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.
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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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📽️ The Premiere of the short documentary ‘Think Freedom: Freedom is an Action’ gathered more than 100 people in Sofia during the @Sofia Pride Film Festival. The event was organized by Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and LGBTI organization Deystvie. 🏳️🌈 The screening of the film was followed by a discussion with the main character – Denitsa Lyubenova; Veneta Limberova, Chairperson of Deystvie; and Film Director, Anna Stoeva, and Producer David Djambazov, from Tanuki Films; moderated by Hristo Hristozov from Cinema House and organizer of Sofia Pride Film Fest. The Premiere was opened by Martin Kothee, Regional Director of Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom for East and Southeast Europe. 🎞️ The short documentary ‘Think Freedom: Freedom is an Action’ 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 case for the parentage of baby SARA from her two mothers marks a historic victory and milestone for Denitsa and the LGBT organization Deystvie. The decision sets a precedent for authorities to recognize the rights of the children with same-sex parents and for the rights of LGBTI people to a family and private life. 🏳️🌈 The mission of the organization ‘Deystvie’ and Denitsa is to achieve equal rights and social inclusion for the LGBTIQ+ community in Bulgaria. 🎥 The documentary portrait is part of “Think Freedom” documentary series of Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. It embodies the core liberal principles of freedom, choice and responsibility. The overarching theme is the main characters‘ self-determination to pursue freedom by overcoming challenges in the shrinking spaces of their democracies. 🎞️ ‘Think Freedom: Freedom is an Action’, 20min., 2022 Documentary Portrait of Denitsa Lyubenova, Bulgaria Concept by: Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Regional Office for East and Southeast Europe Produced by: Tanuki Films Directed by Anna Stoeva Director of Photography Ivan Nikolov @lgbtdeystvie @SofiaPrideFilmFest #thinkfreedom
