Latest news with #euroscepticism
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Bulgarian nationalists protest government plans to adopt the euro currency
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Thousands of flag-waving Bulgarians took to the streets of the capital, Sofia, and other major cities on Saturday to protest government plans to adopt the euro and to demand a referendum on the new currency. The protesters, led by civic groups and nationalist parties, sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans like 'Freedom for the Bulgarian lev' and 'The future belongs to sovereign states.' The anti-euro rally came four days before the Balkan country is expected to receive green light from Brussels to enter the eurozone. The demonstrators in Sofia carried flags of the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and a huge banner that read 'The battle for the Bulgarian lev is the last battle for Bulgaria.' An increased police presence kept the protest peaceful. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remains of its poorest members, plagued by years of instability that has fueled euroscepticism among its 6.4 million citizens. Disinformation campaigns from home and abroad have added fears of economic changes that could bring more poverty. President Rumen Radev encouraged the anti-euro voices by proposing earlier this month a referendum on the currency, citing public concerns over inflation and purchasing power. The proposal was turned down by the pro-European majority in parliament, which accused Radev of acting in favor of Moscow with his last-minute attempt to sabotage the euro adoption, aimed at deepening European integration amid growing geopolitical tensions.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Bulgarian nationalists protest government plans to adopt the euro currency
Thousands of flag-waving Bulgarians took to the streets of the capital, Sofia, and other major cities on Saturday to protest government plans to adopt the euro and to demand a referendum on the new currency. The protesters, led by civic groups and nationalist parties, sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans like 'Freedom for the Bulgarian lev' and 'The future belongs to sovereign states.' The anti-euro rally came four days before the Balkan country is expected to receive green light from Brussels to enter the eurozone. The demonstrators in Sofia carried flags of the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and a huge banner that read 'The battle for the Bulgarian lev is the last battle for Bulgaria.' An increased police presence kept the protest peaceful. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remains of its poorest members, plagued by years of instability that has fueled euroscepticism among its 6.4 million citizens. Disinformation campaigns from home and abroad have added fears of economic changes that could bring more poverty. President Rumen Radev encouraged the anti-euro voices by proposing earlier this month a referendum on the currency, citing public concerns over inflation and purchasing power. The proposal was turned down by the pro-European majority in parliament, which accused Radev of acting in favor of Moscow with his last-minute attempt to sabotage the euro adoption, aimed at deepening European integration amid growing geopolitical tensions.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bulgarian nationalists protest government plans to adopt the euro currency
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets of the capital, Sofia, and other major cities on Saturday to protest government plans to adopt the euro and to demand a referendum on the new currency. The protesters, led by civic groups and nationalist parties, sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans like 'Freedom for the Bulgarian lev' and 'The future belongs to sovereign states.' The anti-euro rally came four days before the Balkan country is expected to receive green light from Brussels to enter the eurozone. The demonstrators in Sofia carried flags of the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and a huge banner that read 'The battle for the Bulgarian lev is the last battle for Bulgaria.' An increased police presence kept the protest peaceful. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remains of its poorest members, plagued by years of instability that has fueled euroscepticism among its 6.4 million citizens. Disinformation campaigns from home and abroad have added fears of economic changes that could bring more poverty. President Rumen Radev encouraged the anti-euro voices by proposing earlier this month a referendum on the currency, citing public concerns over inflation and purchasing power. The proposal was turned down by the pro-European majority in parliament, which accused Radev of acting in favor of Moscow with his last-minute attempt to sabotage the euro adoption, aimed at deepening European integration amid growing geopolitical tensions. The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Bulgarian nationalists protest government plans to adopt the euro currency
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets of the capital, Sofia, and other major cities on Saturday to protest government plans to adopt the euro and to demand a referendum on the new currency. The protesters, led by civic groups and nationalist parties, sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans like 'Freedom for the Bulgarian lev' and 'The future belongs to sovereign states.' The anti-euro rally came four days before the Balkan country is expected to receive green light from Brussels to enter the eurozone. The demonstrators in Sofia carried flags of the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and a huge banner that read 'The battle for the Bulgarian lev is the last battle for Bulgaria.' An increased police presence kept the protest peaceful. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remains of its poorest members, plagued by years of instability that has fueled euroscepticism among its 6.4 million citizens. Disinformation campaigns from home and abroad have added fears of economic changes that could bring more poverty. President Rumen Radev encouraged the anti-euro voices by proposing earlier this month a referendum on the currency, citing public concerns over inflation and purchasing power. The proposal was turned down by the pro-European majority in parliament, which accused Radev of acting in favor of Moscow with his last-minute attempt to sabotage the euro adoption, aimed at deepening European integration amid growing geopolitical tensions.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Polish presidential election to test if PM's pro-EU vision is Trump-proof
By Alan Charlish WARSAW (Reuters) -Poles vote on Sunday in a presidential election that will decide whether Warsaw follows the pro-European path set by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, or takes a step towards bringing back nationalist admirers of U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump's return to power has energised eurosceptics across Europe, and Sunday's ballot will be the sternest test of Tusk's pro-European vision since he came to power in 2023, ousting the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party. The election pits Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, from Tusk's Civic Coalition (KO), against conservative historian Karol Nawrocki, who is backed by PiS. Trzaskowski has been cast as the frontrunner, likely to face Nawrocki in a run-off, due on June 1 if no candidate wins over 50%. Media blackout laws forbid the publication of opinion poll results from Saturday morning until voting ends on Sunday. Also competing are far-right candidate Slawomir Mentzen from the Confederation party, Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia of the centre-right Poland 2050 and Magdalena Biejat from the Left. The Polish first round vote takes place on the same day as a second round presidential run-off in Romania, where George Simion, a nationalist who campaigns to "Make Romania Great Again", faces centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan. A victory for two eurosceptic candidates would send shockwaves through the EU at a time when it is grappling with the twin challenges of Russia's invasion of Poland's eastern neighbour Ukraine and Trump's tariffs. Polls in Poland open at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and close at 9 p.m. Around 29 million people are eligible to vote. The Polish president has limited executive powers but can veto legislation. That has allowed outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, to stymie efforts by Tusk to undo judicial changes put in place under the PiS, which Tusk says hamper democracy. Trzaskowski has pledged to cement Poland's role as a major player at the heart of European policymaking and work with the government to roll back PiS's judicial changes. 'END THE CHAOS' "I would definitely strengthen relations with our partners... within NATO and the EU," he told state broadcaster TVP Info on Friday. "I will also ask lawmakers to give me the bills Duda vetoed to sign... I also hope that we will end the chaos in the justice system that PiS left us." Nawrocki's campaign was rocked by allegations, which he denies, that he deceived an elderly man into selling him a flat in return for a promise of care he did not provide. But Trump showed support by meeting Nawrocki in the White House. Nawrocki casts the election as a chance to stop Tusk achieving unchecked power and push back against liberal values represented by Trzaskowski, who as Warsaw mayor patronised LGBT marches and took down Christian crosses from public buildings. "The cross that my opponent took down in Warsaw... 1,000 years of heritage of the Polish state, is our strength, is our energy," he told a rally in the eastern city of Lublin. Unlike some other eurosceptics in central Europe, Nawrocki supports military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia. However, he has tapped into anti-Ukrainian sentiment among some Poles weary of an influx of refugees from their neighbour. He has said Polish citizens should get priority in public services and criticised Kyiv's attitude to exhumations of the remains of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War Two.
