site.btaPoliticians Comment Scenarios for Europe's Future at Discussion Organized by Millennium Club Bulgaria

108 POLITICS-EU-FUTURE-DISCUSSION

Politicians Comment Scenarios for Europe's Future at
Discussion Organized by
Millennium Club Bulgaria


Sofia, January 14 (BTA) - Europe has a shortage of a major goal to pull in everyone and catalyse thinking in one and the same direction, Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev said Monday, taking part in a discussion in Sofia entitled, "The Prospects for the Future of United Europe," organized by the Millennium Club Bulgaria.

Donchev set out three possible scenarios for the EU: greater integration, total disintegration, and a middle option for partial disintegration. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the current environment fosters "any type of populists," a regime of digital democracy where everyone can create a society that shares his/her views.

Donchev said that the global world is not an especially cosy place, and its pressure makes people turn to the traditional and live within the boundaries of the nation state. However, none of the serious current problems can be solved within the national boundaries. Migration, climate change, not even social issues are possible to solve resorting solely to the tools of the nation state, he said.

President of the Party of the European Socialists (PES) Sergei Stanishev said that Europe must be saved from two threats: of the status quo, which claims that everything is in order and no major changes are necessary, and of the militant extreme nationalism. According to Stanishev, the elections for European Parliament will show whether Europe as people know it will continue to exist. He too suggested three scenarios: Europe of the status quo, Europe of the nation states, and Europe of restored fundamental values. The PES President argued that given the current problems of the continent, which are also global and interrelated, "it is a total illusion" to promise people that they will be returned back in the good old times. Stanishev said that in the European community it is always possible to defend one's interests and ideas and find allies, resting on the European values of solidarity, understanding and balance of interests.

Chairman of the Millennium Club Bulgaria Roumen Cholakov said that the spectre of Euro-skepticism is haunting Europe while different politicians resort to the old strategies of looking for an enemy to hate. According to Cholakov, the European citizens do not recognize the EU institutions as their institutions. The EU needs a mechanism for easier decision making while strengthening the integration will bring many advantages for the Europeans, Cholakov said. RY/ZH