Europe is at a crossroad and the good thing when you are at a crossroad is that you can choose the right way. However, there is a risk to go the wrong way, Bulgaria’s Deputy Premier Tomislav Donchev said at the discussion Three Perspectives for the Future of United Europe.  In Tomislav Donchev’s view, in the past ten to fifteen years the EU has turned into an administration which has been ascertaining and managing the consequences of various crises – financial, refugee, etc. This style of management deprived an entire generation of European politicians of the opportunity to remain in history as the ones who set and achieved the new big goal that would move the union forward, Deputy Premier Donchev added. The Chairman of Millennium Club Rumen Cholakov hosted the discussion on the future of Europe. Let us remind that the Millennium Club Bulgaria is a non-profit organization founded in 2016. It unites Bulgarian citizens who were born after 1981 and live and work abroad. Although they settled abroad and make brief, yet regular visits to Bulgaria, the members of Millennium Club Bulgaria have plenty of ideas and their efforts are directed towards a more prosperous and well-run Bulgaria. The young people from Millennium Club Bulgaria are planning to organize a series of meetings this year and the debate on the future of Europe is only the beginning. This issue is extremely topical now when the EU countries are on the eve of the elections for European Parliament. The development of the European project in the next five years will depend on the results of the May elections. The danger of radical changes and different course of government is real. However, Rumen Cholakov is optimistic that the EU will remain intact whatever the results of the forthcoming election this May.

I believe that my generation is the most Pro-European generation in the history of mankind. We benefit from the European integration and the privileges of the EU the most. That is why our attitude is pro-European. The referendum on Brexit proved that in Great Britain demography influences the voting a lot. Over two-thirds of the youngest people in Great Britain voted against Brexit. The pro-European sentiments amidst the young people in the other EU member states are similar. That is why, it is important to enhance European integration and turn our backs to nationalistic and Euroskeptical ideas.

This thesis was backed by Deputy Premier Tomislav Donchev as well. In his view Europe will remain in a standstill in the next five years if Euroskeptics win the forthcoming elections for European Parliament.

Extreme nationalism and Euroskepticism can be dangerous and people cannot rely on them for too long. While it may seem tempting, playing on the thin strings of public discontent may bring temporary superiority to anti-establishment players only. MEP and Chairman of the Party of European Socialists (PES) Sergei Stanishev said that nationalism needs an enemy to exist. It is not that important whether refugees, ethnic minorities or other people are recognized as enemies. At one point, however, the nationalist begins to see enemies everywhere and becomes a threat to others or to their country. That is why in Sergei Stanishev’s words, the biggest value of the EU is the fact that for nearly seventy years the member states have been living in peace which was achieved at the cost of many lives. As regards the European elections, the family of the European socialists sets the ambitious goal to be at the core of a new center-left alliance that would earn enough votes and send enough MEPs to the European Parliament. This would pave the road of their candidate Frans Timmermans to the position of President of the European Commission, which would destroy the hegemony of the European People’s Party in the EC.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov