site.btaEuropean Unity Is Meant to Ensure Problems Are Resolved in Plenary Hall, Not Trenches - Bulgarian MEP Kovatchev

Bulgarian MEP Andrey Kovatchev of the European People's Party Wednesday said that “the primary purpose of European cooperation and unity is to ensure that we never kill each other again in order to solve our problems”. “Instead of fighting in trenches, we send MEPs to defend our interests in the plenary hall and in parliamentary groups. It is far more civilized to have MEPs and Commissioners defend our interests than to send soldiers to die on the front lines,” Kovatchev told the Bulgarian News Agency on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. 

“European nations have been taking steps in a positive direction after severe upheavals. The idea of European unity was born just after the horrors of the Second World War,” Kovatchev recalled.

He noted that younger generations must understand that war is never a solution, adding that civilization should have reached the point where solutions arise from cooperation.

Highlighting the benefits of European integration, Kovatchev said that “we enjoy the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital without having to wage war over territory.” He also cited easier travel between Bulgaria and Greece following this country’s full accession to the Schengen area.

The MEP noted that “borders within the European Union are now becoming symbolic”.

“This is a great achievement and if young people do not understand it, it is our responsibility to explain it to them. Just a generation ago, the idea of buying a plane ticket on your phone and flying to another country the same day would have been unimaginable,” Kovatchev added.

“Freedom is not a given and we must be willing to invest in it,” Kovatchev said.