Euobserver, by Nikolaj Nielsen
BRUSSELS - The European Commission and 22 EU member states have signed up to a controversial trade agreement in a move marked by cyber attacks and street protests.

Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands and Slovakia were the only EU countries not to put pen to paper at the signing ceremony in Tokyo on Thursday (26 January) of the so-called Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta).

The Bulgarian MEP Stanimir Ilchev participated in a joint meeting of the European Parliament and national parliaments in Brussels and spoke as a representative of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). He said that the European perspective for the Western Balkan countries is entirely feasible, but in the meanwhile problems that contain unpleasant surprises may occur.

"Knowledge of the region in the European circles and even in the European institutions is not enough," said Ilchev. "It is important to encourage intellectuals and experts who now speak a lot less than politicians. In the Balkans, the historical mythology is extremely strong and periodically the mass consciousness is dominated by images of borders, alliances and hidden interests. All this is not easily penetrable without common efforts and goodwill," said Bulgarian MEP and gave the example of the ongoing dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.