Reuniting Europe

Archives for Eastern Europe

Should Eastern EU members immediately introduce the euro?

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

Bulgarian, Eastern Europe, English, enlargement, Enlargement & Neighbours

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Where were you when the Berlin wall fell?

November 6, 2009

That’s the question to ask these days to people you met in the meantime. Well, if you or them are at least 30 years of age. There are moments, like 9/11, when everyone remembers what they have been doing, feeling and experiencing. By the way, the wall also fell on 9/11, but written the European… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

Czech, Eastern Europe, English, enlargement, Enlargement & Neighbours, German, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak

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Does Obama realise Russia’s EU strategies?

November 2, 2009

Edward Lucas, a prominent analyst, says that Russia is pushing the USA out of Europe, trying to set up a condominium in the old continent between itself and countries such as France, Germany, Italy, to the detriment of Eastern Europe. Recently another knowledgeable specialist, Ariel Cohen, said that there is “little appetite” these days in… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

Eastern Europe, English, enlargement, Enlargement & Neighbours

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Does Eastern Europe care about climate change?

October 30, 2009

East European leaders may be bargaining for a fairer deal on climate funding, however the impression remains that they are less interested in the subject, compared to their colleagues from ‘older Europe’. I was discussing this with my friend Jan Vitasek, a Czech journalist, yesterday night in the Council meeting, while EU leaders were having… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

Bulgarian, Czech, Eastern Europe, English, enlargement, Uncategorized

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Putin punishes Eastern Europe

October 20, 2009

The Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin has punished Bulgaria for not being as pro-Russian as he wants, by excluding it from the South Stream gas pipeline and by abandoning the project of an oil pipeline from the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Varna to to Greek port Alexandroupolis. Indeed, Russia has had a consistent policy… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

Bulgarian, Eastern Europe, English, enlargement, German, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Security, Slovak, Turkish

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Are Prague and Warsaw damaging Eastern Europe’s image?

October 6, 2009

After the Irish ‘yes’, the Lisbon Treaty has already been ratified politically. Two presidents’ signatures are missing to complete legally the ratification process. The Polish one appears to be motivated by the will to extort concessions from the EU as much as he can, and the Czech one simply doesn’t like the EU reform treaty.… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

Czech, Eastern Europe, English, enlargement, Polish

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Mr. Barroso, be fair to the East

September 25, 2009

The Commission is transparent enough to make obvious the huge East-West gap in the EU administration highest posts’ distribution. The data are appalling. At the highest level of the administration, AD16, there are 37 civil servants from across the EU, of which zero East Europeans. At the next level AD15, there are 235 civil servants,… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

English, Uncategorized

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Congratulations Bokova!

September 23, 2009

My compartiot and good friend Irina Bokova was elected yesterday night Director General of UNESCO. You can find details here. I have worked under Bokova in the mid nineties, when she was deputy foreign minister, responsible for European integration, while I was a diplomat in Brussels, accredited to the European Communities. I think Bokova made… » read more

Posted by Georgi Gotev

Bulgarian, Eastern Europe, English, enlargement, Uncategorized

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Reuniting Europe

Georgi Gotev is senior editor of EurActiv

Georgi Gotev is senior editor of EurActiv since 2008. A Bulgarian national with a background in journalism and diplomacy, he was a member of the team of five diplomats which in 1993 opened Bulgaria’s first mission to the European Communities. Since 1998, he has been covering his country’s accession and EU enlargement for various Bulgarian and international media. In 2007-2008, he was the spokesperson for the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe. Mobile phone +32499528725 professional calls only.