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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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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Supplies of Troops and Equipment are Coming via Belarus
The Belarusian ruler Lukashenko made the full brutality of the attack on Ukraine possible in the first place. Around 100 rockets have been fired at Ukraine from Belarusian territory since February 24 and Russian soldiers are being treated in Belarusian hospitals. What role does Belarus play in Russia's war against Ukraine?
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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.