However, officially, it was not called Romanian, but “the State language”. No problem for me, it means that I can write in… » read more
Posted by Georgi Gotev
January 13, 2010
Aspiring commissioner Rumiana Jeleva was so sure of her performance that she ordered the Bulgarian national radio to transmit the three-hour debate live. As a Bulgarian national, I am as embarrassed as any of my compatriots. Jeleva made a sorry show of herself and failed to dispel ‘rumours’ about her family business. But more importantly,… » read more
Posted by Georgi Gotev
January 6, 2010
The murder of a journalist in broad daylight in Sofia raised many questions. One is: has the EU lost its “stick” to pressure the latest newcomers to the EU? When Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU on 1 January 2007, shortcomings remained regarding judicial reform and the fight against corruption – and in the case… » read more
Posted by Georgi Gotev
December 18, 2009
The Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borissov has embraced the move by extremist leader Volen Siderov, leader of Ataka, a xenophobic party, to hold a referendum for banning a short TV news programme in Turkish language on the Bulgarian national TV [more]. My question is: is Borissov, whose party GERB is EPP-affiliated, entering in coalition with… » read more
Posted by Georgi Gotev
December 10, 2009
Back in 1999, I wrote a letter to Solana, in his capacity of NATO Secretary General. This happened a few days after I returned from the then Yugoslavia, now Serbia, where I was covering the Kosovo war for the Sofia daily ‘Sega’. On 26 May, while crossing with my Renault 5 the bridge Ciflik, which… » read more
Posted by Georgi Gotev
December 7, 2009
Prominent MEP Eduard Kukan, chair of the Parliament delegation for relations with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo, gives advice to those willing to listen. Kukan has been the foreign minister of his country, Slovakia, during half of the time of its existence, following its split from former Czechoslovakia.[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/c6adJ6BYqMw” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent”… » read more
Posted by Georgi Gotev
December 3, 2009
I met Jacques Delors again. I had already had the honour of being in his company when we made a 90-minute TV film about him, Toma Tomov* and me, in 2001. We called the film “Citizen Delors”, partly inspired from a poster of “Citizen Kane” which Delors had kept in his Berlaymont office, in previous… » read more
Posted by Georgi Gotev
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Bulgarian, Eastern Europe, English, enlargement, french, German , Euro, European Constitution, father of Europe, Jacques Delors, Lisbon Treaty |
November 27, 2009
Guy Verhofstadt proposes that the East European EU countries which are still oustide the eurozone adopt the euro as a parallel currency. The proposal concerns Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania. I’m not sure this is a very good idea. If the euro was introduced as a parallel currency in… » read more
Posted by Georgi Gotev
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Bulgarian, Eastern Europe, English, enlargement, Enlargement & Neighbours |
