Debating with a MEP

I was to Brussels a month ago, right at the European parliament. But even there we didn’t have the opportunity to have a real debate with a MEP. So it happened today – one of the rare good hits of our Dutch hosts was the organized meeting with Mrs. Els de Groen, MEP of the European Green Party. The lecture was to be about Bulgaria but in general it turned out to be about the memories of Mrs. De Groen of Bulgaria.

She has been a seriously important MEP responding about the Bulgarian EU accession together with Jeffrey van Orden. ‘He was always the good cop and I was the bad cop’, Mrs. De Groen said. And immediately started to speak about the present situation in Bulgaria. I have to admit that 95% ot the things she said were totally right – about corruption in Bulgaria, about the National Security legacy, about the new parties (she also admitted that the new Bulgarian green party ‘The Greens’ is a good way something good to be done for Bulgaria).

Here are some of her points:

* ‘When GERB was founded I relied on them to bring the change. Then I understood that their leader and present mayor of Sofia was one of those ‘vratove’. And he suddenly started to lose his mind and now he wants to push Turkish people in Bulgaria to use only bulgarian names. This Bojko Borisov, this ‘vratove’!!!’

* ‘And there is nobody t bring the change now because the opposition is deeply split.’

* ‘Why can’t we do anything against the corruption in Eastern Europe? Because suddenly EasternEuropeans found out that there is corruption in Western Europe as well. And they started using it.’

* ‘Karakachanov is now very close with your president Goce.’

* ‘168 Hours and Ataka Newspapers send paparazzi after me to investigate the secret relationship I used to have with my personal assistant.’

* ‘You can’t have free media when 60% of the newspapers in Bulgaria are governed by an ex-agent of National Security (Darzhavna sigurnost).’

* ‘Peter Dertliev would’ve been a good start for Bulgaria after 1989. And the most famous prisoner in BG Yanko Yankov as well.’

So after the speech all of the Dutch attendants were terrified and some of the Bulgarians were affected. In fact Mrs. De Groen was mostly right. So I really think that it’s high time for us to stop being closed and shauvinistic but to have a look ahead, to start listening to what outsiders tell – what might be bad and consider if we should change it.