From Traditional to Official Religion: The Legal Status of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church after 2019

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church-Bulgarian Patriarchate is conventionally associated with the Bulgarian national identity, statehood, and culture. Recognizing its contribution for their preservation, the state has ensured certain privileges to the Church, including regulation of its legal status. During the Bulgarian monarchy (1878-1944) and under the 1879 Tarnovo Constitution, Eastern Orthodoxy had been recognized as the official religion of the state (Art. 37), and religion was present in the public schools, the army, and the public sphere in general. After the fall of the totalitarian communist regime, in the new democratic 1991 Constitution, Eastern Orthodoxy was recognized as the traditional religion in the state, without explicitly providing specific privileges. In the last decades, however, the public role and influence of the Church has been increasing. Starting with the government of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (2001-2005) and the adoption of new 2002 Denominations Act, and continuing during the terms of Borisov’s three governments (2009-2020), church-state relations have developed to the point that the state takes increasing responsibility for the well-being of the Church (from ensuring public funding for reconstruction and maintenance of churches to paying salaries of clergy). This new approach to church-state relations will be analyzed, thus raising questions whether it remains within the initial constitutional frame or tacitly shapes and gradually recognizes a new official religion status of the Church vis-à-vis the state and society

Towards participatory political theology: democratic consolidation in Southeastern Europe and the role of Eastern Christianity in the process

This thesis defends the position that the Eastern Orthodoxy has the potential to develop, on the basis of its core concepts and doctrines, a new political theology that is participatory, personalist and universalist. This participatory political theology, as I name it, endorses modern democracy and the values of civic engagement. It enhances the process of democracy-building and consolidation in the SEE countries through cultivating the ethos of participation and concern with the common good among and the recognition of the dignity and freedom of the person. This political-theological model is developed while analyzing critically the traditional models of church-state relations (the symphonia model corresponding to the medieval empire and the Christian nation model corresponding to the nation-state) as being instrumentalized to serve the political goals of non-democratic regimes. The participatory political-theological model is seen as corresponding to the conditions of the constitutional democratic state. The research is justified by the fact the Eastern Orthodoxy has been a dominant religiouscultural force in the European South East for centuries, thus playing a significant role in the process of creation of the medieval and modern statehood of the SEE countries. The analysis employs comparative constitutional perspectives on democratic transition and consolidation in the SEE region with the theoretical approaches of political theology and Eastern Orthodox theology. The conceptual basis for the political-theological synthesis is found in the concept and doctrines of the Eastern Orthodoxy (theosis and synergy, ecclesia and Eucharist, conciliarity and catholicity, economy and eschatology) which emphasize the participatory, personalist and communal dimensions of the Orthodox faith and practice. The paradigms of revealing the political-theological potential of these concepts are the Eucharistic ecclesiology and the concept of divine-human communion as defining the body of Orthodox theology. The thesis argues that with its ethos of openness and engagement the participatory political theology presupposes political systems that are democratic, inclusive, and participatory, respecting the rights and the dignity of the person. The political theology developed here calls for a transformation and change of democratic systems towards better realization of their personalist and participatory commitments. In the context of the SEE countries the participatory political theology addresses the challenges posed by alternative authoritarian political theologies practiced in neighboring regions

Deliberative Democracy in the EU. Countering Populism with Participation and Debate. CEPS Paperback

Elections are the preferred way to freely transfer power from one term to the next and from one political party or coalition to another. They are an essential element of democracy. But if the process of power transfer is corrupted, democracy risks collapse. Reliance on voters, civil society organisations and neutral observers to fully exercise their freedoms as laid down in international human rights conventions is an integral part of holding democratic elections. Without free, fair and regular elections, liberal democracy is inconceivable. Elections are no guarantee that democracy will take root and hold, however. If the history of political participation in Europe over the past 800 years is anything to go by, successful attempts at gaining voice have been patchy, while leaders’ attempts to silence these voices and consolidate their own power have been almost constant (Blockmans, 2020). Recent developments in certain EU member states have again shown us that democratically elected leaders will try and use majoritarian rule to curb freedoms, overstep the constitutional limits of their powers, protect the interests of their cronies and recycle themselves through seemingly free and fair elections. In their recent book How Democracies Die, two Harvard professors of politics write: “Since the end of the Cold War, most democratic breakdowns have been caused not by generals and soldiers but by elected governments themselves” (Levitsky and Ziblatt, 2018)

Antioxidant and DNA-Protective Potentials, Main Phenolic Compounds, and Microscopic Features of Koelreuteria paniculata Aerial Parts

Interest in plant extracts as a natural source of antioxidants has grown significantly in recent years. The tree species Koelreuteria paniculata deserves attention due to its wide distribution, good adaptability, and growth to the degree of invasiveness in a number of European countries. The purpose of the present study was to analyze flavonoids and phenolic acids of the ethanol extracts from aerial parts of K. paniculata and to screen their antioxidant and DNA-protective activity. HPLC profiling revealed the presence of five flavonoids, with rutin (4.23 mg/g DW), hesperidin (2.97 mg/g DW), and quercetin (2.66 mg/g DW) as the major ones in the leaves, and (−)-epicatechin (2.69 mg/g DW) in the flower buds. Among the nine phenolic acids identified, rosmarinic, p-coumaric, salicylic, vanillic, and gallic acids were the best represented. All the extracts tested showed in vitro antioxidant activity that was determined by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and CUPRAC assays. The highest activity was recorded in the flower parts (in the range from 1133 to 4308 mmol TE/g DW). The DNA-protective capacity of the flower and stem bark extracts from the in vitro nicking assay performed, as well as the main diagnostic microscopic features of the plant substances, are given for the first time. According to the results obtained, the aerial parts of K. paniculata could be valuable sources of natural antioxidants

Transgenic resistance of Bulgarian potato cultivars to the Colorado potato beetle based on Bt technology

Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say, is the most destructive insect pest of potatoes. When the population of beetles is high, plants can be completely defoliated and commercial potato production is nearly impossible without control of the beetle. The beetles have shown a tremendous ability to develop resistance against insecticides. Previously, a biotechnology approach to control Colarado potato beetle based on the use of the synthetic Bt gene was developed. In this article, a transformation procedure for three commercial Bulgarian potato cultivars was developed and potentially commercial transgenic lines have been selected based on field resistance to Colorado potato beetles and yield. Plants were transformed with the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cry3A gene using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. 110 plants from the three cultivars were regenerated and tested by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). The Cry3A protein accumulation varied across the transgenic lines, rating from very low to 71.5 $\mu$g/g fresh weight. 21 transgenic lines expressing the Cry3A protein at levels above 10 $\mu$g/g fresh weight were tested in two successive years in filed conditions at two different locations of the country. All transgenic lines compared with the controls, nontransgenic potatoes from the respective cultivar, were consistently protected from foliar damages from all developmental stages of the beetle. The comparison of all properties of the tested transgenic lines, including variety phenotypes and tuber yield, allowed the selection of the most promising 2–3 lines per cultivar. Selected lines produced tuber amounts 80–100% higher compared with the control, non-transgenic plants. Those lines were grown for mass propagation during the third year of field experiments. The presence of the transgene in these lines was confirmed with the use of primers specific to the transgene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Additionally, the results from the insect bioassay showed that these lines were highly resistant to insect feeding, leading to 100% of mortality of larval populations. In summary, we generated potentially commercial potato lines highly resistant to Colorado potato beetle using Bt technology that may have a profound impact on development of sustainable agriculture in Bulgaria. This is one of the several agriculture biotechnology products entirely developed and tested in Bulgaria

Phenolic Profile, Antioxidant and DNA-Protective Capacity, and Microscopic Characters of <i>Ailanthus altissima</i> Aerial Substances

Invasive species as sources of natural components are of increasing interest for scientific research. This is the case of Ailanthus altissima, which belongs to the top 100 of the most dangerous invasive plant species in Europe, and which is the subject of the present study. The purpose of the research was to analyze the main phenolic compounds in the flowers, leaves, and stem bark of A. altissima and determine the DNA-protective and antioxidant potential of their ethanolic extracts. HPLC profiling revealed the presence of 6 flavonoids and 10 phenolic acids, of which 15 were found in flowers, 14 in leaves, and 11 in the stem bark. Rutin (5.68 mg/g dw in flowers), hesperidin (2.67 mg/g dw in leaves) and (+)-catechin (2.15 mg/g dw in stem bark) were the best-represented flavonoids. Rosmarinic (10.32 mg/g dw in leaves) and salicylic (6.19 mg/g dw in leaves) acids were predominant among phenolic acids. All plant extracts tested showed in vitro antioxidant activity (determined by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and CUPRAC assays) and DNA-protection capacity (assay with supercoiled plasmid DNA—pUC19). The highest antioxidant activity was recorded in the flower parts (in the range from 661 to 893 mmol TE/g dw), followed by the leaves. A DNA protective potential for A. altissima leaf and flower extracts has not been established to date. In addition, the main microscopic diagnostic features of studied plant substances were described, with data for the flower parts being reported for the first time. The present study proves that A. altissima could be a natural source of DNA protection and antioxidants