Experts & Staff
Maria Simeonova

Maria Simeonova

Head of Sofia office

Areas of expertise

EU foreign policy, Bulgaria in the EU, Western Balkans

Languages

Bulgarian, English, Italian, conversational French

Biography

Maria Simeonova is the Head of Sofia office at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Her topics of focus include EU foreign policy, Bulgaria in the EU and the Western Balkans region.

Prior to joining ECFR in September 2020, Simeonova was a civil servant at the Bulgarian Ministry of Finance. She 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.

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.

No easy choices: How Europe can write a new chapter with Turkey

Europe’s security requires cooperation with Turkey, but Erdogan’s domestic abuses complicate the relationship. To navigate this, Europeans must invest in this partnership, prioritising urgent needs while carefully nurturing the seeds of a more democratic Turkey for the future

Staying afloat: How the EU can navigate the Black Sea to counter Russian aggression

The Black Sea’s strategic importance is increasingly evident in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Russia’s weakening military capacity in the Black Sea region presents an opportunity for the EU to further its security, trade, and connectivity interests – while providing support for its littoral states

Articles

No easy choices: How Europe can write a new chapter with Turkey

Europe’s security requires cooperation with Turkey, but Erdogan’s domestic abuses complicate the relationship. To navigate this, Europeans must invest in this partnership, prioritising urgent needs while carefully nurturing the seeds of a more democratic Turkey for the future

Staying afloat: How the EU can navigate the Black Sea to counter Russian aggression

The Black Sea’s strategic importance is increasingly evident in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Russia’s weakening military capacity in the Black Sea region presents an opportunity for the EU to further its security, trade, and connectivity interests – while providing support for its littoral states

Bulgaria’s European awakening

Bulgaria’s reformist government may have fallen, but this is a new era for the country. Policymakers should now build on Bulgarians’ growing sense of common purpose

Views from the capitals: Russia’s war on Ukraine

The conflict in Ukraine will change Europe forever. Experts from across ECFR’s network of offices describe the view of the war from Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Sofia, and Warsaw

Podcasts

Events

In the media