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Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.
He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.
In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.
Global Real Estate Project
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All clear on Turkey's road to EUIt seems that finally Turkey would get what it wanted from EU and what it deserved. There are no issues to discuss left on the table; this is the official position of Brussels. What remains to be seen is a rather slow bureaucratic process by both sides, an official declaration of EU expressing happiness to see Turkey on board, and determining a date for the kick off of the official accession talks. Depending on the political will of Brussels and of Brussels alone, these talks together with the ratification process can take 4, 6, 8, even more years. The salient point isn't the date when Turks will call themselves Europeans. It's the very fact to see this country among the European nations. The country will change for sure depending on whether or not it will become EU member. No smaller will be the transformation of the EU itself. With or without Turkey it won't be the same club. It's an irony that Turks now have to prove their European legacy after so many centuries being among the masters of this continent. Coming as anyone else from Asia as invaders they too found Europe suitable for their state. Unlike most of the Asian invaders (Hungarians, Bulgarians), Turks didn't change their religion thus becoming a problem not only of political, but also of religious dimension. Europe of 18th-19th c. couldn't allow by purely ethnocentric reasons to see Christians ruled by Muslims (the same Europe thought it was all right Muslims In Asia and Africa to be ruled by Christians). That sealed the fate of the Ottoman Empire and pushed it back into Asia Minor. For most Europeans that was the end, Europe was again entirely Christian, meaning ruled by Christian governments. Turkey after been cut of its European possessions experienced interesting social and political evolution. Its political and military elite that for centuries was linked with its western counterparts set up a modern secular state, imposing its national vision on the masses of religious, non-modern and peasant Turks. In all its modern history Turkey defied the easy stereotypes about the Muslim societies. What was initially set by a small group of political and military elite now is widely accepted by the Turkish society as a best option for development. It isn't surprising that the party that is considered to represent the most conservative and religious social groups has brought Turkey to the doors of the European Union. For Turkey it's clear that EU membership implies sacrifices, not only financial, but also spiritual and ideological. There will be higher than the national authorities to decide whether or not Turkish husbands treat well their wives; there will be higher authorities to decide whether or not the rights of prisoners are respected, just to name two examples. For Europe the choice is more difficult but it has to be done and it seems it was already done. The union with or without Turkey will be two completely different entities and the difference doesn't come only from the 72 million Turks but from the fact that the EU will cease being an exclusive Christian club. What the EU will lose will be to a certain degree the sense of identity, because some Europeans still look at themselves as Christians=Europeans. One of the former French presidents is a spokesman of this small but noisy group. What the EU will gain can't be still calculated. It deals with processes that go far beyond our imagination. In this case the benefit will be to reach the hearts and minds of a billion Muslims around the world, showing clearly that it depends on the each country's merits to be allowed joining the club of rich nations. That there is nothing that comes from the history that can decide forever the fate of nations. That hard work and a competent leadership can overcome walls of prejudices. In fact who still remembers that some 45-50 years ago South Korea and Taiwan were described as insolvent economies. The EU membership won't automatically increase the living standard in Turkey from its today's appalling 29% of the average European level to more comfortable position. But it will give a chance of this country to show itself and regain with economic means what once it did so well with arms.
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