Bulgarians have turned out in their thousands to protest against the government. The EU needs to address the country’s democratic backsliding and avoid it becoming part of Viktor Orban’s camp, write Maria Simeanova and Vessela Tcherneva. https://bit.ly/3Ms6hFF

A short explanation of the protests in Bulgaria on 26.11 & 01.12 🧵 On 1 December, my country saw its largest protest in decades. Only in Sofia, 110,000 people were on the streets.

Black Sea Security Conference се проведе в София този уикенд. @mariasimeonova.bsky.social участва в панела „Trade & Connectivity“ – разговор за ролята на Черноморския регион и свързаността с Европа. Благодарим на всички за ценните идеи.

„България винаги е заемала важно място на картата на Европа и това, което ни е липсвало, е самочувствието, че заемаме такова място и липсата на политическа воля да се възползваме от него.“ @mariasimeonova.bsky.social в студиото на „Директно“ по Bulgaria on Air:

Ok, now some more clarity on the terms of the US-RS deal were. Dodik, Cvijanovic, & many other persons & firms dropped from US Dept of Treasury's OFAC list. This has been "the dark matter" of the deal. Unclear if more below the waterline. May find out at UNSC this week. 😬 www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/...

NEW RELEASE Southeast Europe in Focus | Scrutinizing Security in the Black Sea Region: A Closer Look at Bulgaria, Romania, and the Republic of Moldova With contributions by D. Triantaphyllou, @mariasimeonova.bsky.social , M. Zulean and C. Bogatiuc. 🔗Download here: www.sogde.org/de/publikati...

Last month Bulgarian authorities arrested Blagomor Kotsev, mayor of Varna Based on hearsay they transferred him to Sofia and remanded him in custody. Bulgaria has oligarchs sanctioned by the US and UK but Kotsev is an opponent of theirs trying to clean things up. tvpworld.com/88141560/bul...

My latest piece for @ecfr.eu on the concerning trends of democratic erosion in #Bulgaria. It’s not simple but the #EU could do much more to prevent a decay from within 👇

One of our policy fellows @kirland.bsky.social just published a new book on civil-defence relations in Russian defence policymaking. Check it out now 👇

В този епизод на подкаста ни ‘World in 30 minutes’ @vtcherneva.bsky.social и @mariasimeonova.bsky.social обсъждат с Mark Leonard тревожните признаци на институционална ерозия и погазване на върховенството на правото. Чуйте тук: ecfr.eu/pod.../episo...

Bulgarians are back on the streets. Just like 5 years ago, they want to break the networks that use the judicial system to target anyone, anytime. Bulgaria is sliding toward state capture - and the #EU shouldn’t turn a blind eye again. #Bulgaria #RuleOfLaw

ECFR Director Mark Leonard kicks off #ACM25 with an ECFR Insight: “Unlike in 2003 when Europe was split between pro and anti-American countries at the time of Iraq, what you now have is a split between pro Trump parties and anti-Trump parties, and that is leading to a recasting of European politics"

Always a pleasure talking to TVP World - this time about our country’s most recent success: receiving the green light from the European Commission and the European Central Bank for our readiness to join the Eurozone on 1 January 2026. youtu.be/Z70MjEJMxLs?...

5/ Ukraine, Syria, the eastern Med, the Red Sea: so much comes back to Turkey. @mariasimeonova.bsky.social in Sofia presents a nuanced take on how Europe can balance serious concerns about Turkish democracy with the need for geopolitical cooperation with Ankara: ecfr.eu/article/no-e...

Europe can't afford to ignore Turkey—but engaging with Erdoğan comes at a cost. In her latest commentary, Maria Simeonova explores how the EU can balance immediate security needs with long-term democratic goals in its complex relationship with Ankara.

Last week marked 100 days of Trump's second term—and his 'MAGA goes global' agenda is reshaping Europe's geopolitical landscape. Celia Belin's latest policy brief analyzes how his administration's policies are challenging the EU. bit.ly/4iTWXoB

My recent piece looks at how the EU can engage with Turkey amid the democratic backsliding but also shared strategic interests. Disengagement risks new dependencies as member states start playing solo with Ankara.

Динамиката на отношенията между Европа и Турция никога не е била проста - но именно в сложността се крият възможности за стратегическо преосмисляне. @mariasimeonova.bsky.social обобщава изборите пред ЕС и обяснява защо диалогът с Анкара е по-важен от всякога. ecfr.eu/article/no-e...

Il mio nuovo articolo su come l'UE debba sistemare le sue relazioni con la Turchia in un momento cruciale per la sicurezza in Europa. @ecfrsofia.bsky.social

L'Europa si trova di fronte a un dilemma strategico: impegnarsi con la Turchia nonostante le tensioni interne o rischiare l'instabilità regionale. ✍️ @mariasimeonova.bsky.social x @ecfrwidereurope.bsky.social

📣 It’s a wrap! After three days of fruitful discussions at our ECFR Annual Staff Retreat, in which we dove deep into the policy challenges of today’s world, we’re ready to tackle what lies ahead!

The full story about the Bulgarians who were recently found guilty in the UK of conspiring with the Kremlin to kidnap and possibly murder the journalists Christo Grozev and Roman Dobrokhotov. Worth reading and understanding Kremlin’s changing techniques.

Европейският съвет за външна политика и Министерството на външните работи на Република България подписаха Меморандум за сътрудничество. Меморандумът открива възможности за съвместни инициативи, обмен на експертиза и добри практики между двете страни. @ecfr.eu

We should have no illusions: Just as it is now doing with Ukraine, the Trump administration will try to force the Europeans into line if they resist a deal on American (or rather Russian?) terms.

На 18.02 споделих мнение, че 🇺🇸 гледат на войната в 🇺🇦 като пречка пред разгръщането на двустранните отношения с Москва, и че има припокриване на интересите между САЩ и Русия за международния ред. Обърнах внимание и на 🇹🇷 като един от ключовите фактори във войната. m.youtube.com/watch?featur...

My piece for Riddle Russia on Black Sea security is out. I argue that this is the region where Europe’s security awakening and ability to deter Russia will first be tested. ridl.io/black-sea-in...

Russia's Lavrov to discuss Turkish role in ending Ukraine war in visit, source says - www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Polls close shortly in Germany. What a good election outcome for Europe would look like: - stable two-part government formed swiftly - AfD underperforming (sub-20%) - clear 2/3 majority (420+ seats) for debt-brake reform - parties pivoting fast from campaign to wider realities

📣New survey! ECFR polling reveals the gloom that has fallen over European perceptions of the transatlantic relationship since early November. Read @jpuglierin.bsky.social , @arturovarvelli.bsky.social and @pawelzerka.bsky.social 's new polling report 👇 buff.ly/4huJpjm

It was great to be part of GCMC’s new in-residence course on Russia. Main goal of the seminar - generating critical insights into understanding Russia to better achieve deterrence. Extraordinary thinkers and practical takeaways. www.marshallcenter.org/en/news-arch...?

Really glad to see more attention on the difficulties of plugging the gap. Thanks, @swheatonjourno.bsky.social for covering it in today's newsletter www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...

We have a new mini podcast series out to tell you everything you need to know about 🇩🇪 ‘s election campaign and the big foreign policy discussions in the country. In our first standalone episode we talk about Trump and trade with @dschwarzer.bsky.social and @tobiasgehrke.bsky.social 👇

Happy to share my first @ecfr.eu commentary✍️w/ @arturovarvelli.bsky.social! For EU policymakers, the example of the Italy-Albania migration deal should serve as a cautionary tale on the viability and effectiveness of such agreements. Here's why 🔍

"E il fatto che Teheran abbia deciso di liberare la giornalista italiana ‘sulla parola’ di una contropartita a noi ancora sconosciuta ci suggerisce che la Farnesina abbia svolto un lavoro eccellente."

" By leaving Transnistria out in the cold, Moscow is hoping to weaken the pro-European government in Chisinau in the run-up to the parliamentary election due by the summer" ecfr.eu/article/cold...

In addition to the World in 30 Minutes episode coming later this week, Mark Leonard welcomes @jbdacey.bsky.social , Ellie Geranmayeh, and @valinasr.bsky.social in a special episode to discuss the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and its implications. Full episode here: ecfr.eu/podcasts/epi...

I recently argued that events in Bulgaria, Georgia, and Moldova reflect Russia’s goal to destabilise our region. Interference in Romanian election added to the logic. Zelensky stated today in Paris: Russia seeks control of the Black Sea. The EU must move beyond wishful messaging and act boldly.

#GeorgiaProtests by 📷 Dima Zverev

Russian imperial dreams expand further

❗️ Here’s the Bluesky account of ECFR Sofia. bsky.app/profile/ecfr...

European lessons, brilliantly compiled by @asliaydintasbas.bsky.social , offer valuable preparation for Trump. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Our @ecfr.bsky.social paper with Marie Dumoulin on European security interests and Ukrainian peace talks ecfr.eu/article/ukra...

My latest on Bulgarian politics for @ecfr.bsky.social

We just recorded a Germany special on the coalition collapse. This is our second emergency podcast release this week. You can catch the first one on the US election results on either the World in 30 Minutes or Swamp Chronicles channel. But first 👇 ! ecfr.eu/podcasts/epi...