In the waiting room
Problems for two applicants hoping to join the European Union
A BALKAN fairy tale unfolded in 2001 when an exiled child-king of Bulgaria, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, returned home in middle age and promised to solve all his country's problems in 800 days, if only his countrymen would elect him prime minister. They did so, handsomely. And, inevitably, disillusion has followed.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “In the waiting room”
From the November 1st 2003 edition
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Emmanuel Macron shows off the gloriously restored Notre Dame
Five years after it was gutted by fire, the cathedral is more beautiful than ever
Ursula von der Leyen has a new doctrine for handling the hard right
The boss of the European Commission embarks on a second term
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare