site.btaTwo-speed EU Would Undermine Competitiveness, Former President Radev Says

The idea of a two-speed Europe may look pragmatic but would ultimately hurt the European Union’s competitiveness and make the bloc more vulnerable, former president Rumen Radev said on Monday. Radev’s press service said he made the comments at a forum hosted by the Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade of Germany.

The European Union (EU) can prosper when the economic success of one Member State does not remain isolated but spreads across borders and fuels shared growth, Radev said. He noted that, in a world of geopolitical confrontation and disrupted supply chains, stagnation has taken hold in leading European economies, whose development is also constrained by entrenched ideological models.

He argued that Europe has become hostage to its own ambition for moral leadership in a world without rules. That is why, he added, it must set its sights higher and adapt swiftly to new challenges in order to strengthen its global role.

Radev called for finding the right formula for the EU, one that does not hinge on isolation and division in Europe, but on a realistic assessment of developments inside and outside the Union that can strengthen its internal cohesion. In that context, he welcomed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent remarks on the need for the EU to confront realities and put competitiveness first.

Radev also said that Bulgaria is part of the EU single market and shares responsibility for ensuring Europe’s security and stability, and for driving economic growth. The goal, he added, is greater social and economic convergence for Bulgaria and its integration into the supply chains of leading high value-added industries.

Bulgaria and Germany have already demonstrated that their bilateral partnership creates added value, Radev said, calling for cooperation to focus not only on increasing the value of investments but also on leveraging the trust in their relations to elevate the partnership to a higher level.

He highlighted Bulgaria’s traditions and achievements in the defence industry and science, in space research and microsatellite production, and in the development of artificial intelligence through the establishment of Southeast Europe’s first Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology. He also noted the country’s strategic location as a key transport, energy and digital corridor linking Europe and Asia.

On Sunday, Radev met with Bulgarians in Berlin. He said he would submit, no later than March 4, a registration to the Central Election Commission for a coalition with a clear name to participate in the snap parliamentary elections.