Bulgaria’s anger, the real source
An escalating crisis in Bulgaria marked by street-protests across the country forced the government's resignation. But the instant wisdom that financial austerity caused it is misleading.
Experts & Staff
Dimitar Bechev
ECFR Alumni · Former Senior Policy Fellow
Biography
Dimitar Bechev used to work for ECFR as Senior Policy Fellow.
Bringing Turkey back to the EU debate
Shunned by the EU with membership talks effectively blocked, Turkey feels empowered. It is no longer on the European periphery, but at the centre of its own world.
Putin’s visit rekindles the Russia-Turkey affair
Are Turkey and Russia still friends? Critics of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan are often heard fretting about “Putinization” in Turkey, but is the Russian leader a welcome guest in a country that is now the principal supporter of the Syrian opposition?
The view from the capitals: the EU budget summit
On Thursday EU leaders will meet in Brussels to discuss the EU budget for the next seven years. ECFR experts in Spain, the UK, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany and Italy tell us what to expect.
The euro crisis should not mean the end of enlargement
Enlargement is far from over, with Croatia due to join next year and other countries in the Western Balkans still working towards accession. And although the challenges are considerable, further expansion is not just in these countries’ interests but in the interests of the EU itself.
The periphery of the periphery: The Western Balkans and the Euro crisis.
What next for EU enlargement?
EU – Turkey relations: A glimmer of hope?
Relations between the EU and Turkey have hit such lows over the past few years that even marginal improvements look like big breakthroughs. However, positive momentum is building up thanks to the new French President Francois Hollande and a pragmatic Cypriot EU Council presidency.
Not your Serbian déjà vu
The Serbian presidential elections this weekend look familiar – but Serbia is a very different place to how it was in 2004 and 2008. It is normalising fast and its core concerns are far more similar to other European countries than they were before.
The Americanisation of Turkey
Turkey's international profile and domestic politics have long been oriented towards the European Union. Now, both the Arab awakening and the internal momentum of AKP rule are pushing Ankara closer to the United States.
What does Turkey think?
Understanding how the new Turkey views the world, from inside
Publications
Turkey’s illiberal turn
Turkey is sliding back on its democratisation path
The periphery of the periphery: The Western Balkans and the Euro crisis.
What next for EU enlargement?
What does Turkey think?
Understanding how the new Turkey views the world, from inside
European security: The spectre of a multipolar Europe
The EU needs to build a trialogue on security with Russia and Turkey
Articles
Explaining the EP election results: Bulgaria
Still pro-EU, Bulgarian’s cast a vote of no confidence for the current government
Consequences of Ukraine: Europe’s fragile cohesion
Below the superficial unity in response to the Ukraine crisis, member states are dividing into clusters, each with its own view on Russia
Britain’s Bulgaria-Romania phobia
The panic in Britain over prospective Bulgarian and Romanian immigration is based on a misunderstanding of European rules. It is also at odds with the country's best traditions.
Ukraine and Bulgaria show power of EU model
There are still countries in Europe where protestors enthusiastically wave the EU's star-studded flag rather than burning it in anger. These days Kiev's embattled EuroMaidan is as much the heart of the Union as the Schuman roundabout in Brussels. So who said Europe lacks a story and a cause?
Bulgaria: students to the rescue
Mistrust is the basic idiom of Bulgarian politics. The prolonged crisis in Bulgaria exposes the bankruptcy of an entire political system in desperate need of renewal.
Syria: the Kurdish view
This essay forms part of an eight-part ECFR series exploring the regional responses, dynamics and ramifications of the Syrian uprising and civil war. These…
Turkey’s people power tide
The eruption of protest in Istanbul and other Turkish cities expresses vigorous opposition to the political direction of prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This is a big, even historic, moment in Turkey.
Serbia, Kosovo and the benefits of normalisation
The EU-brokered deal between Serbia and Kosovo settles the most acute dispute in the Balkans and is likely to have an impact on the wider region. Yet it may be too early to declare victory in the Balkans.
Bulgaria’s anger, the real source
An escalating crisis in Bulgaria marked by street-protests across the country forced the government's resignation. But the instant wisdom that financial austerity caused it is misleading.
Bringing Turkey back to the EU debate
Shunned by the EU with membership talks effectively blocked, Turkey feels empowered. It is no longer on the European periphery, but at the centre of its own world.
Podcasts
What the war in Gaza means for Turkey
Jeremy Shapiro welcomes Aslı Aydıntaşbaş and Dimitar Bechev discuss what the conflict in the Middle East means for Turkey’s foreign policy
In the media
Dimitar Bechev on how alarmist geo-political arguments over Greece have catapulted the country and the threat of a 'Grexit' to the centre of European foreign policy
Head of Sofia office Dimitar Bechev looks at the stakes involved in the Turkish parliamentary election
Policy fellow Mattia Toaldo speaks to Bloomberg Business regarding Libya's war and social breakdown, and the subsequent migrant crisis facing Europe
Dimitar Bechev and Andrew Wilson on Gazprom's alleged breach of EU anti-trust legisaltion
Dimitar Bechev's interview on the results of the presidential elections in Romania