The refugee crisis – is there a risk to ethno-cultural models in Europe? –

/ world today news/ “The refugee crisis – is there a risk for ethno-cultural models in Europe?”, is the topic of a two-day seminar organized by the delegation of Bulgarian socialists in the European Parliament with the assistance of the National Movement of Bulgarian Heritage (Institute for Migration and Integration) .

The event in the village of Momchilovtsi, Smolyan region was attended by the head of the delegation and deputy chairman of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Internal Affairs (LIBE) – Iliana Yotova, the members of the EP – Georgi Pirinski and Momchil Nekov, the people’s representatives from BSP Left Bulgaria – Dora Yankova and Kristijan Vigenin, as well as university professors from SU Kliment Ohridski and scientists from BAS. Politicians from BSP invited the university professors and scientists from BAS to discuss the advantages and risks of the refugee wave with specialists in Bulgarian and world history. “We continue to work on the subject of refugees – one of the biggest challenges, not only before Europe, but also before Bulgaria as the external border of the EU. The crisis has its humanitarian, economic and social dimensions. A large part of these fears are related to changing ethnic and religious relations and political changes. That’s why we invited one of the best specialists in world and Bulgarian history to talk about real dangers and exaggerated threats,” said Iliana Yotova. The Bulgarian MEP emphasized once again the need for the urgent convening of the CSNS, where the authorities in Bulgaria must develop a consensual and nationally responsible position. During the discussion, questions were asked about the causes of the situation in the context of historical crises, parallels were drawn for possible solutions in the past and now. The messages sent both by the European institutions and by individual countries were analyzed. The polar opinions of Merkel and Orbán. The actions of the Hungarian government were described as unacceptable for European values. Georgi Pirinski categorically rejected the possibility of such policies being the key to dealing with the crisis situation. Momchil Nekov called on the professors from the SU and the scientists from the BAS to develop a model through which the refugees can be integrated through informal education.

During the political-academic debate, Iliyana Yotova several times asked the experts whether it is possible to develop a successful readmission policy, whether, given the historical facts, we have reason to expect these people to return to their places of birth after the conflict. It is also important how these people should be politically represented, she emphasized.

The specialists made a retrospective from antiquity and the Middle Ages to the Balkan Wars and the Thracian refugees. Among the topics of discussion were Islam and Islamism, the potential for radicalization in the Balkans, the media war on the subject of refugees that we are witnessing at the moment.

At the press conference held after the seminar, Iliyana Yotova, in her capacity as rapporteur and vice-chairman of the LIBE commission, announced that she would continue to protect Bulgarian interests and that active work on the development of the permanent allocation mechanism would begin on Monday. The MEP did not hide his disappointment with the Bulgarian government, which, apart from its lack of proactive policy, also stands out for its absence from debates in the Council of the EU. “Bulgaria is the recipient of the consequences of what is happening in the world and in Europe. Our government clearly does not understand the seriousness of the problem and continues to wait for a solution from Western leaders, only our interests differ. The EU’s external border countries must be taken out of the redistribution bracket. We also need to amend the Dublin Agreement, because otherwise we risk becoming a buffer zone where refugees accumulate. It is not only about these 800-900 people that we have to accept in the next two years. The question is whether these people want to return and live in our country. In the near future, we must develop a model for these people to be politically represented,” said Iliana Yotova.