Society & Culture
“Whatever plan you make, life always surprises you” - Jean Crombois' life story is a clear example of that.During our conversation, we talk about how we both ended up in AUBG because of women. He told the story of how he started from being a journalist, covering European Union stories for magazines in Brussels, then establishing academic traditions in European Studies in non-EU countries like Russia and Morocco, and eventually coming to Bulgaria to be a professor in AUBG. As a native Belgian, and someone that holds a Ph.D. in Modern European History, he shared his perspective on the European Integration Process. and European vision. We discussed the two competing narratives in the union and the tension between nationalism and federalism, the need for global cooperation when it comes to global issues and crisis as a moment of truth. We then delve into the Bulgarian context and its relationship to the EU, Bulgarian salaries, the need for entrepreneurship and the future of Bulgaria as a member state.