Sofia
The Sofia office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom is responsible for the activities of the Foundation in Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Our mission is to facilitate the promotion of the principles of liberal democracy, the rule of law, political pluralism, and free markets, in a collaborative partnership with local and international partners.
Our standard instruments include political education, policy support, and political dialogue, realised through regular events and publications.
News
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Think Freedom: Freedom is an Action
The Premiere of the short documentary ‘Think Freedom: Freedom is an Action’ gathered more than 100 people on Friday, 17 June, in the Steps in Sofia, Bulgaria. The short documentary tells the story of Denitsa Lyubenova, a human rights lawyer and LGBTI activist. The film shows the process behind and the emotional journey of one of the most prominent legal battles. The screening of the film was followed by a discussion .
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War, Words, Weapons
For Dr. Solomon Passy, who has served as Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister from 2001 to 2005 and who was instrumental in guiding his nation to NATO membership in 2004, it is clear that Putin wants all of Ukraine, and will do so for the rest of his reign. It was the West's de facto neutrality in 2008 and 2014 towards Russian aggressions against Georgia, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk that fuelled the Kremlin's appetite for a continuation of this "push to the West".
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"Freedom must be better armed than tyranny"
Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of Estonia, has become one of Europe's leading voices against Russia's war in Ukraine. She has been leading in getting the EU to take tougher action against Russia. She linked her 16th Berlin Freedom Speech with an appeal to formulate an even stronger European response to Putin's war.
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Bulgaria between the fight against corruption and the support for Ukraine
Russia's war in Ukraine will reorder the priorities of the Bulgarian government, although with a delay compared to other NATO and EU countries. Without a significant improvement in the state of internal security, with a focus on defense and intelligence, Bulgaria will suffer heavy losses from the war, and efforts at judicial reform and innovation will suffer.
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Liberal Communicators Network: Non-Profit Academy 2022
Mission-driven Communicators: WANTED. Apply for the Liberal Communicators Network -Non-Profit Academy by 1 May! The Academy empowers liberal communicators to adapt cutting-edge communication strategies, innovation, and marketing trends for the specific context of the mission-driven sector. Do not miss the chance to learn from thought leaders such as Rory Sutherland, Ogilvy UK; TED Global Speaker; best-selling author. Organized by ELF, in cooperation with FNF ESEE.
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Melitopol: the first days of war
An eyewitness, who wishes to remain anonymous, reports on the Russian attack on Melitopol. She describes how people left the city and how the territorial defense groups tried to stop the Russian troops. But after the occupiers entered the city, a humanitarian disaster began: looting occurred, food became scarce, and people were kidnapped. The soldiers forcibly threw people into carts and drove them out of the city. Some of them returned, others to this day have not.
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Next Level Participation: Citizen-driven e-Democracy Tools
In a time where trust in traditional ‘political actors’ is in decline; the digitalisation of democratic participation provides new opportunities for citizen engagement with politics. In this effort, citizens and citizen groups all over Europe have developed digital tools to enhance political participation through deliberation, transparency, and wider participation.
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Debate on Digitalization: There is a Basis for Fully Electronic Services, but Much Remains to Be Done
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#FreedomFightsFake: Media Literacy In Bulgaria - What have we learned from the crises
The keynote speech of Irina Nedeva from AEJ Bulgaria at the opening of the national conference “Media Literacy In Bulgaria - What have we learned from the crises” addresses the issues of disinformation and media literacy in Bulgaria. The conference is part of the global FNF’s campaign #FreedomFightsFake, which empowers citizens around the globe to think critically and “pre-bunk” disinformation.
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On the Path Towards The EU: Effective and Transparent Administration in Service for the Citizens
On 25th March 2020, the European Council adopted a decision to open accession negotiations with North Macedonia, a veteran EU candidate country of 16 years. As the opening negotiation chapters 23 and 24 cover the European fundamental principles and rights as well as the judiciary, the topic of ensuring effective and citizen-centric public services and good governance gradually evolves to a priority reform agenda.
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Expressing Civil and Political Liberties in Times of Crisis
The lessons learnt from the first wave of the pandemic could provide a key as to how to adapt to the second wave. The manifold clashes of governments with their obligations to preserve individual rights and the critical public response, will surely lead to a more reasoned and citizen-oriented addressing of the issue in the future.
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Polarization is a lethal threat to democracy
Find the interview with Martin Kothé for for the Premiere of Black Book of Government Waste 2020 for the Bulgarian daily newspaper, Dnevnik. Again, we at FNF were able to compile 15 stories of inefficient or questionable spending of Bulgarian citizens’ money, including indications of corruption or conflicts of interest. By pointing out these cases, we invite Bulgarians to demand transparency and accountability from the authorities. We believe Bulgarians have a right to know how their money is spent, and the people’s money should create welfare.
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Black Book’s Media Coverage in bTV Show '120 Minutes'
Watch the TV interview of Martin Kothé about the premiere of the Black Book of Government Waste 2020 for the highly respectable political talkshow “120 Minutes” with the journalist, Svetoslav Ivanov in the biggest private TV channel, bTV. FNF has published so far 6 editions of the Black Book in Bulgaria. We remain committed to continuing this investigative project.
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25 Years Promoting Freedom in Bulgaria
2015 marked the 25th anniversary of FNF in Bulgaria. A quarter century, the Foundation has been supporting the establishment of liberal democracy in close collaboration with a large number of partner institutions and liberal friends.
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Re-Designing Public Services for the 21st Century – e-Governance
Long queues, limited working hours, crippling bureaucracy, lost or damaged papers and ultimately remaining unheard when reaching out to the public administration. A story, most can relate to.
Social Media
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💪 ♀️ What is the most important skill in politics? 🎬 Learn more first-hand from the alumni of the flagship leadership training - The Alliance Of Her (AOH) for East Europe. 💡 AOH ignites her political ambition into real political power. 🏆 She is ready to lead and succeed! ♀ 💪 The time for women to lead in Europe has come. This is her time. And #SheWillBeHeard. AOH is an influential community of liberal women and their allies dedicated to ensuring women are in equal power and decision-making, that female leadership is valued, and that liberal women in European politics can thrive. Aleksandra Sterkova is an alumna from Bulgaria and shares some insights in this video too. 👏 The East Europe edition of The Alliance Of Her is organized by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom for East and Southeast Europe, in cooperation with ALDE Party – Liberals and Democrats for Europe . #allianceofher #aoh2021 #fnfesee #womeninpolitics
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💪 ♀️ What is the most important skill in politics? 🎬 Learn more first-hand from the alumni from Bulgaria and North Macedonia of the flagship leadership training - The Alliance Of Her (AOH) for East Europe. 💡 AOH ignites her political ambition into real political power. 🏆 She is ready to lead and succeed! ♀ 💪 The time for women to lead in Europe has come. This is her time. And #SheWillBeHeard. AOH is an influential community of liberal women and their allies dedicated to ensuring women are in equal power and decision-making, that female leadership is valued, and that liberal women in European politics can thrive. The second session of 2022 AOH Academy for East Europe is ongoing now in Bulgaria. 👏 The East Europe edition of The Alliance Of Her is organized by the FNF East and Southeast Europe , in cooperation with ALDE Party – Liberals and Democrats for Europe . #allianceofher #aoh2021 #fnfesee #womeninpolitics
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♀ 💪 Meet Tatjana Gacova, a female leader from North Macedonia and alumna of The Alliance Of Her (AOH) Class 2021. 💡 AOH ignites her political ambition into real political power. 🏆 She is ready to lead and succeed! ♀ 💪 The time for women to lead in Europe has come. This is her time. And #SheWillBeHeard. AOH is an influential community of liberal women and their allies dedicated to ensuring women are in equal power and decision-making, that female leadership is valued, and that liberal women in European politics can thrive. 🔜 2022 AOH East Europe Academy starts today with its second session in Bulgaria. 👏 The East Europe edition of The Alliance Of Heris organized by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom for East and Southeast Europe FNF East and Southeast Europe, in cooperation with ALDE Party – Liberals and Democrats for Europe #allianceofher #aoh2021 #fnfesee
