site.bta President Plevneliev: Europe's Disagreements Should be Solved in Parliaments, Not on Battlefields

President Plevneliev: Europe's Disagreements Should be Solved in Parliaments, Not on Battlefields

Brussels/Strasbourg, June 8 (BTA Correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - In an address to the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev talked about Europe's future and the current challenges facing the EU.

Plevneliev is the second Bulgarian head of State to speak before the EP since the country's entry in the EU in 2007.

"We witness the worst security situation since the end of the Second World War. We see fundamental differences between world and regional powers. National borders and international principles are questioned. We witness a much more complicated international system where world and regional institutions and powers are unable to prevent and solve the record number of conflicts," Plevneliev said.

In his words, Europe has entered a new phase of development - Cold Peace - and the beginning of this period was marked by the Ukrainian crisis. "The Russian President often talks about a new balance in the world with spheres of interest of Great Powers, that need to be respected. Are we heading towards a new Yalta Conference? If the West allows this, it will be a historic shame. We need to show character, we need to stand up and defend our vision for our united Europe," he noted.

"The cause of wise politics is to modernize, to educate, to give way to diplomacy and not to fight," he went on to say. "The goal of wise politics should not be to create frozen conflicts and occupy your neighbor's territory. In the 21st century it is not wise to move borders, but to think beyond borders. The goal of wise politics is to make your nation educated and prosperous, to empower citizens, to create societies that are free and tolerant," he added.

"We never wanted to have a war again in Europe, but unfortunately today, there is a war in Europe and that is in Ukraine. For me, for us, Crimea is Ukraine and Ukraine is Europe," Plevneliev said. He called for urgent lifting of visas for Ukrainian citizens as a significant step to support Ukraine.

Plevneliev went on to say that knowledge about the past should be preserved, and that is why he supports the creation of a European House of History. In his words, the most important history lesson is that peace is not given: it is up to everyone to protect it. Peace is not only the absence of war but also human rights and rule of law, he added. "In the 21st century Europe's disagreements should be solved in parliaments, not on battlefields. The European integration project is making this dream a reality," he underscored.

"The EU is facing a record number of crises. Additional crises are on our radar screens, for example the possible Brexit, the rise of nationalists and populists, migration and others. We must not allow Europe to fall into a moral crisis - a crisis of lack of solidarity, a crisis of values. Whether it is migration or the sanctions on Russia, we need to stand together," Plevneliev said.

"Bulgaria is protecting the external borders of the EU in a professional and efficient manner. We follow the rules of Dublin and Schengen. We show solidarity with all refugees and give humanitarian status to those that meet the criteria. Bulgaria fulfils all its responsibilities and duties as a Member State and it needs to be taken to an equal footing with Schengen members by joining the Schengen area as soon as possible for the sake of the EU common security policy," the head of State also said.

Plevneliev noted that Europe needs to devise a new economic model that is dynamic and open and embraces new approaches and mechanisms. "We should not fear phenomena like the collaborative and sharing economy, or e-commerce - instead, we must welcome them and use all innovations in the most productive way. Europe must become the leader of the new industrial revolution, of disruptive innovation and digital technologies," he added.

In his words, Europe should promote diplomacy and institutional reforms, give way to principles instead of interest, as well as reconfirm the principles of rule of law, human rights and freedoms, territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of the borders of every country in Europe and the world.

"Issues like terrorism, migration, frozen conflicts cannot be handled without treating the root causes: geopolitical frustrations and heavy conflicts. This makes it necessary to strengthen our crisis management structures and enhance the role of strategic planning in European foreign and security policy," the Bulgarian head of State said.

Social exclusion, marginalization, bad education, ineffective dialogue between religions are problems with European roots, and mixed together these create conditions for radicalization, Plevneliev said. Integration and education are a commitment for both host societies and migrants, he added. "Today, more than ever, we need modern patriotism, not aggressive nationalism in Europe," he underscored.

"It would be a mistake to underestimate the potential for development of some parts of Europe, for example the Balkans. It would be a historic mistake not to support them or leave them to the outside influences from former empires. European nations should not be played against one another, regardless of interest. There can be only one answer: more solidarity with those countries that have a longer road ahead of them," Plevneliev noted.

"Kremlin is opposing us and is trying to destabilize the EU, by bringing mistrust to the very core of our project. It is trying to destroy and bring down the foundations of the European Union, which are unity, solidarity and rule of law. Moscow initiated a vast propaganda operation in Europe that spreads messages of mistrust, not values. The goal is to undermine the trust of people in the EU," he went on to say. In his words, it seems like Kremlin is succeeding because Europe is pulling the break on enlargement and Schengen.

Plevneliev also told the EP that Europe's future depends on the content, on "the very core sense of who we are", and on not losing the big picture. Seventy years ago, the idea of the founding fathers of the EU was not to weaken the national states but to make them stronger in a union, he noted. "Bulgaria was always weak when it was alone. Today it is a strong and proud Member State of the EU and NATO," he added.

Talking about the EU's future in the decades to come, the Bulgarian head of State called for new engines of integration: the enlargement process; more efficient and coordinated common European foreign, defense and security policy; the European Energy Union; the Single Digital Market; the EU Capital Markets Union; and others. "Let us continue to write and make the history of a strong European Union with strong and prosperous Member States," Plevneliev said.