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Rumen Radev: Historically, Europe’s Values Lead Societies to the Principles of the Rule of Law and Welfare State

The constitutional debate should not lead to subordinating the Constitution to institutional, party or personal interests, especially through neglecting the values of the society, the President stressed in a lecture delivered before the European Public Law Organization in Athens

Historically, Europe’s values lead societies to the principles of the rule of law and welfare state. They distinguish every individual European country, but they also inspire our common integration project. This is what Rumen Radev said in front of the members of the European Public Law Organization in Greece, where he delivered a lecture on the topic of “Universal human values and the rule of law – pillars of the European development.” Rumen Radev is the fourth president of an EU member state who delivers a lecture within the prestigious forum.

The Head of State identified freedom, democracy and human rights as the historical goals of many generations that pooled efforts and committed self-sacrifice so that societies can be prosperous today. “These are the highest achievements of our civilization. When speaking about our values, we have to admit that they are far from being implemented in a perfect way and from being fully achieved,” Rumen Radev recalled. The President stressed that in today’s world of constant changes and uncertainty, defending human rights remains the moral compass for the peoples.

“History has proved that it is a challenging task for politicians to govern the state in a democratic way, assessing every step they take through the prism of protecting the freedom, human rights and rule of law,” the Head of State noted. European societies require that every single political decision be aligned in conformity to these leading principles. Therefore, sometimes it looks like that the countries in Europe are slow and inefficient, while some world or regional powers that are not bound and limited by the need to abide to these principles, are faster and more efficient in the short term when taking decisions. “Making timely decisions is sometimes complicated, however, the human development is not a sprint distance but a marathon. We are bound to win in the long run, as we have much stronger moral ground, based on our values,” Rumen Radev further said.

In the Head of State’s opinion, the debate on whether the legislation should follow the social developments or the social developments must follow and abide to the moral principles integrated in the legislation has its answer and it is in defending the common human values. “The law has to promote and defend our values and this is the ultimate public interest,” the President stressed.

In his statement at the forum, Rumen Radev also recalled that in Bulgaria there is an ongoing debate if our Constitution is still relevant to the social and political development of our country. “Do we need a brand new Constitution or amendments of the existing one will be sufficient? Whatever the approach would be, we should avoid any attempts to subordinate the Constitution to institutional, party or personal interests, especially through neglecting the values of the society,” the Head of State said.

The President congratulated the members of the European Public Law Organization for their noble mission to promote knowledge on the public law in and outside Europe, whereby they strengthen the democratic architecture of countries and societies, based on rights, obligations and choices, which develop and flourish within the frame of the rules of the public law. After the end of the lecture, the Head of State awarded the honorary sign of the President of the Republic to the organization for its contribution to strengthening the rule-of-law state.

The European Public Law Organization (EPLO) conducts research, trainings and specializations and organizes trainee programs for lawyers directed at improving the functioning of the democratic institutions. Since its establishment the organization has supported more than 200 educational, research, training, institutional and other activities and has provided assistance to democratic institutions in over 70 countries.