Vessela Tcherneva
Deputy Director
Areas of Expertise
EU foreign policy; Western Balkans and Black Sea regions; transatlantic relations; regional studies; energy
Languages
Bulgarian, English, German, Russian
Vessela Tcherneva is deputy director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Her topics of focus include EU foreign policy and the Western Balkans and Black Sea region.
Between January and July 2022, she held the position of Foreign Policy Advisor to the Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov. From 2010 to 2013, she was the spokesperson for the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a member of Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov’s political cabinet. Previously, she was secretary of the International Commission on the Balkans, chaired by former Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato and former German President Richard von Weizsäcker; supervising editor of the Foreign Policy Bulgaria magazine; and political officer at the Bulgarian Embassy in Washington, DC. Tcherneva holds an MA in Political Science from the Rhienische Friedrich-Wilhelm Universität in Bonn.
More from Vessela Tcherneva
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Unlock the veto deadlock to secure Europe’s enlargement
What began as a cautious enlargement process is now a test of whether the EU can reform, overcome vetoes, and lead in a rapidly shifting world order.
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After Novi Sad: How the EU can help Serbia resurrect its democratic path
Serbia’s young people are making their dissatisfaction with Aleksandar Vucic’s corrupt government known. The EU should consider freezing Serbia’s accession negotiations and support the country’s return to democratic fundamentals.
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Before it’s too late: How the EU should support the Western Balkans’ EU accession
With Russia’s war on Ukraine raging on its eastern border, EU enlargement in the Western Balkans has a new geopolitical urgency. The EU must commit to supporting their accession – and a fixed date like 2030 alongside a staged approach will add credibility to this commitment