Politics

Many people still do not seem to be aware of the Putin regime\'s perfidious hybrid warfare against liberal democracy and the rule of law in Europe. It is therefore all the more important to talk about it publicly in order to fight against it. The European Liberal Forum (ELF) organized a panel discussion entitled \"Russian Influence in European Democracy\" on November 18 in Sofia with the Project: Poland Foundation and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF).

The outcome of the U.S. presidential election should not be too surprising. Not only did a careful analysis of the polls predict Donald Trump’s victory in all seven swing states, but the trend over the past four weeks was also clear. State polling averages increasingly favored the Republican, while individual polls showing Kamala Harris in the lead became fewer and less convincing.

Several days after the US election, it is time to focus on the possible and probable consequences. The Trump victory would present two main challenges for the EU. First, Trump and the Republican Party’s protectionist tendencies could result in a more aggressive trade policy toward Europe. Second, the Trump administration may show little interest in maintaining US support for Ukraine or playing a major role in European defense generally.

For the third consecutive year, the percentage of countries experiencing a decline in the rule of law has decreased. Additionally, for the first time in five years, more countries have shown improvement in the \"absence of corruption\" indicator. Bulgaria, however, is not among these countries. From 2016 to 2024, the state of fundamental human rights has worsened in 81% of the countries surveyed, including Bulgaria.

Donald Trump’s victory is a product of the Democratic establishment in America and the media and experts that support them. Despite the enormous campaign warning that democracy would end if Trump won, they did everything to hand him victory on a silver platter. Firstly, they clung to the hope that the infirm 81-year-old Joe Biden could collect his thoughts and lead a campaign.

As of September 1, 2024, the part of an Oregon law that allowed possession of small amounts of psychoactive substances for personal use only under penalty of a misdemeanor was repealed. The decriminalization, which Oregonians voted for in a referendum in 2020, was intended to reduce the social stigma of addicted individuals, reduce overdose deaths, and ease users’ pathways to rehab.

Populist parties raise important questions but offer terrible answers, a weakness others should exploit. Populism is by no means a new phenomenon, but recent years have seen a clear rise in parties turning to a more authoritarian, populist strategy of winning over voters. Now, the populist movement has managed to establish a strong position in Europe, and although its popularity is not currently rising, it is not diminishing either.

When it comes to healthcare and access to medication, regulators need to get out of the way. There is an ongoing debate about cannabis liberalization, but there is another drug which needs to be made more readily available: epinephrine, an essential medicine against severe allergic reactions. Epinephrine, a life-saving medicine, is not an over-the-counter drug. It requires a prescription, given to those who have known allergies. This needs to change.

Magic had influenced humankind since time immemorial until the age of reason started to disenchant the world. Unfortunately, magical practices still affect our lives. Thanks to the warped politics in some corners of the modern world, such as some far-right movements and the Kremlin under Vladimir Putin, magic is still leaving a sorry and unwelcome footprint on politics today.

In recent years, the quality of law-making in Poland has significantly deteriorated. Practices such as ignoring procedures, bypassing public consultations, using the deputies’ initiative route for government projects, and last-minute insertions in the final stage of the legislative process have been a constant element of the political landscape.