MA Politics and Policies of the European Union Sofia University

Meet Our Professors!

Now we are moving to the elective courses and we are particularly excited to start presenting the professors behind them, beginning with Dr. Spasimir Domaradzki.

Dr. Domaradzki is one of the international highlights of the program bringing outstanding international academic and policy expertise directly to Sofia University. He is a political scientist and lecturer at the University of Warsaw, one of the leading universities in Central and Eastern Europe. His profile combines high-level policy analysis, international field experience with OSCE election observation missions, and internationally recognised scholarship, including books, book chapters and articles in prominent academic journals on European integration, EU enlargement and geopolitics, with a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe.

Having a scholar of this profile teaching regularly in an MA programme in Bulgaria is truly exceptional.

Within the MA Politics and Policies of the European Union, he teaches: Transatlantic Relations — an elective course that introduces students to the political, institutional and strategic dimensions of the relations between the EU and the United States.

Meet Our Professors!

We are concluding the introduction of the compulsory courses with the current Head of Programme — Dr. Lubomira Popova.

Dr. Lubomira Popova is a young scholar with a strong and developing international research profile in Europeanisation, EU enlargement and post-communist transformation in Central and Eastern Europe. Her academic work focuses on the political, institutional and social dimensions of European integration and EU enlargement.

In the MA Programme she teaches the compulsory course "Political History of European Integration and EU Enlargements", as well as the elective course "Socio-Political Foundations of Europeanisation".

Stay tuned to meet our outstanding lecturers in the elective courses — from both academia and the world of practice!

Meet our Professors!

Prof. Tatiana Tomova is a senior academic in public policy and governance at the Department of Public Administration at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” with extensive expertise in social policy and policy-making processes.

She combines long-standing academic experience with significant contributions to research on public policies and their societal impact, with a particular focus on how policies are designed, implemented, and transformed over time.

Her academic profile brings together theoretical insight and empirical analysis of policy processes—key to understanding how the European Union operates beyond its institutions.

Her course at our MA Programme—European Integration through Public Policies—offers students a structured understanding of how EU policies are developed and implemented across different sectors.

Check out our fully updated program for the 2026–2027 academic year, with a wide selection of new courses!

🎓 Meet Our Professors!

Assoc. Prof. Tsvetan Manchev, PhD is a senior academic in economics at European Studies Department at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” with extensive experience in macroeconomics, monetary policy, and European economic integration.

He combines long-standing academic expertise with high-level institutional experience. Alongside his academic career, he has contributed to the work of international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund where he served as an advisor to the Executive Director.

His professional profile brings together academic research and practical insight into financial systems, monetary regimes, and the challenges of economic convergence—key issues at the core of the European Union.

His course at our MA Program—Economic Governance in the EU—offers students a structured understanding of the EU’s economic governance framework, including fiscal coordination, monetary policy and integration, and the functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union.

Through the course, students gain both conceptual clarity and practical insight into the economic foundations of European integration.

Meet our Professors!

Dr. Gergana Radoykova is an Assistant Professor PhD in the Political Science Department at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” She has a strong academic background. Her research focuses on EU institution-building, accountability of public institutions at European and national levels, Bulgaria’s participation in EU decision-making, and mechanisms of citizen participation.

Dr. Radoykova is the author of "Accountability of the Institutions of the European Union" and has published in Bulgarian and international academic journals. She brings over 15 years of practical experience in Bulgarian administrative structures dealing with European affairs.

In the MA Programme Politics and Policies of the European Union, she co-teaches the course Policy-Making in the EU and Decision-Making Process together with Prof. Kaloyan Simeonov.

Meet our Professors!

Prof. Kaloyan Simeonov is a senior academic with extensive experience in European integration and EU governance. He currently serves as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and has previously been Head of the Department of European Studies.

He holds a Master’s degree from the College of Europe (Natolin) and a degree in International Economic Relations from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia. Prof. Simeonov combines long-standing academic expertise with substantial practical experience. He participated in Bulgaria’s EU accession negotiations and has worked as a consultant in the accession processes of Western Balkan countries. He also brings experience from his work in the Ministry of Finance.

Within the MA programme Politics and Policies of the European Union, he teaches:

📘 Policy-Making in the EU and Decision-Making Process (compulsory course, co-taught with Dr. Gergana Radoykova) – offering students a structured understanding of how EU institutions interact, how negotiations unfold, and how policies are shaped within the Union’s complex institutional framework.

📙 EU Policy towards the Western Balkans and Neighbourhood Policy (elective course) – focusing on the EU’s enlargement strategy, conditionality, regional cooperation, and the Union’s broader approach towards neighbouring regions. The course provides in-depth insight into the political, economic and strategic dimensions of EU external governance.

Through both courses, students gain not only theoretical knowledge, but also first-hand insight into how European integration operates in practice — from institutional coordination to accession negotiations.

📌 The video below (in Bulgarian) reflects on his experience in EU negotiations:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJjxJe2IZuN/

Разширяване на Европейския съюз 🇪🇺 Зад вратите на ФФ: доц. Калоян Симеонов, специалност “Европеистика”.

Meet our professors!

We begin our series by introducing Prof. Georgi Dimitrov — one of the key figures behind the development of European Studies at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

Prof. Dimitrov is among the leading Bulgarian sociologists in the fields of historical sociology, the sociology of post-communist transformation, and European integration. With extensive international academic experience and long-standing research on Europe’s political and societal development, he has played a central role in shaping the intellectual foundations of the programme.

His course, The Politics of EU Enlargement through Conditionality, examines the political logic and contradictory nature of one of the most debated EU policies.

🎥 In this public lecture (in Bulgarian), Prof. Dimitrov discusses the intellectual challenges of EU enlargement — the core theme of his course in our MA programme.

Stay tuned to meet the rest of our professors.

Лицата на науката | Проф. Георги Димитров: Травматичният проблем за разширенията на Европейския съюз Проф. Георги Димитров е доктор на социологическите и доктор на политическите науки, основател на катедра “Европеистика” във Философския факултет на СУ. В ле...

🇪🇺 Students from the Faculty of Philosophy at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” performed brilliantly in the simulation (February 2026, Brussels) — a negotiation model of the Council of the European Union.

Well done, Vasilena Uzunova and Dinko Chavdarov!

“If you had to describe the EU in one sentence, what would you say?”

We explored this question together with students at AUBG.
Thank you for the thoughtful answers, sharp insights, and a truly engaging discussion.

🎓 MA Politics and Policies of the European Union
Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski