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Obretenov, Liuben
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4 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Bulgaria spared referendum on Turkey's EU accession
Bulgaria will not hold a referendum on Turkey's EU accession as a petition circulated by the extra-parliamentary right-wing conservative VMRO-BND party has failed to gather the required 500,000 signatures. The daily Sega is relieved: "For historical, demographic and economic reasons Turkish accession is a delicate and problematic issue for Romanians. Our society has clearly grasped that the question is not yet on the agenda, and that hardly stands to change for the next ten years and possibly even longer. It would be short-sighted for us to act now and jeopardise our neighbourly relations. ... After all, Turkey is our neighbour and will remain our neighbour regardless of whether it joins the EU or not."
» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU enlargement, » History, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Europe, » Turkey, » Bulgaria
Liuben Obretenov on the long shadow of communism
On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the introduction of Bulgaria's first democratic constitution since 1945, Liuben Obretenov, one of those responsible for its coming into force, complains in the daily Sega that the Bulgarians spend too much time regretting the past: "The idea of the communist state still dominates our minds. I remember a poster from the student protests in 1990 with the words: We want a government that can feed the people. Why should a government do that? It's not a soup kitchen. The role of the state is widely misunderstood. Its task is to distribute taxes in such a way that it guarantees social order and security for its citizens, as well as a foundation on which they may act as they see fit without harming others. At present the people in the north-east are suffering from floods. On television I see them demanding aid from the state. Why didn't they insure their property beforehand? Certainly, there are many problems that lie under the jurisdiction of the state and the municipalities, but often all that's needed is personal initiative. People have to learn to take control of their own destinies."
» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » Demographics, » History, » Remembrance culture, » Bulgaria
Bulgaria's students have grown up
Ljuben Obretenov tries to explain why, contrary to all expectations, the teachers' strike has now gone on for three weeks. "The similarities with the events of ten years ago are striking. In 1997 they ended with the government's downfall. .... The striking teachers of today are the students of back then, jumping around and singing at protests. The older teachers cry with excitement because this is their first civic protest. The younger ones feel like fish in water. This is a new generation of teachers that is strong enough to act like yeast in the pastry of protest."
» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Bulgaria
The new self-confidence of the citizens of Bulgaria
Declarations of solidarity with the imprisoned Bulgarian nurses in Libya; the protests of the distilleries against European directives; the weekly mass demonstrations of pensioners who dream of better living standards – Ljuben Obretenow notes that lately more and more people are taking to the streets in protest in Bulgaria. "Whether it's a coincidence or not, the country's accession to the EU has coincided with a wave of public protests. Over the past 20 days our country has witnessed a flood of public protests and demonstrations... The loss of national ideals and 45 years of communism had dulled the citizens' sense of justice. Perhaps the EU can now help us regain the self-confidence our ancestors once possessed."
» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » Social movements, » Bulgaria
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