We are a platform for experts and intellectuals from Central and Eastern Europe, embodying the liberal environment, to share their opinions and ideas.

Throughout President Trump’s two terms, he has made it a central focus to try and end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a piece of legislation that has given hundreds of thousands the ability to stay in America. In his most recent attempt to attack the program, he has declared that various universities are breaking Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits national origin discrimination, with DACA-only scholarships.

A new edition of the Nanny State Index has just been released — a ranking that measures how heavily European countries regulate their citizens’ lifestyles. Experts from the Civil Development Forum (FOR) are sounding the alarm: “Virtually all of the countries surveyed are increasingly turning to paternalistic solutions.”

In recent years, deregulation reforms have become a key step in many European countries toward simplifying rules and improving administrative efficiency. As a result, citizens and entrepreneurs have gained easier access to public services, and markets have become more business-friendly. But which specific reforms have delivered the best results — and how can other European nations benefit from their neighbors’ experiences?

Who are the challengers to the European mainstream? What are the issues that unite and divide the challengers of the European project? And what can we learn from the Italian case and Giorgia Meloni?Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Teresa Coratella, the Deputy Head of the Rome office at the European Council on Foreign Relations’ (ECFR) Rome office. 

It is now official – Bulgaria will become the 21st member of the euro area. This concludes a years-long process of preparing the country to join the monetary union. The first euro coins and notes will appear in Bulgarian wallets on January 1, 2026. In June 2025, EU finance ministers unanimously approved Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone. The Bulgarian lev will be replaced by the euro at the beginning of 2026, with the exchange rate set at 1 euro = 1.95583 leva.