Maria Todorova, a Bulgarian historian and member of the American Academy of Sciences and Arts, spoke about how Europe sees the Balkans and said that the ideal Europe is not realistic, but that the Balkans will be integrated into the European Union (EU) sooner or later.
Todorova was a guest in Sarajevo on the occasion of the promotion of the Bosnian edition of the book “Imaginary Balkan” at the Bookstan festival, and she also held a lecture at the Faculty of Political Sciences on whether the Balkans are still “other” to Europe.
When asked why balkanization is still a bad word for European leaders, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, Todorova says that it is a term that is separated from the Balkans itself.
Also, Todorova says that she believes that the EU should have the Balkans as part of itself.
“In the beginning, Europe wanted to ghettoize the Balkans, but after the war in Kosovo, the Balkans became a problem for the Europeans and today it is largely inside. For their security, the Balkans is needed inside, and that’s why I’m more optimistic than most of my friends here who think that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will remain outside forever. I think the Western Balkans will be integrated, of course there will be prejudice because it is a marginalized part of the continent because it is poor and that is a fact,” said Todorova in an interview.
She points out that she does not think that the Europeans will take the next step in the next decade or two, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine, and that she cannot imagine it happening while the war is going on.
“What does it actually mean to be European. That is the ideal that you have, and that Western Europeans should also strive for, because they are not Europeans either. Look at the problems in Belgium between the Walloons and the Flemings, look at Spain with the problem of Catalonia, look at Britain with the problem of Scotland, everywhere you have this kind of problem. You are talking about an ideal Europe that has not been realized,” statedTodorova.
Todorova says that populism is on the rise across Europe, and the rise of right-wing populism and nationalism is happening everywhere.
“There is a reason why right-wing nationalism is rising. There isa discredited global idea of neoliberalism that started with the economic crisis in 2008 and it is now deepening and of course you have a reaction. How far it will go I don’t know. It’s not just happening in Eastern Europe where examples are Hungary and Poland, but also France, Germany, Italy where neo-fascists are in power,” said Todorova.
She concluded that there are still good examples throughout Europe and that there is no single united Europe that stands against the Balkans, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
