Europe belongs to us, to the citizens. When we feel this, we will go to vote with the full knowledge that we are voting for something that is important. This is what Prof. Igrid Shikova told FACTS. We asked her for a comment considering the upcoming “2 in 1“ on June 9, when we will vote for the Bulgarian representatives in the European Parliament. Here's what else she said.
- Prof. Shikova, we have a “2 in 1” election coming up, but the national topic is somehow displacing the topic of the future of Europe. On June 9, we will also vote for the European Parliament. Why is it important to vote and send Bulgarian representatives to the European Parliament…
- The shortest answer to this question is the following - we must vote in the European elections, because Bulgaria is a member of the European Union. When a country becomes a member of the European Union, it undoubtedly gets many opportunities, but also great responsibilities. Awareness of these responsibilities is the first step towards realizing true European integration. Moreover, European integration is a difficult art that needs a fair amount of perfection and experience. Membership in the European Union is becoming an increasingly complex task that requires greater and greater efforts. This is because, on the one hand, the quality of governance of individual member states affects the achievement of common integration goals, and on the other hand, European integration affects the quality of their own governance. We expect our representatives in the European Parliament to explain and protect the interests of Bulgaria in shaping and implementing the policies and ambitions of the European Union. In a union of twenty-seven countries, policy influence is best exercised through partnerships. Therefore, expressing our positions in the EU requires us to build and strengthen our influence in European institutions, so that Bulgaria's positions are understood and reflected in policies.
Let us not be silent witnesses, but active participants in the integration processes.
It should be emphasized that the powers of the European Parliament are increasing and it already occupies its important place as a co-legislator together with the Council, that is, with the member states. Its most essential function is legislative. It approves the budget of the European Union. Parliament also has control powers, hears nominees for members of the European Commission and approves the entire European Commission. It answers to the European Parliament, defends its proposals before it and presents to it for discussion a general annual report on the activities of the EU. The European Parliament can vote a vote of no confidence in the Commission. The European Parliament also approves international agreements concluded by the European Union. And most importantly -
The role of the European Parliament is very important, because it is precisely the “voice of the citizens”.
Thanks to the European Parliament, for example, the long-term budget for 2021 was increased – 2027 of the “Erasmus+“ with 2.2 billion euros, to the research program “Horizon Europe” with 4 billion euros, on the health care program – with 3.4 billion euros.
- Somehow there is no serious information campaign on European issues, although clips are playing on TV…
- I would like to see a real European campaign. The names of Robert Schumann and Jean Monet have gone down in history for having shown the wisdom and political courage to take the first step towards unification. We need such people right now – by leaders who have a vision, who know what they must do, when the political moment is to do it, and exactly how to do it. Jacques Delors used to say that European unification requires a direction, a heart and a screwdriver – that is, to know what we want to achieve in the future, to be courageous and determined to walk the difficult path, and to know with what concrete, practical steps to do it.
Unfortunately, when European elections are combined with national elections, the focus is on national issues, and European ones remain in the background.
And it shouldn't be like that – Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and it must fully participate in European construction.
I am participating in a project dedicated to young people who will vote for the first time, implemented by the National Association of Bulgarian European Clubs. During my meetings with young people, I observe their desire to learn more about the European Union, to understand exactly what the European Parliament does, what decisions it makes. It is very important, in my opinion, that the public is better informed about how the European Union works. It is a mistake that there is a lack of a serious information campaign on European issues, including the euro. Only clips on television do not solve the issue of the need to inform and persuade. Only an election campaign is not enough. Efforts to inform the public must be constant. There should be an information strategy for European integration – I would call it “Communication for Europe” and so that people are involved in discussions, in informational meetings, have the opportunity to ask questions, share their concerns and fears, as well as their expectations. And politicians should not constantly justify themselves with an abstract “Brussels”.
- Do the Bulgarians accept the European Union as ours – yes, we are part of the EU, but somehow it remains abstract as an afterthought?
- The European Union is not a building in Brussels, it is not a machine for producing legislation. The European Union is our community – Europeans, for which we must work together. Today, Europe needs cool heads to solve its problems and challenges, but also hot hearts to love and defend it passionately.
We are still talking about Bulgaria and the European Union, not about Bulgaria in the European Union.
In these troubled times, I increasingly wonder about our Europe – are we talking about the European Union as our Europe? Can we consider European legislation to be our law, and not a law out of thin air, imposed on us from above? Do we know how to implement European policies and accept them as something that connects us, or do we still say Europe and us?
The answer is the European Union belongs to us as much as we belong to the European Union.
It means refusing to tear our continent apart again. The more united and stronger the European Union is, the more it will unite all Europeans who want to live in peace, freedom and understanding. Yes, the European Union and its institutions should also make more efforts to be close to the citizens – less bureaucracy, reduction of redundant legislation, facilitation and simplification of participation in programs, listening to citizens' problems and recommendations. The rapprochement process must be a two-way street.
- How do you see the future of the EU? New challenges are constantly emerging…
- The European elections in 2024 are not just another routine political event. They are a key moment for the EU in a world of global upheaval and internal challenges. The world is getting rougher, more uncertain and unpredictable.
The era of happy globalization is over.
Economic interdependence is increasingly and more actively used as a weapon, as a means of coercion. Instead of a fruitful cooperation, it becomes a threat to the economy and security. Defense and security have come to the fore in the political debate about the future, with an EU-wide survey showing they are among the key issues for voters. Citizens express expectations and priorities for the future - protection of the standard of living, of their health, fight against climate change, protection of the rule of law. Moreover, the majority of Europeans see the European Union as the right place, as an organization that should provide concrete solutions to the challenges we face.
A new European political cycle is coming after the European Parliament elections.
I will only mention the global topics that are most likely to be the focus of the EU in this new cycle: Geopolitics or the European Union between Scylla and Charybdis, an increasingly assertive China and an increasingly protectionist USA, let us not be naive traders and we have fair trade agreements. Achieving greater competitiveness or how to make the European Union function in a world of fierce competition, how to achieve economic security, how to combine competitiveness with the fight against climate change, how to protect our interests, to have more “made in Europe&rdquo ;, to put an end to complicated regulations and directives. The enlargement of the European Union is also one of the most important topics for the future, but it is full of many question marks as to how exactly it should happen - whether to hurry, whether to wait for the countries to prepare well. The European Union itself needs preparation for enlargement. I could list many more important topics on which difficult decisions must be made in the European Union. And I will emphasize again that Bulgaria – through its representatives, must be an active participant in building this future.
- Did Europe spoil that long period, excluding the last 5 years, in which peace reigned… Somehow we took it for granted, but it turned out to be something very fragile?
- The creation of the European Communities in the 1950s arose from three vital needs: reconciliation, survival and economic development. It took great courage to overcome the feelings and desires of revenge among the people of the victorious countries, as well as all the prejudices that had settled down through the centuries of European conflicts. Konrad Adenauer synthesized it like this:
„The unity of Europe was a dream of a few. It became a hope for many. Today it is a necessity for all of us.“
How modern it sounds even today!
The spark ignited with the Monet-Schumann plan, but throughout European integration the fire must be kept alive. Let's not be mistaken, this does not mean the disappearance of contradictions and conflicts, but something else – that dialogue, not war, be the means of solving them. European integration has never been a “long, calm river”. On the contrary, European unification is going through stormy and dangerous waters. At the same time, we really took peace for granted, we thought that war in Europe was materially impossible, but, unfortunately, it turned out not to be. We found out the hard way how important the European Union is to live in peace and understanding. Looking back at the past makes sense if it serves the future. The past is always full of lessons, as long as we know how to read them and apply the lessons from them. We should never forget that the European Union is the most successful peace project.
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The entire professional career of Prof. Ingrid Shikova has been dedicated to European integration. She is a teacher in the Department of "European Studies" of Sofia University. She was the director of the Center for European Studies and the Information Center of the Delegation of the European Commission. She worked as an advisor in the Representation of the European Commission. He is a member of the international network of lecturers "Team Europe". She was elected as a member of the Academic Council of the International Center for European Studies in Nice, France. He has numerous publications on European integration issues. She was awarded with the honor badge with a blue ribbon of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" for her contribution to the development of European studies in Bulgaria. In 2020, he received the Docendo Discimus award of the Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the honorary award of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He is the author of scientific and periodical publications.