Sergei Stanishev

Sergey Dmitrievich Stanishev (Сергей Дмитриевич Станишев ; born 5 May 1966) is a Bulgarian politician who is serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

Stanishev was born in 1966, in Kherson, Ukrainian SSR (Soviet Union), to Dinah Sergeevna Muhina, a Soviet citizen and, a Bulgarian Communist official who headed the Bulgarian Communist Party's foreign policy department and would later become secretary of the party central committee.

After beginning his schooling in Soviet Russia, he then graduated from the 35 SOU "Dobri Voynikov" in Sofia.

Stanishev subsequently graduated from Moscow State University in 1989 and obtained his candidate degree (PhD-equivalent) in 1994 both in the field of history.

His thesis was entitled "The system of service promotion of high ranking officials in Russia and its evolution during the second half of XIX century".

In 1995, he became a staff member in the Foreign Affairs Department of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).

He was Chief of Foreign Policy and International Relations for the BSP from 1996 to 2001.

In 1998, he specialized in political sciences at Moscow School of political studies.

He was a visiting fellow in international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1999–2000.

He also worked as a freelance journalist.

In May 2000 he was elected a Member of the BSP Supreme Council and Member of the Executive Bureau.

In June 2001, he entered politics when he was elected as a member of the Bulgarian National Assembly from the region of Ruse.

In December 2001, Stanishev was elected Chairman of the BSP at the party's Congress, and also Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the Coalition for Bulgaria following the resignation of the previous holder of these positions, Georgi Parvanov, after his victory in the 2001 presidential election.

Since April 2004 Stanishev has also been a member of the presidency of the Party of European Socialists (PES).

Even though at the beginning older party members regarded him with suspicion due to his lack of experience, Stanishev has enjoyed considerable public approval, mainly because of his successful efforts to modernise the BSP.

Stanishev succeed to modernise the BSP, leading it to fill membership to the Socialist International and then to be member of the PES.

In the general election of 25 June 2005 Stanishev was re-elected to the National Assembly, this time for a seat in Burgas.

Under his leadership the Coalition for Bulgaria (a coalition dominated by the BSP) won 31% of the votes.

Stanishev said that the next government "should be led by the party which won most votes in the elections."

On 20 July, after nearly a month of political uncertainty, Stanishev agreed to attempt to form a Cabinet.

On 27 July 2005 the Bulgarian Parliament chose him as the new Prime Minister in a coalition government, led by the BSP and National Movement Simeon II in a partnership with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

The vote was 120 to 119.

However, the parliament voted against Stanishev's proposed Cabinet by 119 to 117 votes.

This was followed by another two weeks of political deadlock.

Finally, on 15 August, Stanishev was able to form a three-party grand coalition with the party of outgoing Prime Minister Simeon Sakskoburggotski and with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, a Turkish minority party.

Stanishev said the coalition's priorities would be "European integration, social responsibility and economic growth."

He was elected Prime Minister by the Bulgarian parliament on 16 August with 168 in favour and 67 against.

On 17 August 2005, with an official ceremony on 1 Dondukov Boulevard, Sergey Stanishev took office as Prime Minister.

Sergey Stanishev is an avid pro-EU politician who is credited with reforming Bulgaria to the extent that he managed to steer his country to be among the last group of countries which joined the EU.

Stanishev said Bulgaria's entrance to the EU was the final fall of the Berlin Wall for his nation, while EU President Jose Manuel Barroso hailed Bulgaria for having "gone through a remarkable transformation" in order to join.

The European Commission's report on Bulgaria and Romania's accession had confirmed that after seven years of talks, Bulgaria and Romania were able to take on the rights and obligations of EU membership.

Reading the report, Barroso said the two nations' entry would be a "historic achievement".

In June 2008 Stanishev drew criticism from human rights advocates for his remarks regarding Bulgaria's first gay pride parade; the Prime Minister said he did not approve of "the manifestation and demonstration of such orientations."

Also in June 2008 The Guardian published an article highly critical of planned real estate development in a pristine seacoast area under EU environmental protection.

Sergey Stanishev's brother, Georgi Stanishev, is the Bulgarian partner of Foster and Partners, the developer behind the controversial project.

In March 2009, New Europe published the heading 'Barroso backs Stanishev'.

Stanishev received the full support of European Commissions President Jose Manuel Barroso concerning the improvement of the cooperation with the European Commission and the enhancement of the administrative capacity.

Prime Minister Stanishev was on a working visit to Brussels and met with President Barroso, as well as European Commissioner for Energy Andris Piebalgs and Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Joaquin Almunia.

He previously served as President of the Party of European Socialists from November 2011 to October 2022, Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2005 to 2009, Leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party from 2001 to 2014 and Member of the National Assembly from 1997 to 2014.

He was elected as a member of the European Parliament for a second term in 2019.