Hunting Putin’s saboteurs — Bulgaria’s mafia state — Who killed the EU’s translators? – POLITICO

The best of POLITICO’s coverage selected by Editor-in-Chief Jamil Anderlini.

By JAMIL ANDERLINI

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Dear readers,

Democracy is like air for a free and healthy society. We don’t notice it or think about it until it’s gone and by then our free and open society is dead — suffocated. One of the first things autocrats and aspiring autocrats attack when they want to destroy democracy is a free press. An independent, raucous and vibrant media is not possible in authoritarian states and a thriving democracy cannot exist without the contributions of a free and diverse media landscape.

We at POLITICO aspire to be the leading source of political journalism everywhere in the democratic world. Unfortunately, that market today is smaller than it used to be and still shrinking. It is incumbent on all of us who care about freedom and democracy to reverse that trend.

On Monday and Tuesday, I helped moderate the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, an annual forum founded and hosted by former Danish Prime Minister and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his Alliance of Democracies.

POLITICO was a media partner this year and, under the slogan “dictators need not apply,” the event drew a wonderful roster of speakers from across the world.

On stage, I interviewed Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who flew directly from the event to democratic, self-ruled Taiwan. I also had many fascinating backstage conversations with activists like Hong Kong’s Nathan Law and Joey Siu, Tiananmen Square student leader Wang Dan, Czech President Petr Pavel, Belarusian leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Palantir co-founder Alex Karp and numerous Ukrainian freedom fighters. 

A highlight for me was eavesdropping on a meeting between Ugandan opposition leader and fabulous musician Bobi Wine and Venezuelan dissident and opposition figure Leopoldo López discussing the global fight for democracy and how they could support each other’s struggle. It will surely end up as one of those “I remember the time … ” moments I tell my grandkids about.

What really struck me after attending this festival of freedom was how much cooler the forces of democracy are than the forces of autocracy! Perhaps it has something to do with the authoritarian urge to control, standardize and dominate that makes totalitarian art, music, culture and ideas so lame. 

For an example of what I’m talking about, check out this, from newly “harmonized” Hong Kong, where there is no shortage of great artistic talent but where this kitschy offering is the best the regime could come up with.

We’re watching Turkey again next week, where democracy sputters under assault from within. We’re also preparing to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the founding of the European Central Bank, with the launch of a new central banking-focused coverage area and product. Watch this space for more details on that.

Until next time, bon weekend!

Jamil

EDITOR’S CHOICE

The Cap vs. The Pumpkin: Bulgaria’s mafia state reaches breaking point

In a definitive piece, POLITICO revealed all that is rotten in the state of Bulgaria. With a memorable headline that introduced lead characters Ivan “The Cap” Geshev and Boyko “The Pumpkin” Borissov, we explained the ins and outs of the accusations, counteraccusations and counter-counteraccusations that have kept Bulgaria in a constant state of political crisis for years. Read the story.

‘Party soldier’ Mariya Gabriel returns to Bulgaria with EU baggage

More Bulgaria! In a piece that pulled no punches, POLITICO delivered a profile of Bulgaria’s outgoing European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel. Based on interviews with people who have worked for and with Gabriel, the piece revealed her to be a demanding boss who sometimes sent her workers out to buy Coca-Cola and cigarettes, and whose “rough” style pushed her staff to the limit — and sometimes over it. Read the story.

Who killed the EU’s translators?

One of those stories that only comes from close coverage of the institutions, this one revealed how artificial intelligence is already replacing workers in the Brussels Bubble — specifically the translators tasked with the Herculean job of providing official texts in the EU’s 24 working languages. European Commission figures indicate that its translation unit shrank by 17 percent over the last decade with the introduction of machine translation. Read the story.

China fears threaten to shatter G7 unity

The world’s eyes are on Hiroshima where the G7 leaders are meeting this weekend against a backdrop of war in Ukraine. But it’s the threat of a new conflict between China and Taiwan — and what to do about it — that’s testing the unity of this group of leading democratic economies. Will the leaders sign up to any concrete action to counter Beijing’s threats to the self-governing island? Or will another summit come and go with little more than a bland diplomatic communique? Read the story.

Row over Russian energy sanctions gatecrashes EU-India summit

This is a strong, distinctive piece about the elephant in the room going into the first EU-India summit, with officials split on how to respond to India buying up cheap oil, refining it, and then shipping it back to Europe for a hefty profit. Read the story.

Brussels tries to give broken EU customs some love

The Ursula von der Leyen Commission may have left reforming the EU’s dilapidated customs to the end of its term, and set an unambitious timeline for implementing it, but POLITICO was quick to procure a draft of the reform and set up the announcement with this great explainer. Read the story.

YOUR WEEKEND PLAYLIST

EU Confidential: EU commissioner resigns — Bulgaria’s breaking point — European election 2024

Host Suzanne Lynch is joined by Christian Oliver, POLITICO’s head of news, and Antoaneta Roussi, our cybersecurity reporter and Bulgaria expert. They reveal how Bulgaria’s mafia state is reaching its breaking point and why these rapid political changes have resulted in the resignation of European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel — who’s been tapped to form a coalition government back home. But what kind of reputation does she leave behind in Brussels? And in the week when the dates of the next European parliamentary election have been set for June 6 to June 9, our colleague Souwie Buis introduces us to two of its newest members, Damian Boeselager and Kim van Sparrentak. They give us the inside scoop on how they became MEPs and the surprising things they’ve learned on the job, as well as how the Parliament could be reformed ahead of the next election. POLITICO’s politics reporter covering the Parliament Eddy Wax also joins the discussion. Listen to the episode.

Westminster Insider: Why the hell would you work for an MP?

In a special episode, host Aggie Chambre gathers a group of 20-something politicos who spent years working as aides and researchers for some of Britain’s best-known politicians, and hears what working for an MP is really like. They tell stories of drunken sleepovers in parliament, MPs’ texts at 4 a.m. and high-pressure casework for distraught constituents which changed their lives forever. And the group explains how in the world of Westminster, your MP is also your “judge, jury, and executioner” — meaning if you work for the wrong person, things can quickly go badly awry. Listen to the episode.

DECLASSIFIED

Want to defeat the Russians? How about setting wild animals on them! More in this week’s Declassified. More in this week’s Declassified.

Caption competition

“So, here’s my final offer: I buy France for €40 billion and you get a free Tesla and a blue tick on Twitter.“

 Can you do better? Email [email protected] or on Twitter @pdallisonesque

Last week we gave you this photo:

 Thanks for all the entries. Here’s the best from our postbag — there’s no prize except for the gift of laughter, which I think we can all agree is far more valuable than cash or booze.

“And to think we left the EU to stop being governed by unelected, overpaid buffoons!” by Tom Morgan.

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