The term of office of the European Parliament will end in six months. However, there are a number of problems in the EU that are yet to be solved and Europe is facing important elections which will determine its future. We are to find out whether the European citizens will trust again the European People’s Party which is governing the EU in the past 15 years, or will step on a new road and choose some of the alternatives offered by the other parties?

The discussion named Europe on Crossroad, EU Elections and the Citizens’ Voice offered different points of view about the future of the European Union. Several Bulgarian MEPs who are part of different political families took part at the forum. According to MEP from the European People’s Party Andrey Kovatchev, the European Union should work for a more visible presence and participation in the global policies, because it forms 23% of the world gross domestic product. One of the proposals in this direction given by Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel envisages the establishment of a European Security Council with a rotating Presidency that would centralize defense and security policy on the continent.

MEP Momchil Nekov who is part of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialist and Democrats outlined some of the most important proposals of the European socialists. In his view, some of the most topical issues are related to the double standards in food and the deformations stemming from the signature of trade agreements which benefit the so-called “rich countries” only. The socialists contend that a child guarantee policy in each EU country which would provide food, shelter and education to each child is of great importance. This would drastically reduce the risk of their social exclusion. The well-thought-out choice of the citizens as well as their active participation at the 2019 elections for European Parliament guarantees legitimate results and representation of the citizens, but in politics a period of six months can be too short or too long and filled with a series of risks. According to sociologist Evelina Slavkova, the levels of Euroscepticism in Bulgaria are still low, but this is not the case in the other EU member states. Data of one of the latest researches of Eurobarometer held among 30,000 people shows that 44% of the surveyed EU citizens believe that the EU is running in the wrong direction and 32% believe that the European Union is governed well. That is why we should not be surprised with the fact that the populist thesis about Europe of Nations has been gaining bigger popularity.

At the forthcoming elections for European Parliament we will learn the answer of the most important question- whether the union will continue to develop towards inertia federalization or will move towards a Europe of Nations Angel Dzhambazki from the European Conservatives and Reformists Group said. Europe of Nations means shared responsibility and efforts where needed. It also means that the countries will be able to conduct their own home policy. There is a huge feeling of a lack of solidarity and justice within the European Union. We are witnessing an uneven distribution of the burden and the benefits in the union. Please note that the public procurement orders held within the frameworks of the European Parliament and the European Commission are fulfilled by German, French or Belgian companies. This is one of the answers why the feeling of injustice in the countries from the eastern part of the EU is so big. All countries are paying membership contributions into a common budget which is distributed mainly in the western countries.

The Bulgarian National Radio was a media partner and played host to the discussion.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov