The European Union without the Province of Europe
Jun 25 2021
The European Union without the Province of Europe

Today it is fashionable to comment on the priority of the regions in the policy of the European Union, which also affects the regional cooperation in the Balkans with a view to the region of Thrace, extending to three countries: Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. of stumbling over good neighborly and interstate relations.

The situation is further heated by the debate over Turkey’s future membership of the United Europe organization chart. However, after a thorough historical and geopolitical analysis, it turns out that the ancient Roman province of Europe today is outside the territory of the European Union.

Thrace [IV-VI c.] Included the districts or provinces: 1) Europe, 2) Rhodope, 3) Hemimont first, 4) own Thracia, 5) Lower Moesia and 6) Little Scythia.

We offer a vault of the diocesan division in the Roman provinces (based on the ancient Christian historian Theodoret – Historia ecclesiastica, lib. V, p. 28), which in earlier times were inhabited by Slavs and by the end of the 9th century are part of the Bulgarian kingdom. The province of Europe was located in the southeastern part of Thrace and encompassed the lands bordering the Sea of ​​Marmara to the south, the Hebros River (Maritsa) to the west and its tributary Regina (Erkene River, now Ergene) to the north. The Black Sea, which washed its eastern borders, constituted a vast diocese of the same name, the Diocese of Europe. It was under the spiritual authority of the Metropolitan of Heraclea, based in the city of Heraclea (Heraclea) on the Sea of ​​Marmara. This metropolis played an extremely important role in the first four centuries for the spread of Christianity throughout Thrace, giving a number of martyrs and saints, who glorified it in the first centuries as the ruling church in Thrace. The city of Heraclius had a high civil rank – the seat of the prefect of Thrace, so the first two Ecumenical Councils raised the ecclesiastical administrative region to an exarchate for all of Thrace, to which the Bishop of Constantinople was subordinated until his promotion to patriarchal dignity. In the 5th century it lost its leading position in Thrace and became an ordinary metropolis of Europe with 20 subordinate bishoprics, most of them on the shores of the Sea of ​​Marmara in the territory of Rep. Turkey – Gallipoli, Heronia, Turul (Corlu), Raidest (Rodosto, Rhaedestus, ancient Bizanthe), Arcadiopolis (Lule-Burgas), Theodorupolis (Theodorupolis), Visco (Visa, Byzie), Selemvryly (Silivri) The Paniot (with the town of Pania, ancient Perinthos, today’s Marmara Ereglisi), the Hariopol (ancient Hariopol, today’s Hirebulu) and others [based on the data from the diocesan catalogs: 1) The Paris Code № 1155 A, compiled by an unknown author from various older lists in the iconoclastic era, published by Prof. Karl De-Boor, Zeitschrift fur Kirchengeschichte, Gotha, 1891, Bd. XII , 3rd and 4th Heft, pp. 520-534); 2) “Epiphany” from the time of the VI Ecumenical Council, restored and published by Prof. Heinrich Gelzer in the edition of the Bavarian Academy (Ungendruckte und ungonugent veroffentlichte Texte der Notittiae episcopatuum, Munich, 1901, pp. 534-542).

From its eastern border begins the ancient province of the Rhodopes. The southernmost part of Thrace, the Rhodope region, bordering the Hebros River to the east, the Aegean Sea to the south, the Nestos River (now Mesta) to the west, and the Rhodope Mountains to the north, formed a diocese of the same name, the Diocese. Rhodope with the archpastor chief of the bishop of Trayanopolis, ancient. Doriscus (north of Dede-Agach, today Alexandroupolis, Rep. Greece). Under his spiritual care were placed 11 bishoprics: Peroia (now the town of Fero, on the right bank of the Maritsa River, north of Trayanopol), Maronia (Maronia, on the Aegean coast), Anastasiopolis (see the city of Periteorion, st. .-bulg. Peritor), Maksimianopolitan (town of Maximianopol, near Gyumyurjina) and several others with unspecified location.

To the north of Europe begins the province of Hemimont Prima. This Thracian region had borders: to the south the river Erkene, to the west – the water line of the rivers Maritsa and Tundzha, to the north – Hemos and to the east – the Black Sea. The Metropolitan of the Diocese of the same name, Hemimont I, resided in the city of Adrianople (ancient Oresteia, today’s Edirne). 9 episcopal seats were subordinated to him: the Mesembrian (now Nessebar, which until the Emperor Justinian the Great was a metropolis, under the auspices of the Aquileian Episcopate of the Danube, and from the new structure of the ecclesiastical administrative system of the Isaurian dynasty, was turned into an episcopate, as it appears in the lists of the VII Ecumenical Council), Sozopol, Develt (Develtum, south). west of Burgas), Anhialskoto, Provatskoto (town of Provat, in ruins near Provadia, above Provadiyska river, north-east of Edirne), Vulgarofigonskoto (the city of Vulgarofigon was on the left bank of one of the right tributaries of the river Erkene, today Eski-baba), the Nicene (city of Nicaea, near the village of Hafsa, southeast of Edirne).

The eastern part of the Imperium Romanum in the fourth century is estimated to have had between 24 and 26 million inhabitants (cf. Mazar O., Manuel d’etudes Byzantines, ed. Fr., Brepols, 1995, p. 79). The cities were connected by a network of excellent roads and communications, appearing in Roman guidebooks. In the Guide to Imp. Antonin is indicated is a road artery passing from Escus through the Balkans in the direction of Philippopolis, which channeled traffic from the Danube to Thrace, known as a military route from Singidumun, it passed through Naissus, Serdika, Philippopolis and led through Adrianople to Constantinople, with a deviation from this route connecting Philippopolis with Augusta Trajana and Anhialos on the Black Sea. (cf. Honigmann, E., Le Synecdemos d’Hierocles et l`Opuscule geografique de George de Chypre, Bruxelles, 1939, 635, 1-655; Miller K., Itineraria Romana, Stuttgart, 1916, ss. 495 sq.).

Europe is the sister of Cadmus, which will cross the sea from Phenicia to Greece. But the first mention of the word “Europe” is east of Heber (Maritsa). The word “Europe” – a theme (area) from Thrace – will appear on Roman maps – east of the “Rhodopes”. This is the first geographical indication of the word “Europe”. It is east of the Rhodopes (between the rivers Maritsa and Strandzha).

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France and Germany want an EU summit with Putin
Jun 25 2021
France and Germany want an EU summit with Putin

It is unclear whether all 27 EU leaders will participate, or only Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel.

France and Germany proposed a European Union summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin today in a bid to improve relations, two diplomats said. This potentially paves the way for the first such meeting in 2014, Reuters reported.

Such an event will follow another of US President Joe Biden’s summit with Putin in Geneva earlier this month, and reflects concerns in Paris and Berlin that the EU’s approach to Russia in recent years has focused mainly on sanctions against Moscow. BTA.

We need a discussion on how to break away from this negative spiral, but we need to move forward unitedly, said a senior EU diplomat, adding that some Baltic states, which are cautious about Russia, may not agree to such a high level meeting.

Such summits were suspended after Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014.

Tomorrow, EU leaders will discuss a new strategy for managing deteriorating relations with Russia at their two-day meeting in Brussels. Germany and France gave some ideas for the debate on Russia at the summit. Merkel mentioned earlier that it is not only the United States that needs to talk to Russia (and China) at the highest level.

“Russia is a neighbor. Such a format was already used in 2007 in Finland,” said a staff member preparing for the meeting.

Earlier this month, a strategic document from the European Commission and the EU’s diplomatic service said that despite years of tension, the EU and Russia have a fundamental shared responsibility for peace and security on the European continent.

Despite Western accusations that Russia is behind cyberattacks, misinformation and other insidious actions, which the Kremlin denies, the country is the community’s fifth largest trading partner and the EU is Russia’s largest foreign investor.

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BORISOV’S RETURN TO EUROPE PASSES THROUGH SKOPJE
Jun 25 2021
BORISOV’S RETURN TO EUROPE PASSES THROUGH SKOPJE

The former Prime Minister of Bulgaria sees a chance to please our Western partners by reversing his current position on Northern Macedonia

Boyko Borissov loves to speak in public about his exploits on the international stage. The former Bulgarian Prime Minister has always perceived the favor of foreign heads of state as the supreme recognition of his state success. That is why he continues to brag: “For the last 4 years, while we ruled, Bulgaria was the favorite in the Balkans.”

In such cases, the GERB leader usually prefers to speak in a general and bombastic manner. That is why he noticed how often and abundantly he has been focusing on Northern Macedonia lately. Bulgaria’s relations with its southwestern neighbor have been extremely strained since Borissov’s government refused to allow it to start EU membership talks in November 2020. The stumbling block was the common history of the two countries, the content and interpretation of which we still cannot understand. Sofia’s position remained unchanged after power passed to President Rumen Radev’s office. And right now Borisov suddenly spoke in a completely different way.

The change was clearly seen in one of his long monologues on a meeting with party Komsomol members on June 13. “Radev divided the state in everything. Now they have divided the people on the topic of Northern Macedonia. Which is better – to have a neighbor member of the EU and NATO, or not? “, Asked the former prime minister. He continued: “Imagine, you are Macedonians, and your neighbors, your closest people, say: you will not go to the EU, you will not go there. Will they love you? … History is an important thing. But let the historians do the work. You now with this position: we, we, we, create such enmity that generations can be hated. “

He spoke in the same vein with Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev at their June 17th meeting. Borissov was the first to meet him on Bulgarian soil and attacked Radev’s cabinet in front of him: “… the current caretaker government has all the rights and can negotiate with you – it can sign a new contract, do whatever it wants. But they will run away from responsibility because they always do. At the same time, Euro-Atlantic partners are lying that they are “in favor” of Northern Macedonia joining the EU. ” And the next day he appeared at a GERB briefing, at which he declared: “We as politicians must find a compromise.”

The turn made by the leader of GERB is simply amazing. It was his government that blocked the start of negotiations between Skopje and Brussels on the grounds that the good-neighborly agreement it concluded with Northern Macedonia in 2017 was not being respected. Borissov divided the “Macedonian question” between two of his deputy prime ministers, Krassimir Karakachanov and Ekaterina Zaharieva. Well, would anyone seriously expect compromises and progress in the talks with Skopje, when among the leading figures on the Bulgarian side is the leader of IMRO Karakachanov, whose ideology is based mainly on the fight against Macedonianism?

And Zaharieva, then foreign minister, was apparently instructed by Borissov to pursue a more aggressive course in Bulgarian diplomacy. This is how she came to her interview with the German newspaper Die Welt against the Macedonian authorities: “They were also quite brutal to me when I dared to criticize the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the death of one of the darkest dictators – Tito … it’s like the mayor of Berlin proposing to celebrate Hitler’s death. ” and more. In general, anyone who wanted to crush the Macedonians in our country made his dream come true thanks to Borissov’s government.

The cabinet practically did not change the policy of its predecessors towards Northern Macedonia. Radev’s people refused to change the position of our country before Portugal, which leads the rotating EU presidency, and before the European Commission. We even quarreled with the Croats over their pro-Macedonian president. And Zoran Zaev, who arrived in Sofia on June 17th in the hope of influencing the new government, was forced to leave empty-handed. And just at that moment, Boyko Borissov began to appear from everywhere – for weeks now they have been hot about the divisions between nations, the ruined future of the young people on both sides and the Euro-Atlantic allies deceived by Radev.

And isn’t the GERB boss most excited about the latter – what do our Western partners think about it? Let us not forget that the European integration of Northern Macedonia (which comes in a package with Albania) has become a priority issue for European diplomats since November 2020. In practice, there is no meeting between representatives of our Foreign Ministry and another member state, which is not affected by the case. It cannot be otherwise – this is the next wave of European enlargement. And this wave broke precisely in Borissov’s government – this is how Europe and the world saw things.

However, now that he is out of power, the former prime minister has the opportunity not to follow the interests of the state, but only his own political gain. And this benefit currently dictates that he maintain behavior that is the exact opposite of his course as head of government. For him, this is a chance: first of all, to return to the lights of international politics by intervening in a case of European magnitude; secondly, to suggest that, unlike Radev and his cabinet, he is a supporter of the cause of EU enlargement and thus stands on the side of the great Western countries and the European Commission. To please them even more, nothing can say that we need to get Northern Macedonia into the Euroclub faster because of the Russian influence in the Balkans.

In fact, if GERB returns to the helm of the state tomorrow, it will most likely change its foreign policy course again. Do you notice how vague Borissov really is now? He is outraged that the caretaker government is hindering its neighbors’ European integration, but does not say anything specific about what it would have done differently if his party had ruled.

Thus, it leaves a loophole again – in case it has to turn once again if GERB enters the government again. And it will not be difficult for him – the largest political forces in our country (except perhaps the Movement for rights and freedoms – MRF) remain uncompromising against the demands of Skopje. And Borisov will be able to calmly say: I want one thing, but they force me something else. However, we will know what game he is actually playing.

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Albanian Prime Minister to Zaev: I hope they will not want to call you Western Bulgaria
Jun 25 2021
Albanian Prime Minister to Zaev: I hope they will not want to call you Western Bulgaria

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama made a joking comment on the dispute between Sofia and Skopje during a joint press conference after meeting with Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev at the Economic Forum in Northern Macedonia, the Sloboden Pechat newspaper reported.

“Everyone has the right to feel completely disappointed, because suddenly Bulgaria appears now and wants something more. I told Zoran Zaev that I hope they will not want to call you Western Bulgaria, because then you will have to negotiate with the Greeks again.” , Rama said on the occasion of Sofia’s repeated suspension of Skopje’s EU talks.

The topic of Albania’s and northern Macedonia’s EU talks was a major one during the press conference, and while he did not hide his disappointment with the veto, which also affects Tirana, Rama has repeatedly approached the situation with a sense of humor.

According to the Albanian Prime Minister, the postponement of the talks again is a failure of the EU, not of Albania and Northern Macedonia, which, even if they are not part of the community, are part of Europe.

“We are too young to live isolated from each other, too young to look for the future for our children, but we can do it together. We are not the ones who failed, they failed. They have their reasons and I understand that this is their home and we want to enter this house, “said Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

“We are Europeans without the EU, we are not the EU, but we are still Europe. The only problem is that they could still say ‘we love you, we want you to be inside, but there are some things we have to solve first. Your premises, your rooms are not ready yet, “said the Albanian Prime Minister.

He compared the EU to a lover who says “I love you” but is not ready for marriage, saying he and Zaev are good readers of Samuel Beckett and can wait, referring to the play “Waiting for Godot”, but noted that instead of just sitting there, the two countries will be active on their way to the EU, implementing European values.

For his part, Zaev said the veto could be unfair to northern Macedonia, but even more unfair to Albania.

And Portugal raised its hands: The time has not come for N. Macedonia to join the EU –

The Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU has done its utmost to reach a decision on the start of accession talks with Albania and Northern Macedonia. This was stated by the representative of the presidency Anna Zakariash after a meeting of the EU Council for General Affairs in Luxembourg, the BTA correspondent in Brussels reported.

We understand the difficult political situation in which Bulgaria and the Republic of Northern Macedonia (RSM) are today. The time has not yet come, she added, pointing out that a generally acceptable solution must be found.

“We encourage the Slovenian presidency to continue our efforts, not to lose momentum and to use the proposals already made. We hope to hold talks with Skopje and Tirana as soon as possible,” Zakarias said.

Earlier, the Bulgarian representative at the meeting, the acting Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Rumen Alexandrov, confirmed that the opinion of the National Assembly from 2019 regarding the PCM remains in force. He noted that Bulgaria expects Skopje to fulfill its commitments earlier this month – renunciation of territorial, minority and historical claims to Bulgaria, change of inscriptions inciting hatred towards Bulgaria in the RSM, rehabilitation of victims of Yugoslav communism, victims of his Bulgarian self-consciousness.

Bulgaria insists that the implementation of the neighborhood agreement by Skopje be included among the conditions in the future negotiating framework, Alexandrov said. Bulgaria today again supported the negotiating framework with Albania and noted Tirana’s progress on European reforms.

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Bulgaria retains its veto on RN Macedonia
Jun 23 2021
Bulgaria retains its veto on RN Macedonia

A change in Bulgaria’s position regarding its veto of northern Macedonia is not expected, Bulgarian National Radio reported, citing its own source.

The issue of starting EU accession talks between Northern Macedonia and Albania is being discussed at the ongoing General Affairs Council in Luxembourg, which began this morning.

Bulgaria remains in the position that there is no progress in our western neighbor in the implementation of the agreement on good neighborly relations as a whole.

We remind you that the Prime Minister of RN Macedonia Zoran Zaev and a government delegation visited Sofia on June 17th and 18th. Zaev is already talking to BSP leader Cornelia Ninova. During his meeting with the Macedonian Prime Minister, the Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Yanev insisted on an open dialogue. They agreed with President Rumen Radev on 50,000 vaccines for Bulgaria to give to RN Macedonia.

Diplomat Stefan Tafrov described the meeting between Zoran Zaev and GERB leader Boyko Borissov as an attempt to use it for narrow party purposes.

A day before his visit to the Bulgarian capital, Zaev explained that no talks on the Macedonian language and identity would be held here during his visit.

We remind you that on June 11, 2021, after the last meeting of the Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission on Historical and Educational Issues with the Republic of Northern Macedonia, its chairman from the Bulgarian side, Prof. Angel Dimitrov, announced another failure. “The last hours have shown that it is difficult to reach an understanding for a text about Gotse Delchev,” said Angel Dimitrov.

At the previous meeting of the commission, a remark by Bulgarian historians about the textbooks in the RNM was blocked, in which the time and personality of Tsar Samuel were treated. According to Angel Dimitrov, the approach of Macedonian historians is a manifesto of a reluctance to change anything in the interpretation of the past.

The Joint Multidisciplinary Expert Commission on Historical and Educational Issues of Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia was established as a result of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia, signed on August 1, 2017 and entered into force on February 14, 2018, and aimed to settle the contradictions between the two sides over a common history. As early as 2019, the then Deputy Prime Minister and leader of IMRO, Krassimir Karakachanov, warned that the talks were going on, but that no compromise could be made.

In general, the negative findings of failure are repeated after each of the meetings, as the talks were interrupted before the elections in the Republic of Northern Macedonia, which took place last year. At the same time, both the ruling and the opposition in Northern Macedonia expressed a number of hopes that after the change of power in our country there would be a reversal in our position and the veto imposed by Bulgaria on the negotiating framework for EU membership of RNM and Albania.

At the same time, attempts at influence from a number of EU member states are increasing, with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas speaking at a virtual meeting of the Berlin Foreign Minister.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama also paid a two-day visit to Bulgaria last week.

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Zelensky set conditions for Russia to open Russian schools in Ukraine
Jun 22 2021
Zelensky set conditions for Russia to open Russian schools in Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy told RIA Novosti that Russian schools in Ukraine will appear only if Ukrainian ones are opened in Russia. He spoke about this in an interview with foreign media, the text of which was published by the press service of the president’s office.

“They ask me how to solve the problem with schools, with languages? I say: you just need to respect each other, and everything will be fine,” the Ukrainian leader explained.

He stressed that there are many private schools in Ukraine, for example, English, and in the future there will be Hungarian ones.

“If you want a Russian school, let’s open a Ukrainian school in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tyumen, where many Ukrainians live. This is called a“ povaga, ”Zelensky concluded.

The language law in Ukraine was adopted in April 2019. It obliges to communicate exclusively in Ukrainian in almost all spheres of life: in government bodies, schools, universities and hospitals, in shops and cafes, in courts, the army, the police, during the election campaign and referendums. An exception was made only for private communication and religious rituals.

All Russian-language schools in Ukraine have switched to teaching in Ukrainian since September 1, 2020. According to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, 125 state Russian-language schools, as well as 43 private schools, functioned in the country at the end of the 2019 academic year (cf. Gabrielyan, A.M. Native language in the sphere of secondary education in Crimea as a reflection of the linguistic picture of the peninsula // Humanitarian paradigm. 2018. No. 4 [7] p. 15–32.)

On the other hand in Crimea, there are 15 general educational organizations with the Crimean Tatar language of instruction (224 classes, 4258 students) and one school with the Ukrainian language of instruction (9 classes, 144 students).

Schools of Crimea with the study of native languages ​​and teaching in languages ​​other than Russian According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of the Republic of Crimea [3], in the 2017-2018 academic year, 196.5 thousand children were enrolled in 527 municipal educational institutions of the Republic of Crimea. Of these, 5.6 thousand (3%) are in the Crimean Tatar language, 318 students (0.2%) are in Ukrainian. In the 2017-2018 academic year in Crimea, there were 15/162 educational organizations with the Crimean Tatar language of instruction – 202 classes, 3753 students. On the basis of general educational institutions with Russian as the language of instruction, classes with the Crimean Tatar language of instruction have been opened (in 31 schools there are 133 classes, 1879 students).

In educational institutions of the Republic of Crimea, the study of the following native languages ​​is organized in various forms: – Crimean Tatar – 21.6 thousand students, – Ukrainian – 10.6 thousand students, – Armenian – 97 students, – Bulgarian – 73 students, – Greek – 343 pupils (of whom 94 pupils study as a native, 249 study as a second foreign language), – German – 58 pupils.

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THE SMALLEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD – THE SIZE OF A FOOTBALL COURT
Jun 22 2021
THE SMALLEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD – THE SIZE OF A FOOTBALL COURT

With an area of ​​nearly 4,000 square meters, less than a football field, the country Sealand is considered one of the smallest in the world. It is located in the coastal area of ​​England and was once used by the Royal Navy during World War II. In 1967, a Briton named Paddy Roy Bates decided to take over the base and turn it into an independent country. For the past 50 years, it has been his family who have supported it, but Sealand has never been recognized as an independent country.

This does not prevent Paddy to put his own flag, as well as the official motto – E Mare, Liberats. Translated it means “From the sea, freedom.” In such a small area we will find that this place has a very interesting and exciting history.

In the last 5 decades of its existence, it has managed to see the death of kings, to go down in history with a hostage situation, to be a territorial dispute and even to fight helicopter battles. You may have never heard of it, but it has a very serious history and that is why it is considered an extremely special area. How does it all start? With the help of a pirate radio. In 1965, former Major Paddy Roy Bates created Radio Essex, an illegal radio station that broadcast from the sea in an abandoned military fort called Knock John. During the war, Britain built many such bases, hoping to repel German attacks on the water. After the war ended, most were abandoned and waiting to collapse, that is, the turbulent waters to swallow them and disappear.

On September 2, 1967, it was given its official name, and then the royal family of the small country was enlarged by two more people. The creation of an independent country turned out to be a very unpleasant detail for the British crown, and we will notice that even then rumors began that this would be a territory that would play the role of Cuba on the east coast of Britain. At first there was a lot of publicity, most people expressed their fears, and it was not until 1968 that the British army officially sent helicopters to destroy some of the military towers near Sealand.

No one understood exactly how bequeathed military equipment could be a problem for the country, especially since it is used to sound music, but Sealand has been officially attacked. The family says they watched the towers explode with incredible height, collecting the remains of the water in the following days. It is clear that they were worried about another potential attack that would hit themselves. By the way, a warship passed by, shouting that they would be next.

In response, Prince Michael Bates also fired several warning shots with a pistol, the country’s heavy combat arsenal, to make history as a revolutionary and patriot. British sailors turned the boat around and sailed far to the shores of their country. In response, Britain sent a summons to the gentlemen to appear and answer why they had shot at Her Majesty’s ships.

At regular intervals, Sealand traded with Britain and received provisions from the coast. The country’s infrastructure is not well developed and the economy is not very developed, so the orders are draconian, because the next schedule can never be officially confirmed. Sometimes they have to stare at the sea for days and wait for provisions to appear while surviving on the edge, but even that has its charm. Sealand’s problems did not end there, and although they defeated Britain in their own game, the Germans soon began to show particular appetites. In 1978, a man named Alexander Achenbach claimed to be the country’s true prime minister. He tried to make a special coup on the fort, using a helicopter with a group of mercenaries, while His Majesty Paddy Roy Bates was not in the country.

Prince Michael was immediately taken hostage. For 4 days, the prince was imprisoned in exile without food and water. The answer was not late and the king prepared a counterattack. His strategy forced most of the Germans to flee immediately, while the rest of the inhabitants hurried to hold at least one German hostage to cool the passions.

The German ambassador to Britain had to fly to the country and negotiate the release of the attacker. For the second time, Sealand finds itself under the blows of fate, and for the second time, more interesting terms will be agreed. The people of the smallest country in the world were sure that they were already recognized by two countries, so there can be no doubt that the territory is completely independent and free.

In the 1980s, the UN issued a convention extending Britain’s waters and including the fort. At that time, the British Foreign Office officially stated that there could be no foreign territory in its territorial waters, therefore its status had to be changed. Despite the attempts, the prince and the king did not surrender so easily and to this day continue to rule their territory completely independently. Paddy Roy Bates died in 2012. Prince Michael continues to control his territory and admits that his children also grew up while he controlled his kingdom from Essex. In 2016, Joan Bates also died and Michael should be considered the official king.

In the 1990s, the family remembered having to reissue their passports because many had used them to commit fraud. In 2006, the area was hit by terrible fires and the only source of electricity left the entire area without electricity. In 2007 it was even put on sale, but again without any success. At that time, many interesting financial proposals were made, but without much success. The kingdom finally finds a very good option for its maintenance, without having to spend too much.

Today, anyone can become an aristocrat and receive a noble title for a price.

Trading titles such as Lord or Lady are an option on the territory’s website. Stamps, stamps, cups and even table flags are for sale. Today we will find that only a few people live on the territory. Mike Barrington and Joe Hamill served the area for two weeks and then returned to the UK. the royal family continues to control England and pays close attention to all matters. From time to time, journalists and close friends who wish to visit the distant territory are allowed.

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Thousands of Bulgarians facing deportation from Britain over Brexit
Jun 20 2021
Thousands of Bulgarians facing deportation from Britain over Brexit

More than 15,000 Bulgarian citizens have been denied residence

Brexit could end in deportation for thousands of Bulgarians living on the island. The deadline to settle their status in the UK expires in three weeks.

Certainly, after July 1, Bulgarians who cannot prove their right to live in Britain will have serious problems.

To date, 258,000 Bulgarian nationals have received permission to continue living, working and studying in the Kingdom. 15,000 were refused. The situation raises fears of mass deportation of Bulgarians after July 1, bTV reports.

After this date, schools in the UK are required to notify the Home Office if they suspect that students or their parents are not allowed to live on the Island.

Another problem is the fact that this year the personal documents of tens of thousands of Bulgarians expire. According to our ambassador in London Marin Raykov, administrative services for nearly 200,000 Bulgarians, as much as the population of Burgas, are provided by the available only 10 employees in the consular office of the embassy. The first free hour for replacement of documents in the service is after 6 months.

Citizens from central and eastern Europe most vulnerable to deportation in post-Brexit Britain.

Racism towards citizens from the poorest Member States influenced Britain’s pre-Brexit deportations and could impact post-Brexit practice, warns the BRAD project.

CEEU citizens were most targeted, partly due to their negative image, and because they often couldn’t afford immigration lawyers.

“There was a representational pattern in the pro-Leave media of the ‘Vile Eastern European’ – the criminal coming to the United Kingdom from the ‘new Member States’, who is a threat to public security and moral order with his innate criminality,” says research fellow Agnieszka Radziwinowiczówna. With support from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, Radziwinowiczówna analysed pro-Leave and pro-Remain British press, Polish media, deportation regulations and policy.

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Erdogan urged the European Union to get rid of blindness and accept Turkey
Jun 19 2021
Erdogan urged the European Union to get rid of blindness and accept Turkey

According to RIA Novosti from Ankara, Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan called on the EU to get rid of blindness and accept Turkey, without which it will not be able to become a center of attraction and power.

“We want to finally come to the result of our many years of striving for the EU. It is impossible for the EU to become a center of gravity and power without Turkey’s presence in it. We want the EU to get rid of the blindness it has fallen into as soon as possible,” Erdogan said. speaking at the summit of the countries of southeastern Europe in Antalya. The broadcast was conducted on Twitter by the Turkish leader.

Turkey in 1963 signed an association agreement with the EU (at that time – the EEC), and in 1987 applied for membership in the union. However, accession negotiations began only in 2005, and were repeatedly suspended due to disagreements. 16 out of 35 chapters of the negotiation dossier are now open.

Turkey beyond Erdogan: How the EU risks letting down Turkish democrats

„The Turkish president no longer commands all before him. The EU should turn its attention to supporting democratic forces in the country.“ Kati Piri

This commentary is part of an ECFR discussion on a positive agenda for the EU and Turkey. The discussion includes previous commentaries by Ibrahim Kalin and Miguel Berger.

Kati Piri is a member of the Dutch Parliament.

After being held at arm’s length for several years, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is to meet with Western leaders once again. Last week he saw US president Joe Biden, as well as several NATO and EU leaders. Next week, the European Council will decide whether to deliver on the European Union’s past promise of a “positive agenda” with Turkey – and maybe even upgrade trade relations between the two.

Early last year, Erdogan began openly encouraging hundreds of thousands of migrants to cross the border into Greece, where people got stuck in no man’s land at the border. Last summer, a military confrontation between Turkey and EU member states appeared to become a serious threat, caused by disputes over Turkey’s exploratory gas drillings in waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus. Meanwhile, Turkey’s supposed EU accession process has made no difference to its growing abuse of democracy and fundamental rights.

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Conference on the Future of Europe: launch of the citizens’ platform on 19 April
Apr 7 2021
Conference on the Future of Europe: launch of the citizens’ platform on 19 April

Press release

  • Invitation to EU citizens: “The future is in your hands”
  • Work continues for the launch of the Conference’s digital platform, set for 19 April
  • Preparation for a formal event on 9 May (Europe Day)

At its meeting on Wednesday, the Executive Board of the Conference on the Future of Europe continued preparations to get the Conference started

The Executive Board endorsed the multilingual digital platform that will allow citizens from across the EU to contribute to the Conference. It also agreed on its working methods and advanced preparations for a formal event on Europe Day (9 May).

An open and inclusive participatory democracy debate

As from 19 April, thanks to this new multilingual digital platform, citizens from across Europe will have the possibility to provide their views on any topic that they consider important for the future of the EU. This will enable citizens – for the first time at EU level – to put forward their ideas, comment on other people’s ideas, create and participate in events. The platform will be the Conference’s central hub, a place where all contributions to the Conference will be brought together and shared, including decentralised events, the European Citizens’ Panels and Conference Plenaries.

 

A specialised feedback mechanism will aggregate and analyse key points raised, so that they can also be taken into account during the European Citizens’ panels and Conference Plenaries. The platform will also provide information on the Conference’s structure and work, as well as resources for event organisers including a catalogue of key events through which they will be able to promote their initiatives at local, regional, national, and European levels. Citizens will easily be able to look up events in which they wish to participate thanks to an events map.

 

Following the meeting, the co-chairs of the Executive Board stated the following.

 

The European Parliament’s Guy Verhofstadt (RE, BE) said: “We need to make this discussion as lively as possible, and in times of Covid that means to experiment with digital platforms as much as we can. With this platform, we offer the tools to give everyone a chance to get actively engaged in this debate, and we will make sure these ideas feed into the analysis and conclusions of the Conference. It’s their future, so it’s their Conference.”

 

The Portuguese Secretary of State for EU Affairs on behalf of the Presidency of the Council of the EU, Ana Paula Zacarias, commented that “The Digital Platform will bring Europeans into the public space. It will allow them to express their concerns, share their dreams and expectations and to engage with their representatives. The Union needs the power of its citizens behind it to make it stronger. This is a decisive moment, and this will allow us to debate differing views frankly and without taboos.”

 

Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Šuica, stated: “The launch of the Digital Platform in ten days’ time will provide a unique space for our citizens to engage in conversations and debates right across Europe. It will allow people to share their ideas, concerns, hopes and dreams – and in all official EU languages. Momentum is now growing and I look forward to seeing the outcome.”

 

The Conference’s official hashtag #TheFutureIsYours is an invitation to EU citizens to contribute and define the EU’s future: “The future is in your hands”.

Inaugural event on Europe Day

Additionally, the Executive Board made significant progress in preparing for the Conference’s inaugural event on Europe Day (9 May), health conditions permitting. It also adopted the Board’s own working methods and held a first discussion on the draft rules for the composition and work of Conference Plenary sessions.

Next steps

The Executive Board will meet again in two weeks, in order to finalise their discussion on the rules of procedure, and to address other prerequisites for the organisation of the Conference.

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EU Presidents to sign declaration on the Conference on the Future of Europe | News | European Parliament
Mar 9 2021
EU Presidents to sign declaration on the Conference on the Future of Europe | News | European Parliament

The signature on Wednesday will set the Conference in motion, in order to address challenges old and new, while strengthening European solidarity.

The joint declaration on the Conference on the Future of Europe will be signed on Wednesday at 13.00 by President Sassoli on behalf of the Parliament, Prime Minister Costa for the Council and Commission President von der Leyen.

This begins the process that will enable citizens to participate in reshaping the EU’s policies and institutions. The declaration includes the EU institutions’ commitment “to listen to Europeans and to follow up on the recommendations made by the Conference” in line with their respective competences enshrined in the Treaties.

Using an inclusive, open and transparent approach, people of all backgrounds, civil society representatives and stakeholders at European, national, regional and local level will participate and set the Conference’s tone and agenda in line with their concerns, in a multitude of events and through a multilingual digital platform.

Read the statement made by Parliament’s Conference of Presidents following their decision to approve the joint declaration.

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