Deputy Director
Head, ECFR Sofia
EU foreign policy; Western Balkans and Black Sea regions; transatlantic relations; regional studies; energy
Bulgarian, English, German, Russian
Vessela Tcherneva is deputy director of the European Council on Foreign Relations and head of ECFR’s Sofia office. Her topics of focus include EU foreign policy and the Western Balkans and Black Sea region.
Between January and July 2022, she held the position of Foreign Policy Advisor to the Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov. From 2010 to 2013, she was the spokesperson for the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a member of Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov’s political cabinet. Previously, she was secretary of the International Commission on the Balkans, chaired by former Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato and former German President Richard von Weizsäcker; supervising editor of the Foreign Policy Bulgaria magazine; and political officer at the Bulgarian Embassy in Washington, DC. Tcherneva holds an MA in Political Science from the Rhienische Friedrich-Wilhelm Universität in Bonn.
Nell’attuale contesto internazionale, le relazioni dell’Europa con le potenze globali stanno cambiando rapidamente, e la loro evoluzione rappresenta un elemento di analisi ineludibile nel delineare la strategia di politica estera dell’UE
Newly released investigations have shed light on how corruption and the weak rule of law in Bulgaria enable Russian influence to thrive
We will discuss Germany’s role in Europe and will reflect on how the new European order is viewed in Berlin
After more than eleven years of the EU facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, this process could be described as “one step forward, two steps back”. The seriousness of challenges that constantly emerge in relations between Kosovo and Serbia shows that despite the goodwill and dedication of the Western stakeholders, domestic democratic capacities, nationalistic politics, geopolitics, and third players hinder the possibility of reaching a comprehensive solution.
It has taken three general elections for change to come in Bulgaria – but this week’s parliamentary vote gives cause to hope for genuine action on corruption
The EU currently lacks tools to make a real difference to stability in the Western Balkans. But it can create these tools if it musters the political will.
What can the EU and NATO do to reduce the risk of escalation in the region?
Public attitudes in Ukraine and Serbia raise pressing questions about EU enlargement. If member states are to sustain this process, they will need to base it on a shared sense of belonging
The solution to the dispute between Kosovo and Serbia should be to create a societal consensus on both sides of the border
What will be the impact of the EU and US measures against Belarus? And what should be next steps also ahead of the EU-US summit on 15 June?
The solution to the dispute between Kosovo and Serbia should be to create a societal consensus on both sides of the border
Europe must improve its early warning systems, supply chain resilience, medical R&D, and cyber security and technology, to act decisively in future emergencies
A new survey shows that, after the onset of the covid-19 crisis, there has been a rise in public support for unified EU action to tackle global threats
Europe shouldn’t be afraid of Russian and Chinese efforts to integrate the Eurasian landmass, but should absorb them into its international order
EU’s weakness is prompting a new scramble for power for the Balkans with Russia, Turkey and other actors
The sixth ECFR Foreign Policy Scorecard highlights the EU’s diminishing ability to influence its neighbours, and the neighbourhood’s growing impact on the EU
The EU is ill-equipped to respond to foreign policy crises
Newly released investigations have shed light on how corruption and the weak rule of law in Bulgaria enable Russian influence to thrive
It has taken three general elections for change to come in Bulgaria – but this week’s parliamentary vote gives cause to hope for genuine action on corruption
The EU currently lacks tools to make a real difference to stability in the Western Balkans. But it can create these tools if it musters the political will.
Public attitudes in Ukraine and Serbia raise pressing questions about EU enlargement. If member states are to sustain this process, they will need to base it on a shared sense of belonging
In an environment in which European and American interests are not always the same, it is short-sighted and dangerous for Bulgarian leaders to question their country’s geopolitical alignment
Joe Biden has a longstanding relationship with the Western Balkans. A re-energised US policy on the region could be transformative, especially when working in tandem with the EU
North Macedonia was on a seemingly good track towards EU accession, until Bulgaria’s objection in November. But it is not too late to break the deadlock
The indictment for war crimes against Kosovo President Hassim Thaci helpfully upends the poorly conceived US initiative to reconcile Serbia and Kosovo. But it fatally delegitimates Kosovo’s current leadership.
It is the EU’s responsibility to normalise relations between Kosovo and Serbia in the long term. Therefore, the bloc should set the principles of, and drive, the dialogue between the countries.
Common standards of health security, tech and information sharing in research and development, and better integration within healthcare supply chains could help Europe take a big step forward
What will be the impact of the EU and US measures against Belarus? And what should be next steps also ahead of the EU-US summit on 15 June?
How much influence does China already have in the Western Balkans and how should European policymakers react?
What kind of implications do the developments in Belarus have for the wider neighbourhood and Europe?
How will and can Europeans react in the event of a post-election chaos in the US? The election day is fast approaching yet the outcome still…
After last week’s discussion with Matt Duss and Jeremy Shapiro, Mark Leonard follows up by gathering the European views on a possible Biden win and…
Host Mark Leonard has an intimate discussion with our heads of offices from Sofia and Warsaw, Vessela Tcherneva and Piotr Buras about their experiences, hopes…
North Macedonia and Albania wanted to start negotiations with the EU after having been candidate countries since 2005 and 2014. But the enlargement plans seemed…
Mark Leonard speaks with Vessela Tcherneva and Robert Cooper about the contested result and how it might be solved. Bookshelf: Carnegie report on…
Mark Leonard speaks with Manuel Lafont Rapnouil, Almut Möller and Vessela Tcherneva, about what has changed in French foreign policy with Macron one year in…
This week, rather than putting out our ordinary podcast, we're leaving the floor to Manuel Lafont Rapnouil, head of ECFR Paris, who's hosting a discussion…
Nell’attuale contesto internazionale, le relazioni dell’Europa con le potenze globali stanno cambiando rapidamente, e la loro evoluzione rappresenta un elemento di analisi ineludibile nel delineare la strategia di politica estera dell’UE
We will discuss Germany’s role in Europe and will reflect on how the new European order is viewed in Berlin
After more than eleven years of the EU facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, this process could be described as “one step forward, two steps back”. The seriousness of challenges that constantly emerge in relations between Kosovo and Serbia shows that despite the goodwill and dedication of the Western stakeholders, domestic democratic capacities, nationalistic politics, geopolitics, and third players hinder the possibility of reaching a comprehensive solution.
What can the EU and NATO do to reduce the risk of escalation in the region?
This event will be in Bulgarian but simultaneous translation into English will be provided
The European Council on Foreign Relations is delighted to invite you to a discussion on the role of the NATO in a world of revived geopolitical competition with a focus on the potential of the transatlantic alliance
The story of Russia’s reach in Bulgaria demonstrates that corruption is a very convenient channel for malign foreign influence
Vessela Tcherneva on on how corruption and the weak rule of law in Bulgaria enable Russian influence to thrive
Italy is a key country in Europe in terms of shaping European policy but also in terms of European public opinion
Vessela Tcherneva’s comment on the sidelines of the “Transatlantic Forum: The future of the West”
For Beijing, violating a country’s territorial borders is a big red flag, and Putin’s actions don’t sit well with the Chinese
Vessela Tcherneva comments on the Munich Security Conference and the differences from previous years
There are concerns about the risk of bringing another corrupted country into the EU
Vessela Tcherneva – conclusions of the Munich Security Conference
The only thing Putin’s and Biden’s speeches have in common is that the war will last a long time
One year after the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine – Vessela Тcherneva in an interview for The Day Begins on BNT
