Authors
Galina Yakova1; 1 Bulgarian Airforce Academy, Bulgaria Discussion
Over the last thirty years the European Union has expanded, increasing the number of its member states, institutions, rules, and competencies. Despite its achievements, the EU has been criticised for being unable to balance between the interests of its diverse members, the lack of democratic legitimacy and accountability towards EU citizens. Critics of the latter point to the fact that important decisions are not decided with public debates but by non-elected European bureaucrats. Furthermore, competencies are granted unofficially to the EU and its institutions by exploiting the power given by crisis management measures (e.g., the 2011 euro zone crisis), making temporary rules and regulations permanent without any public consultation. As a result, more sovereignty is transferred to the European Union, thus providing European law with supremacy over national law, while states’ strategic sovereignty and strategic autonomy is restricted by the interests of other members. Accordingly, tensions have arisen between the countries that want more integration and common policies, and those that want to reserve the right to follow their national interests, applying more flexibility over the implementation of EU rules and regulations. This paper will explore the dynamic of the tensions between national sovereignty and the federalisation of the EU, and it will discuss Bulgaria’s position in these developments, considering its national priorities and historical specificity. --> 
