“The future of Europe cannot be defined by xenophobia and Euroscepticism”.

One of the main topics of concern in the recent European Parliament elections, were the rise of populist parties across Europe, which feed from an increasing xenophobic and Eurosceptic sentiment among Europeans.

In an interview with Apostolos Staikos, a journalist for Euronews Greece, who has extensively reported from the refugee camp in Moria on the island of Lesvos, I discussed how justified are Europe’s sentiments towards immigration.

“From 2015 until today, I have carried out ten missions on the island of the northeast Aegean, with the first year coming as a huge shock. Approximately, 100 refugee boats reached Lesbos daily back then, with around 35,000 refugees living already on it. For the past four years, Greek and European authorities have proven unable to control the situation and to create decent conditions for refugees,” he explains. 

The living standards in these camps are appalling as Apostolos describes. “I have met desperate people, but also seen a lot of smiling faces. Many refugees keep strong and optimistic about their future, but some are also shocked by what they are experiencing. I met volunteers who did their best, as well as some of them who went to Lesvos for a week to get some selfies and drink ouzo, helpful locals as well as those who exploited refugees and sold them orange juice for 20 euros”.

Dirt, mud and barefoot children walking and playing in them is in common view, yet the worst sentiment comes from the lack of hope. People feel imprisoned and fear that they will stay on the island forever.

In the island of Samos too, the situation is out of control. The refugee centre can accommodate 650 individuals but today, there are approximately 4,000 migrants ‘‘living’’ there. Greece has received significant funds, however 4 years later, the situation on the islands remains unacceptable.

This is a crisis of an unprecedented scale and Europe was not prepared nor united in dealing with it. “All member states should have been obliged to accept several refugees. Currently still, only a few countries share the burden, while others defend the ‘‘Christian tradition of Europe,’’ Apostolos thinks.

“The closure of the Balkan route in March 2016, was a cruel decision that trapped thousands of refugees in Greece. At that time, I was reporting from Idomeni, at the borders with North Macedonia. People became desperate. The EU - Turkey agreement on the issue is also problematic. Basically, Brussels is paying Ankara in order to hold refugees, but until when and for how long Erdogan can keep three million people in Turkey,” he questions. 

“Europe should have created safe passages in the Mediterranean. Instead, people got drowned and the EU offered its condolences. While Greece, Italy and Spain are the ‘‘gates to Europe’’, the refugees want to reach the countries of northern Europe, which are economically more affluent. Yet due to the lack of unity and coordination among EU nations, not only solutions remain far off, but migration was on the top of the agenda for Brexit and the rise of the Far-Right and Euro-scepticism across Europe,” Apostolos explains.

“The refugees are not a threat, nor they come to steal our jobs and distort or destroy our culture. Naturally, there are problems, as their integration poses a challenge. Most refugees try to escape from war and extreme poverty. It is simply that some media and far right parties spread fear. There are about 75,000 refugees living in Greece. Apart from the three islands where locals protest about the situation and in fairness, they do have a point, there isn’t really any major issues on mainland Greece,” he adds.

“Xenophobia and racism can in no way be justified, nor can the future of Europe be defined by these concepts. I understand that in some countries, people are sceptical, angry and even afraid. This is what far-right parties exploit”.

However, Apostolos believes that we should try and distinguish the European citizens’ sensitivities on the issue of the refugees. “A local from Samos, where refugees try to survive in appalling conditions has every right to be angry with Greek and European authorities. Someone who lives in the centre of Vienna and is afraid of refugees, is a totally different story,” he says.

“Some “radical” political parties in countries such as Austria, France, Italy or Hungary, for example, use the immigration problem to attract voters.  Euroscepticism has become not only fashionable in a sense, but opportunistic. Yet it is up to the citizens to realize that apart from some catchy slogans, what exactly do they propose for the future of Europe?”

“The question is how progressive political forces react and what do they counter-propose. We must accept that migration is here to stay; with wars that never end, extreme poverty and climate change, many more people will be forced to leave their countries. Closing the borders is not an answer; how can you control sea frontiers? Besides, we have experienced situations like these before in Europe. In the ‘50s Greeks were migrating to Germany in order to find work. Similarly, the refugees nowadays, don’t want to be illegal and they shouldn’t wait for years until their asylum case is examined,” Apostolos thinks.   

“I read all the time that there are not enough workers in Germany or that locals reject certain jobs. In Greece for instance, many don’t want to work in factories or as farmers. Refugees can fill these positions, as they have much to offer. Europe was and will always be one of the main destinations for migrants, since it’s arguably one of the best places in the world to live,” he adds.

However, according to Apostolos, the populist parties have got one thing “right”; they have increased their influence, by claiming that refugees pose a threat. People nowadays fall for catchy slogans and false promises for quick solutions, but it takes time to understand and learn through experience and debate. For example, thirty years ago Albanians were considered ‘‘invaders’’ in Greece and many Greeks treated them almost as enemies. But by now they are fully integrated. Thus, job opportunities and time are the best solution which can defeat hate and suspicion.

“Ultimately, I don’t think that migration is Europe’s number one problem but unemployment or corruption, poverty and people who can’t pay their bills. Yet it’ s much easier for politicians to divert the focus on migrants, instead of presenting their proposals on education, culture or climate change,” Apostolos says.

He adds that media have put the issue on the top of the agenda. “Strong pictures and sad stories are bread and butter for us, that’s the truth. Therefore, the audience is familiar with the issue and possibly quite worried. Politicians are aware of that and behave accordingly”.

What we learn from people like Apostolos, who have worked and experienced the refugee crisis in the front lines, have spoken and met with people who we consider as a “threat”, is that a different approach is needed. Populism and xenophobia are not the solutions, nor are closed borders and Euroscepticism. They can only sooth and comfort our fear of the new and imminent change, that comes with the arrival of the refugees.

However, is it worth to risk what we have built so far in our continent, just to exclude others from our living standards and prosperity, instead of making them part of our success by giving them a chance to contribute to it?

Apostolos and his team will return to Samos in the future, when the new refugee camp is ready around September. He is currently working on a story about gay refugees. They will also probably return to Moria, as more arrivals are expected during summer.

The commemorations of Europe’s Day can no longer be about the Continent’s past.

Europe Day is commemorated each year across the Continent, on the 9th of May. It is a celebration of peace, unity and stability in Europe, established in the aftermath of World War Two.

For decades this day reminded Europeans their path from war, death and destruction, to democracy, peace and progress. It commemorated the achievements of their continent, for the past 70 years.

Yet, recently, Europe is faced with more challenges ahead. As an aftermath of the economic crisis, the continent is divided.

Many radical, euro-skeptic, right-wing and conservative political parties have found once more a way to become prominent in European politics. Their popularity rose in several EU states, due to the continuous economic woes and the immigration crisis.

European citizens seem rather apathetic to the significance of this day. They take the privileges they enjoy from Europe’s achievements for granted, which others are desperate to acquire and even risking their lives to enter our continent.

In such considerably negative climate, one would argue that the commemoration of the 9th of May is increasingly becoming irrelevant.

On the contrary, it is not only still very much relevant, but it could become a platform for a different kind of celebrations.

Instead of waving EU flags or limiting the commemorations in EU institutions and government bodies, we could establish an annual citizens debate.

By using international, national and local media, or online think tanks and platforms, the commemorations of the Europe Day can no longer be about the Continent’s past; rather, they can start focusing more on its future.

The 9th of May could be the day that Europeans participate in a cross-continental exchange of ideas, debating on and shaping the continent they would like to live in.

Europe’s Day should be a celebration of “Europeaness,” promoting active citizenship and engagement. Citizens could additionally be informed about their rights and how currently the EU works, while also be given the opportunity to discuss how things could be improved.

Our continent came a long way since its post war era and its efforts to rebuild itself. Now while its achievements cannot be forgotten, it is time for Europe to reinvent itself.

Our nations are faced with new challenges and more obstacles to overcome. Perhaps once we manage to deal with them, Europe’s Day could become something more than a commemoration of an idea and past achievements.

In coming times, it could become a day that defines the future.

How can Europe resolve a political crisis after an economic one?

While the economic crisis that affected the EU for almost a decade seems to eventually be easing off, the continent is faced with another sort of culmination; this time political.

With Brexit just around the corner, which will propel not just Britain but the whole of Europe in uncharted territory, plus several other member states having voted in populist and euro-skeptic governments, many are bracing for more troubles ahead.

But before we get all too gloomy and pessimistic, we must realize that we chose the democratic way. And that is the most difficult, yet virtuous path to push for an ambitious project, such as unifying countries that not until too many years ago were at war with each other.

The EU is a work at progress and just like any project, everything does not always go as planned or is just plain sailing. Democracy itself is not a perfect system, yet it is the best we've come up so far. It has its pros and cons and one of them is that various factors can heavily influence public opinion, which as result can make controversial decisions.

We should not let this discourage us, however we owe to realize that the biggest problem that Europe has is lack of leadership on continental level. We have created something unique on this planet, a confederated union of a sort with huge economic advantages that other continents aspire to achieve, yet although we know what needs to be done to make it function better and fairer, few leaders will even speak about it openly.

Is it fear of public opinion which appears to be divided and not convinced, vested interests of the established elites in each country, or foreign meddling? No matter what the cause, Europe needs leaders and politicians that will be bold in their pan-European vision, that in addition will find ways to convince their counterparts across the continent.

Now it seems that only France and Germany seem not just committed to the European project, but willing to take the lead. However, Europe's economic powerhouse-Germany- has yet to act decisively on such role, apart from punishing other EU members that do not maintain a good record on their finances. Angela Merkel’s government has been reluctant in pushing for necessary structural reforms across the block, or even speak about further integration.

Perhaps Germany, just as most other member states, still is only comfortable with the economic benefits that the EU is offering and either not ready for deeper integration or avoiding it to maintain a suitable to its interests’ status-quo.

In addition, it may simply do not want the responsibility of leading such a diverse group of countries. Sadly, no other EU nation seems to do so either.

However earlier this month, the French President Emmanuel Macron, ahead of the European Parliament elections, called for a "European Renaissance," proposing multiple new institutions and a major conference to overhaul the Continent's political structures. (Politico.eu)

These institutions will focus on defence, policing and cyber-security, environmental and social protection, trade policies and practices and finally the establishment of a "Conference for Europe" by the end of the year. Its role will be to suggest a road-map for change, built on input from citizen panels, academics, civil society and religious representatives. (Politico.eu)

It is not the first time that he openly focused on Europe in his public speeches, yet this time he did so in an open letter to all citizens of the EU. Could this be an overambitious young politician, an electoral political stunt, or a prelude of things to come? No matter what, we need more national leaders to start calling to the European public, in order to achieve a more continental public opinion and demos.

We need to be reminded that we are not just citizens of our local communities, nations or regions, but of something bigger too. So, if our national politicians focus on domestic issues to win the European elections, then these elections are doomed to reflect national, often petty and irrelevant to the continent, disarrays.

In this aspect Macron has got it right. However, there is a problem. The protests of the "Yellow Vests" in his country signify a public reluctance to change or reforms, plus a social inequality that exists across Europe. If Macron fails to deal successfully with this challenge, how then can he be able to push for reforms across the EU? 

Additionally, many countries do not think the way the French do. France is a republic that chose a very centrist approach to government, something that other nations lack or never had, therefore they cannot accept the federal model that many pro-Europeans like Macron are promoting.

The Visegrad group, or the Hanseatic 2.0 League of nations, may find his proposals or his lead not of their taste or interests. The first grouping alliance has many times so far resisted pressure from the EU to take in more immigrants and help their southern fellow states, in dealing with the refugee crisis. 

While the second- the “Hansa,” have spent most of 2018 concentrating their energies on monetary union. Instead of more French-style political integration, they stand for national responsibility over government finances and the importance of sticking to spending rules.(Financial Times)

Yet again none of these groups have taken a leading role in the EU or proposed their own vision on the future of Europe to the rest of the European citizens. Our continent is in danger of fragmentation, or even disintegration to smaller unions, with just a statutory and irrelevant EU still existing.

So how can any ambitious young European politician promote a more centrist, federal model, reforms and policies on a pan-European level? Of course, primarily he will have to convince all countries and groups in the union, of the necessity of such reforms and the beneficial impact they can have in every nation.

But to achieve that, he will need to speak not as a French man, a Greek, a German or a Dutch, but as a European who understands and respects all the different mentalities, cultures, economies and sensitivities that comprise the EU. 

President Macron may have all these qualities, yet under his current role he can never successfully promote them. He is the President of France and this limits him greatly. Yet as a top EU official, such as the European Parliament or Commission President, someone like Macron might have a chance, if only national governments again are willing to listen and most importantly, stick with the agreements.

Consequently, Europe's openness and democratic values delay greatly any progress or quick response to problems that the continent is faced with. As the EU expands and takes in more nations, the diversity is enhanced thus any consensus is an ever-bigger challenge. It will need a very charismatic leader, to unify the quarreling Europeans. 

But as things stand, no government in Europe seems ready to accept a leading voice outside their ranks. So, Macron's initiative may be finally the only way to have a cross-country political leadership. Even if he fails in convincing the rest of the European elites to accept all his proposals, if we can have leaders of every member states taking in consideration and addressing the rest of the European citizens, it is a good start. 

Ultimately, we do need a "Conference of Europe," the way Macron has suggested it. It is time that our continent has its own established think-tank, civil society platform and "agora," something that besides was the cornerstone of Europe's first democracy; Ancient Greece. 

Modern Europe lacks a physical place outside the various online platforms, in which ordinary citizens and thinkers, together with academics from all member states and of every political, economic and social background or ideology, can gather. 

A place where they can collectively discuss their future, organize pan-European campaigns, network and get to know more about the EU and its benefits, or the challenges that each state is facing. And since no national or EU politician is willing to take the lead in giving Europe a single voice, perhaps then it will be up to the European Agora, to be the place of the formation of what Europe currently is deprived of. 

2019 will be a crucial year for Europe. What will its citizens do?

Most Europeans are unaware of the highly interesting and crucial times they are living.

Starting from the current year of 2019, our continent will go through major changes and challenges, that if met successfully, they will alter Europe as we know it.

By the end of March, one of the oldest and prominent EU members will leave the union, forcing the block to readjust internally and externally, on economic and political terms. When Britain leaves the EU, it will impose several trials to everyone in Europe.

There will be winners and losers on economic terms, as many EU countries will compete for firms, companies or banks that were based in the United Kingdom until now. However, the EU will lose out a valuable member, a wealthy nation, an economic, political, diplomatic and military powerhouse; one of the only two EU nations with nuclear weapons.

Britain, on the other hand, will see its citizens' rights being diminished, as they won't enjoy the same rights Europe-wide anymore, in case of a no-deal Brexit. In addition, many of them will have their financial status downgraded.

The country's influence in Europe will be significantly less, as it will abandon its seats in the European Parliament, EU Commission and Council. It is doubtful if it will be able to forge similar influential alliances and partnerships with other blocks.

As if this wasn't enough, there is a good chance that the U.K. itself will be drastically altered, as Scotland keeps threatening to have a second referendum if a no-deal Brexit happens. Never mind, of course, the Northern Ireland backstop and the border issue there.

Two months later in May, the EU will have its first elections after Brexit. Traditionally, the turnout for these elections is always low. But as the European Parliament seats will be reallocated with Britain's departure, how will the new EP look like?

Furthermore, with a new EU Parliament and its President, we will have a new EU Commission President as well as a Council one. That will mean many new faces on the European steering wheel, but also new alliances.

We have witnessed two different camps forming in our continent. One that has been gaining momentum for the past few years and has managed to uphold significant power in many EU states. The union might be losing one of the most vocal euro-skeptic nations, however the economic and refugee crises have managed to provide the EU with worthy successors. 

Austria, Hungary, Poland and recently even Italy, have all been to a certain degree, moving away from core European values and returning to more conservative, nationalistic, protectionist and even authoritarian political leadership, that in some cases they fought so hard to rid of in the past. The reason for this is of course migration and the problems that arose from it.

Lately the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, has travelled to Poland to "break the dominant Germany-France axis", as he strives to forge far-right alliances before the European parliamentary elections in May. 

He stated that the two countries could build a new Europe, bringing about a “renaissance of European values," away from the one that is run by bureaucrats. (The Guardian) He plans to reach out to many euro-skeptic parties from across Europe, like Marine Le Pen's Front National, in order to achieve his vision.

On the other hand, France and Germany-the union's two powerhouses- have recently renewed a decade old peace agreement, the Treaty of Aachen, in which both nations reinstated their commitment for deeper cooperation. It only remains to be seen, if they can or are interested in extending this spirit to the rest of the remaining EU members, or the future ones.

So, we are headed for another dramatic showdown in Europe by May, just two months after Brexit is expected to happen. Divisions in Europe about the future direction of the continent are not anything new, however while after the establishment of the EEC, the consensus was mainly towards building a more integrated continent, nowadays we see an effort to undo what has been achieved so far.

The disappointing thing is that it all happens for protectionism and vested financial interests, immigration and diverging ideologies. The more liberal northern European states, in order to balance out the loss of their like-minded Britain, have signed another treaty of cooperation in 2018, named as the New Hanseatic League of nations. They are calling a greater role of the European Stability Mechanism, in scrutinizing national budgets. 

Contrary to this, the Visegrad group of countries in central Europe, want less interference from Brussels in their internal affairs, but then why they decided to join a block that requires the opposite? The absolute disunited southern nations on the other hand, are still too absorbed by their financial woes and internal political and social problems. The Balkans are a brilliant example of this, thus it is no wonder that they are still one of the poorest regions of the continent.

And while one may blame external factors and meddling, from Russia or the US administration, we should not rid ourselves from the responsibility of our own decisions. In a democratic society or community of nations, there is no guarantee that the right resolutions can always be taken. That is the very essence of democracy and why this political system requires responsible participation. 

Take Brexit for example. For the Tories deal with their internal problems, they threw the whole country and Europe, in a totally unnecessary process that will leave everyone worse off. It is understandable that many in the British leadership were tired of fighting with other nations in order to promote or safeguard their interests and values. Especially when not everyone else wants to commit or play by the rules.

Yet, when it comes to giving more powers to a centralized European government, in order to achieve consensus faster, it was Britain and the other big nations in the EU who opposed it. Europe is thus a confused continent going in circles, not willing to let go of the vision of a closer union as it realizes the benefits, yet not ready to do what it needs to be done; agree to a common vision for the future and commit to it.

And while many accuse Germany of taking over Europe, they do not show the same determination to take the initiative and offer an alternative plan that will work for all, inspiring them to adopt and devote to it. If the Franco-German Axis persists and dominates the rest of EU nations, will it work equally for everyone, without creating second class member states at the periphery? 

If these two countries want to set out a plan to unite the rest of Europe, then they cannot be seen to serve solely their own interests. If they want to beat the protectionist, nationalist and populist leaders in the peripheral states that oppose decisions taken in Brussels, then they will have to offer better solutions to the citizens' problems of these countries.

But that will be hard to achieve, without rocking the boat too much in their own pond. Chancellor Merkel experienced a drop in her popularity when she decided to show leadership during the first years of the refugee crisis. Similarly, the current French President Macron is realizing now with protests by the "Gilet Jaunes" movement, that showing leadership and reforming a country is not always welcomed by all. 

And that is only the reaction on a national level. Imagine what will happen if one seeks to reform a whole continent. However, us citizens must not wash our hands completely from the direction that Europe will take in the future. It may be easier to blame our bad politicians, corruption and external "meddlers," yet we also have a fair share of blame.

Our participation in the European elections has been dwindling, while on national lever we seem to prefer populist, conservative and nationalistic parties out of desperation and disappointment. Nonetheless it has been proven that they cannot offer long term solutions, their only positive effect is to soothe our anger for a while. 

Yet the effects to our societies that a temporary, emotionally charged change will bring, can have long term disastrous consequences; like Brexit. That does not mean that we should sit and observe idle, when coming against injustice, corruption and bad policies from our governments. We just need to stop swinging from one extreme to the other and commit to a vision that will offer collectively European nations, stability and prosperity. 

And while we focus on that vision, then create a pan European civil society and pressure groups that can promote this goal. But even more importantly, participate increasingly and more responsibly in Europe's politics; starting of course by voting in the European Parliament elections. It is in our interests and we cannot expect a national government to provide us everything that we need, in an ever interconnected and globalized world. 

The current year will pose Europe with a lot of challenges, that will set up the agenda which could shape the future of our continent for decades to come. Will we, the citizens, turn our back to each other while focusing on our own version of the very similar problems that we are facing, or will we decide to be bold and set the foundations for a very different continent? 

Making progress in the Balkans? As frangible as chopping a Macedonia salad.

Last Friday Northern Macedonia's parliament voted for changing the country's constitutional name, in order to end the naming dispute with its neighboring Greece, over the use of the term "Macedonia".

The 27-year-old disagreement, which was the main obstacle to the Balkan country's NATO and EU aspirations, seems to be finally about to end. 

However, nothing is set in stone just yet. The new name and the ratification of the Prespa Agreement, signed by the two countries last June that paved the way to the recent breakthrough, must be approved now by the Greek parliament.

A task that won't be easy. After the euro-zone economic crisis, which saw the Greek economy shrinking, a humiliation of the country with three bail-outs and a serious downgrading of the population's living standards, the Greek voters are ultra-sensitive on matters of national interest.

As result, the country's parliament has a strong percentage of nationalist parties and MPs, which will make almost impossible such ratification. Not only that, but the Greeks have taken to the streets numerous times until now about the issue, as is sure they will do again in the future.

The current ruling coalition is that of the Left-wing Syriza and the right-wing party of the Independent Greeks, which have decided to pull out of the government, over Syriza's support for the Agreement. 

Independent Greeks' leader Panos Kammenos was always against its ratification and he resigned last Sunday, forcing Greece's PM Tsipras to call for a confidence vote this coming week. Given the fact that Syriza's government is highly unpopular due to its failure to reverse some of the austerity measures adopted to deal with the economic crisis, it is highly likely that Greece will head to elections much earlier than expected in October.

Some that keep few hopes in a new Greek government in order to ratify the Agreement, should be wary. If Syriza is forced to go to elections, possibly it will lose as the party is quite unpopular right now among the Greek voters.

Thus, New Democracy will gain power, in which there are many nationalist MPs also opposing such treaty between Greece and North Macedonia. In order to halt the progress of Golden Dawn and other right-wing parties in Greek politics, the leading opposition party has itself been forced to give prominence to its more nationalist politicians.

In North Macedonia, the opposition nationalist party VMRO-DPMNE, boycotted the ratification session and is also against the deal. If Greece fails to pass the Agreement, then there is a risk that the current ruling party in its neighbouring country will also lose the next elections and be replaced by the nationalists again. 

Sadly, pushing any potential solution back for many more years. The Europeans and Americans are most keen to see the issue gone and resolved, but as they are in an ongoing tug of war with Russia about influence in the region, things get complicated. 

There are numerous issues and factors involved, not just Greece and its sensitivity on the heritage, history and territory that feels that are threatened by its neighbour. The Balkans are a very strategic area, which if Europe manages to integrate, can be transformed to a very vital region for the continent.

Naturally various players want a role in it. Turkey and Russia keep their foot in their region, as well as the US and Europe. This often hinders development, as the hostility and competitiveness of the big powers, spill over and fuels nationalism and petty disputes. 

Bulgaria had its own issues with the small Balkan country, which like Greece was on linguistics and ethnic identity. Although it was the first country to recognize its independence, it refused to recognize the existence of a separate Macedonian nation and language. 

It argued that the Macedonians are a subgroup of the Bulgarian nation, and that the Macedonian language is a dialect of Bulgarian. Yet despite their differences, the governments of Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia signed a friendship treaty to bolster the relations between the two Balkan states in August 2017. 

The treaty was ratified by the parliament of the Republic of Northern Macedonia on the 15th of and of Bulgaria on 18th January 2018. However, despite this, there have been occasionally diplomatic fall-outs.

Only last December, a junior partner in Bulgaria's coalition government, the Bulgarian Nationalist Movement (VMRO-BND), raised the possibility of new hurdles for Skopje, by threatening to withdraw Sofia's support for Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic integration.

The party led by Defense Minister Krasimir Karakachanov, was annoyed over recent arguments made by Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev about the existence of the Macedonian language. (Radio Free Europe).

Incidents such as these, make many Greeks wary about the point of such compromise. In addition, when they look at how many Central-Eastern European member states, switched from pro-European and progressive governments back to more authoritarian, they doubt that EU membership for Northern Macedonia, will control their irredentism and a slip back to nationalism.

Given the fragility of the deal and the urgency the US and Europe to round up the integration process in the region, Athens will be facing pressure from its Western partners. However, dry diplomacy cannot always win over deep-rooted nationalist sentiments in all sides.

There is a major lack of trust, which combined with populism, lack of dialogue and communication, will to change and compromise that are aggravated and manipulated by foreign powers, as well as nationalist local ones, that make this ratification a huge challenge.

One would wonder why on earth can't there be a Macedonian region in Europe, inhabited by a number ethnic groups-as it always has been the case- which can all be called "Macedonian". And why one of these groups can't establish a country named Northern Macedonia, which speaks Bulgarian and if it likes, can proudly hail Greek heritage through the famous ancient Greek kingdom instead of presenting it as its own, fabricating new history. 

The whole of Europe claims Greek heritage so I don't see any problem here. And there are many countries with no separate distinctive national language, like Switzerland with four official languages, Ireland with English, Cyprus with Greek and Austria with German as their national language. Why can't Northern Macedonia adopt Bulgarian as theirs, in return with guarantees from Bulgaria, that it will respect their right to exist as a separate distinctive nation.

What we have instead is a tiny state with an identity crisis, rightly wanting to self-determinate and create a state, yet insisting on allowing misguided nationalists poisoning its relations with its two neighbouring countries, which should be its partners and brother nations. 

In addition, as a reaction to this madness we have Greek and Bulgarian nationalists blocking the country's prospects to prosperity and stability, which is the only way to achieve a less nationalist sentiment in its population. Poverty as it is known, goes hand in hand with lack of education, populism and irrational nationalist ideologies.

Not just in North Macedonia but in its neighbours too. It is no coincidence that austerity helped the rise of the far-right in Greece, exposing the Greeks' weakness of keep feeling insecure about their future and see enemies all around them; instead of trying a different approach to the problems they are facing. 

Sharing the name is not a threat to their identity, if the people of North Macedonia learn to respect Greece's sensitivities on their history and heritage. But that will require mutual understanding, dialogue and above all trust and time. 

I wonder why the inhabitants of this region prefer to stick to old grudges and century old legends or history and allow what they can have in common, splitting them ever apart. 

No one can guarantee that Northern Macedonia will stick to its promises once it joins the EU, but as the block helped sooth the rivalries between France and Germany, I am hopeful that someday the Balkans will finally realize their common and shared future.

Should they fail in a process that took nearly three decades, the only losers will be the people of this region. Caught in petty nationalism and foreign interests, the region will remain the one of the least developed of Europe and most unstable.

We need a debate on immigration in Europe.

As with most other European countries, one of the main topics of debate in the recent Swedish general elections in September was immigration. The issue has lodged itself at the epicenter of public debate across our continent for a long time now.

It has been a main factor in major developments in Europe like Brexit, the rise of populism and so called "radical" parties and political movements, the rift between the old 15 EU member states and the Visegrad group, as well as the North-South division when it comes to dealing with the refugee and immigration crisis.

Our leaders might prefer blaming Russia, China or the Trump administration for the misinformation or propaganda war that fuels the rise of populism, however one cannot ignore Europe's internal issues; and they mustn't be blamed on any external factor, if we want to deal with them successfully.

Accusing others for your problems, no matter how substantial evidence you have, should not prevent you from taking stock and responsibility for your own mistakes and actions; something that the European leadership often tries to do.

The immigration problem in our continent is not anything new. It has been brewing for decades now, however the European elites and media chose to ignore and avoid it, hiding themselves behind the often illogical political correctness policies.

Yet when you do not give a chance for such issues to be debated and discussed openly, in fear that you may offend certain groups of people or that you will be branded as racist, you only brush the problem underneath the carpet. You are not dealing with it, you are just kicking it further down the road for others to take responsibility.

Nowadays in the era of social media, voters but also young individuals will try to discuss issues that affect their communities in various online portals. If they lack the right information, or if their concerns are not met or answered by their politicians, or if at least they are not exposed in an open debate in the main stream media, they are going to express their views on these web-pages.

And this is exactly where radicalized individuals exist and thrive, behind the anonymity that the internet is offering them, that enables them to offer their distorted views as answers to the people who genuinely wish to discuss their ideas and concerns. 

Wouldn't it better to have open debates on our media, schools and educational institutions, political parties' membership or any other civil society platform, on issues that affect us and our children; like immigration, EU membership, the adoption of the euro, our country's integration into the European family, racism, culture, multiculturalism and so many more.

Our continent was always multicultural, since the Roman times. Free movement from Europe to the Middle East plus North Africa and vice versa, meant that people from other races inhabited our continent since antiquity.

But in modern times it has become an issue and a topic of debate, only after the ‘50s, when many of the Western former colonial powers, invited workers from their one-time territories to settle in their countries. Soon after, they sought to attract "guest workers" from countries like Turkey and Morocco, but prepared poorly to integrate them as they did not expect them to stay permanently.

As result, many of these immigrants found themselves living in ghettos or in tight ethnic social circles, often being alienated from their host country and its other communities. The failure of the old 15 EU member states to deal with their immigration problem, fuels in fact the resistance of the new Central-Eastern European countries of the block to follow their example. They reject the Western multicultural social model because they see only its failures, not the advantages.

Yet it doesn't have to be this way. They can learn from the Western states' mistakes and do not repeat them. But this will require not fences and coming in direct clash with the EU itself, rather the formation and adoption of a comprehensive, fair and functioning immigration and integration policy, that will avoid the shortcomings of other countries, by examining them first.

Almost all immigrants that arrive in their new adoptive country are ambitious and have much to offer in terms of knowledge and skills, if we only attract the right ones that we need for long term or permanent settlement, while perhaps offering short term contracts to seasonal low skilled workers. It is really frustrating that we treat issues such as these with the complex of our bygone colonial history, the fear of being branded racists or xenophobic.

The reality is that we cannot absorb all immigrants, without totally dismantling the social fabric of each country, with serious economic and political consequences. Thus the refugee crisis puts out ability to cope and adapt to the test. Some countries such as Germany and Sweden, tried to show how open and progressive they are, by taking in the largest amount of refugees.

The recent election results and polls though, signify a concern in both nations about the future of such policies.

We may choose to ignore the shift in the public opinion, try to blame internet trolls, but that would discredit the concerns of the ordinary European; and that is not a sign of a true democracy.

Having endured austerity and a very crippling economic crisis, it is understandable that people feel that changes are out of their control, there is a sentiment of mistrust and betrayal and thus they feel disconnected from the establishment parties.

They are seeking solutions from new parties, which naturally act opportunistically and take advantage of the citizen's concerns, by simply addressing them. Our governments might brand this as populism, but it is evident that it works, so why haven't they managed to get rid of their institutionalized political correctness and becoming more accountable and transparent about the policies they chose to adopt?

Yet not all immigrants are refugees. Apart from the Syrians that are fleeing a war torn country and deserve to be accommodated- not only by Europe, but the whole of global community- many others are joining the queue to enter our continent. They come out of hope and desperation. They are attracted by our living standards, which are even after the crisis, still among the highest in the world. 

However one cannot ignore that another reason that Europe is so attractive to immigrants, is its colonial legacy. Since a lot of them have a European language as their first or second official back in their native, while still being raised in a post colonial mentality and educational system, is it any wonder that they feel more connected to Europe than any other region of the world?

In addition, when Western culture is the predominant one though Hollywood movies and stereotypes, how can a young Asian or African not be dreaming in living in a Western nation, since we promote our way of life through advertisements, trade, films and our overall cultural domination?

Finally, since we are promoting and priding ourselves as open, equal and welcoming society, why then we find it so hard to accept the fact that others see us as a beacon of hope and opportunity, just as America was long before us? 

The recent divergence of Europe towards a more conservative, xenophobic and euro-skeptic stance, puts a question-mark on how open are we as a society, how prepared are we for a globalized, multi-polar world and signifies an identity crisis. We are simply not sure what we want to be, or which role do we want to play in the globe for the future.

  

That is understandable, as European nations have walked a different path in history. Some where conquered and oppressed by different countries, while others were the oppressors or the invaders. Some only managed to form a state quite recently, while other nations have been empires or kingdoms for much longer.

Some have had a more peaceful history than others by maintaining neutrality, while the different ideological and religious divisions have created a variety of mentalities, sensitivities and approaches in our continent. 

However we should not destroy what we have achieved so far, just because we feel insecure. The reason we are still one of the most prosperous continents, is exactly because we have established the biggest market in the world, we have opened our borders to each other and the world and have abandoned- well to a certain extent- protectionism.

Immigrants are needed to fill the jobs that we are not willing to do and to sustain the very generous welfare system that we all enjoy. The alternative model would be that of Japan, which offers close to no social welfare benefits, yet it is a very homogeneous nation, for the time being at least. Instead of scapegoating them for our problems, perhaps we should simply re-evaluate the policies we have adopted so far, streamlining them to a pan-European common immigration policy.

If we continue to maintain so many loopholes for people to enter Europe, without however any proper integration policy, all we are doing is worsening the problem. We are encouraging more people to live on the fringes of our societies, often unemployed or cut off from equal opportunities and relying on social welfare. 

It is no wonder then that radicalization of certain immigrant communities, or rising xenophobia in the native population take hold and they make matters worse. Combined with an economic crisis and an increasingly competitive continent, in an increasingly competitive world, these issues can not be ignored.

We have been disregarding the weakest and most vulnerable in our societies, both native and migrant, making them feel left behind. Not everybody is equipped to catch up with the changes, like our older generation. In addition, we have been slashing the opportunities of our youth, forcing them into unemployment and a bleak future in order to save the banking sector. 

All the above add to the toxicity of European politics. If we want to succeed in creating and above all maintaining an open, democratic and liberal community of nations, then we cannot ignore these issues any more.

We will have to adapt and reform our societies, educational systems, job market and economy, or people will increasingly opt for political parties that will promise changes, even though they cannot deliver them.

On the issue of immigration we will have to learn from the mistakes of the past. If you think that you are promoting a tolerant and progressive image, by allowing too many immigrants to enter in your workforce, yet without a sustainable plan to integrate them, then the only thing that you will achieve is clashes and the opposite of what you hope for; the image of an intolerant society.

Problems will always arise, but we will have to anticipate and face them, not avoiding them in fear of offending people. Plus we will have to be bold and resourceful. We could establish a number of EU work permit embassies abroad, so people can enter Europe legally, bypassing criminal gangs that smuggle them into Europe for profit. Safeguarding European borders will need a stronger policing or security force, thus coordinating our efforts on this front is also essential. 

Cooperating with the transit countries is important, so maintaining good diplomatic relations with them is key. And if we decide that we need to reverse the flow, or at least limit it, we should encourage other regions to become big players in the globe and especially, to invest in the countries of origin of the potential migrants, creating jobs there. 

If their citizens feel that they have a future in their own communities, then they won't be as keen to migrate to Europe. And by allowing a multi-polar world to emerge, with many new players and prosperous regions, then Europe will not be the only continent too appealing to the potential immigrants. 

Therefore we need to engage with all other regions in the world, promoting stability, prosperity and education, together with our values and aspirations for a more united, interconnected world and set an example for others. But this won't happen when we are not sure of who we are, what we want or how to deal with our own problems, because we are unable to hold an open debate on the type of European society we wish to create for our future generations.