The elections for European Parliament on June 9, 2024. passed without particular upheavals for the leading political formations. The European People's Party and the Socialists remain in charge, and they will probably continue to follow their outlined policies.

When it comes to Bulgaria, according to the data from the parallel vote counting by "Gallup International Balkan", a partner of the BNR in covering the "2 in 1" vote, six Bulgarian parties entered the European Parliament, including the nationalist "Vazrazhdane" party, which competes for the second position with "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria".

• Positioning of the Bulgarian representatives in the new European Parliament

• For the fifth time Bulgaria elects representatives to the European Parliament

• The big question in these elections: will the protest vote prevail?

According to political scientist Daniel Stefanov, the far right will be stronger in the new European Parliament, but once again a majority of moderate parties will nominate the president of the European Commission. In this sense, the Bulgarian MEPs should have a "Brussels image":

"We need people who speak foreign languages, who are well dressed, who look good, so that they can be perceived positively by the other MEPs, because an MEP cannot do anything by themselves, Daniel Stefanov tells BNR Varna. An MEP must be able to have a good position in their own group and be well received in order to be given the opportunity to influence various legislations. They must also have good contacts with the other moderate groups that will most likely form the next majority in the European Parliament. The voice of a person who has no experience, who thinks that Europe is a bad thing and that the European Parliament is an institution that only spends money and despises the moderate consensus, cannot be heard. We need people who are part of the moderate consensus, so that we can influence the decisions that interest us."

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According to Daniel Stefanov, the most important thing for the Bulgarians is the formation of a stable government that will participate in the construction of European politics and thus defend the Bulgarian positions. The opinion of writer Vladimir Zarev is similar, as he further develops the idea of unification in the name of the common good – spirituality:

"The Bulgarian political class is obliged to find some form of unification in a common forward-looking idea that will bring a future to the nation,” the writer has told BNR. “For example, culture and spirituality are the things that unite, not divide. This idea must be universal and regardless of whether a party is in government or in opposition, it must respect the commitments already made to this idea. This is the only way that can unite the people and make part of those who left Bulgaria return home.”

Speaking about the future of Bulgaria in the European Union, the writer says:

"I would like Bulgaria to be an independent country in the European Union, defending its own interests, and not being under control of some embassies and officials. A country where we all feel like worthy people, as Hungarians feel. Let's be decent people, let's defend our interests. I would like the European Union to return to the idea that it consists of independent countries, so as not to be commanded by a group of bureaucrats who look after their own interests."

Text: Darina Grigorova /based on interviews of Valery Velikov, BNR-Varna and Ludmila Zhelezova from BNR-"Horizont"/

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photos: europarl.europa.eu, EPA/BGNES, BNR- library, BTA