Bulgaria’s abstention from the fight against climate change
Bulgaria’s abstention on the European Climate Law not only isolates the country within the EU once again but also reveals two familiar shortfalls in Bulgarian diplomacy
Experts & Staff
Maria Simeonova
Programme Coordinator, ECFR Sofia & Wider Europe programme
Languages
Bulgarian, English, Italian, conversational French
Biography
Maria Simeonova is the programme coordinator for the Wider Europe programme and ECFR’s Sofia office. She focuses on the Western Balkans and Turkey.
Simeonova has previously completed internships at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria to the EU, and the European Commission as a Blue Book Trainee at the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development. Prior to joining ECFR, Simeonova was a civil servant at the Bulgarian Ministry of Finance.
Simeonova holds a BA degree in International Relations from Sofia University and an MA degree in European Studies: Transnational and Global Perspectives from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. Her master’s thesis focused on coherence issues in EU external energy policy and relations with Russia.
In the media
Unblocking the stand-off will depend on the goodwill of the countries to engage in a constructive dialogue and their readiness to consistently participate in it
Maria Simeonova from ECFR Sofia on recent developments between Bulgaria and North Macedonia
Given the fragility of the political landscape in Bulgaria, it is probable that the unresolved issues between Sofia and Skopje will remain in place for some time
Maria Simeonova on the results of the 2021 Bulgarian elections and what they mean for the North Macedonia-Bulgaria dispute