A discussion is underway in Sofia today on the Visions for Europe: the Bulgarian Perspective of the European Priorities. It is organized by the civil platform MoveBG, and the occasion is the first publication of the platform on European issues with the same name as the conference's topic. Across 100 pages, 13 Bulgarian experts share their ideas about the social-economic and geopolitical challenges and opportunities for the European Union interpreted in the context of the priorities drawn up by the new European Commission and its President Jean-Claude Juncker.

"Our motivation to discuss Europe in Bulgaria is that seven years after the country's accession to EU few people fully understand and benefit from this membership”, contends the founder of MoveBG Sasha Bezuhanova in an interview for Radio Bulgaria. Europe does not boil down to operational programmes, opportunities for financing or sanctions. We have tools to influence the European process and become part of European politics. We have decided to discuss our solutions of major issues in the development of Europe - whether it will become e federation, or a Europe of nations; how its competitiveness will keep on track and how issues related to the common market and external security should be addressed effectively.”

The brochure Visions for Europe: the Bulgarian Perspective of the European Priorities is a follow-up of the MoveBG programme You Move Europe, as well as of the conference Visions for Europe organized on the eve of the European Parliament elections earlier this year. Sasha Bezuhanova formulates the key message in the discussion, and it is that we are Europe.

"This is a historical moment and it is quite favorable because Europe has a new leadership and Bulgaria has a new government too. At the level of political leadership Europe and Bulgaria are together and this opens up plenty of opportunity to align the Bulgarian agenda with the European one. Many of the priorities featuring on the ambitious programme of Jean-Claude Juncker have been commented by the authors in the brochure. The energy union has been discussed by several authors however the centerpiece on this issue is written by Martin Vladimirov, an expert in international and energy security. Another pivotal issue is Europe's competitiveness. It is laid out in the Juncker programme that offers ideas for a more sophisticated and fairer internal market sitting on a reinforced industrial base. The next priority seeks a more sophisticated and fairer economic and monetary union. Our authors Evgeni Angelov and Kiril Petkov comment on the prospects of Europe's competitiveness and how Bulgaria can develop its own competitive base within the confines of a common European priority. One of the important topics regarding Europe's development - and this is also featured in our brochure - pertains to the democratic process and to how we should motivate citizens to become more active in it using new and innovative methods. The author of the article on this topic is Assya Kavrakova, Director of the European Citizen Action Service in Brussels. Here is an example from the work of MoveBG: we worked successfully on a European civil initiative for media pluralism jointly with ten European countries. It involved online voting as a way to support a new European Media Directive. Besides, we have an expert opinion about the banking union and banking supervision as a core issue of the common European security - from Hristo Hristev, professor of law at St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia,” concludes Sasha Bezuhanova, founder of MoveBG who was interviewed by Radio Bulgaria.