Dimitar Borumov, a political economist based in The Hague, is joining The European Times as the author of Series – Hidden from the Economy, a new contribution that examines what standard economic debate often overlooks—from care and social reproduction to the environment–economy relationship.

From Leiden to The Hague: a political economy lens

Borumov holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies (BA) at Leiden University, where he specialised in the Politics and Economics of the Middle East. He later completed the International Relations (MA), specialisation Global Political Economy, also at Leiden University. Across his academic work, he focused on three broad areas: economies in transition; the political economy of care and social reproduction; and critiques of modern capitalism—especially at the intersection of environment and economy.

What “Hidden from the Economy” sets out to do

In his opening pieces, Borumov argues that many forces that sustain economic life are treated as “external” until they can be priced, traded, or exploited. His first article, The Economy beyond the Orthodox Understanding, introduces the logic he wants to challenge: “no money – no importance.” His follow-up, The Environment-Economy Nexus – a Historical Perspective, traces how environmental exploitation shifted over centuries—from survival to extraction and, eventually, to the imperatives of market expansion.

For readers, the promise of the series is both practical and political: to connect everyday realities—care work, ecological limits, uneven development—to the big questions shaping Europe’s debates on sustainability, inequality, and economic resilience.

Teaching, environmental awareness, and dialogue

Outside publishing, Borumov works in education—both formal and informal—on environmental awareness and on the relationship between ecology and economy. He also teaches Bulgarian History, Geography and Economy at the Bulgarian school “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” in The Hague, which has been referenced in official communications by Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands context.

He is additionally involved in interfaith and civic dialogue as a youth leader with BRIDGES – Eastern European Forum for Dialogue, a cooperation circle of the United Religions Initiative.

A guiding principle: start with the roots

Borumov summarises his approach to public problems in a simple maxim:

That method—diagnosis before slogans—fits the intent of The European Times: to make complex public debates readable, grounded, and accountable to lived realities.

Read Dimitar Borumov’s series

The Winter Olympics 2026 in Milano Cortina are underway, captivating audiences with thrilling competitions. Among the key stories is Great Britain’s Matt Weston, who is poised to end the nation’s medal drought at these Games in the skeleton event.

British fans are focused on Matt Weston, who holds a promising lead of 0.30 seconds over his nearest rival heading into the final two runs of the skeleton competition. Scheduled for this evening at 18:30 and 20:05 GMT, Weston’s performance could make history as he aims to become Britain’s first male Olympic skeleton champion.

A victory for Weston would not only be a personal triumph but also a significant milestone for British winter sports. Despite his strong position, the pressure remains high as he competes against some of the best athletes in the world. The anticipation surrounding his potential win highlights both the challenges and excitement inherent in Olympic competition.

As events unfold at the Winter Olympics 2026, athletes like Matt Weston embody both the spirit of competition and resilience. With Weston’s quest for gold, these Games continue to deliver unforgettable moments that captivate audiences worldwide.

The coming days promise further excitement as more athletes vie for their place on the podium. As fans watch with bated breath, one thing is certain: the spirit of the Olympics remains as vibrant and inspiring as ever.

Original source: The Guardian

Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar says an illicitly recorded intimate video from 2024 may be used to damage him ahead of Hungary’s 12 April 2026 election, a claim he has taken to police as the campaign intensifies and polling signals a highly competitive race.

Hungary’s election campaign has been shaken by allegations from opposition leader Péter Magyar, who says he expects a smear attempt involving a secretly recorded intimate video from 2024 as the country heads toward parliamentary elections on 12 April 2026. Reporting on the episode, Reuters noted that the controversy is landing in an already tense political climate, with rival camps treating the vote as pivotal for Hungary’s direction in Europe.

Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, said online material hinted at an impending release connected to the date 3 August 2024. He has said the encounter would have been consensual and that he has not committed wrongdoing, while warning that the episode may be weaponised as part of a political attack. As of mid-February, reporting said no video had been made public.

On 13 February, Magyar filed a police report alleging unlawful secret information gathering and the unauthorised use of concealed recording equipment, and also raising concerns about the misuse of his personal data. He has blamed the government for orchestrating a “honey trap” designed to undermine his credibility.

The government and the ruling Fidesz party have not offered detailed rebuttals. A Fidesz representative told Reuters the party had no knowledge of the video or the images being circulated, and senior officials said they were unaware of the website that raised the allegation.

The controversy comes as polling remains contested. Some surveys have shown Tisza leading Fidesz, while pro-government polling has put Fidesz ahead, underscoring that the outcome is far from settled.

International attention has also sharpened. U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly backed Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, praising him as a “truly strong and powerful leader,” adding another layer to a campaign already marked by high polarisation and intense messaging.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to address the Munich Security Conference this weekend, using the Munich gathering to argue that transatlantic partners are entering a “new era” in geopolitics and that the relationship is at a defining moment.

His appearance comes amid heightened European unease over the Trump administration’s increasingly confrontational posture toward allies — including renewed pressure over Greenland. In January, President Donald Trump threatened escalating tariffs on several European countries tied to demands for U.S. ownership of Greenland, amplifying fears about the durability of longstanding alliance assumptions.

Context and background

The conference is one of the first major opportunities in 2026 for senior U.S. and European officials to engage in a single high-level forum as frictions over trade, security burdens, and Greenland’s status spill into the open. Reuters reported ahead of the conference that Rubio is expected to deliver a speech on Saturday, after last year’s Munich meeting was marked by unusually sharp U.S. criticism of European partners.

Beyond the public program, Rubio has also used the Munich sidelines for diplomacy with major powers, including a closed-door meeting with China’s top diplomat, reflecting how the U.S. is balancing European security issues with broader strategic competition.

Analysis and implications

Rubio is likely to frame the moment as one requiring closer coordination among Western partners, while also signalling that Washington expects Europe to take on more responsibility — a theme that has intensified as Europeans debate how to reduce vulnerabilities exposed by U.S. policy volatility. In Munich, European leaders have openly warned that the old assumptions underpinning the post-Cold War order no longer hold, even as they stress that NATO remains central.

At the same time, Europe’s internal disagreements on issues such as trade and defence industrial policy complicate efforts to present a unified position when facing U.S. pressure — particularly in disputes that directly touch a NATO ally like Denmark and its autonomous territory Greenland.

Rubio’s Munich speech is best understood not as a response to a one-off, historical “Greenland purchase idea,” but as part of a broader 2026 context: renewed U.S. pressure and unpredictability on trade and alliance issues, alongside intensifying great-power rivalry. The Munich forum will test whether Washington and Europe can stabilise cooperation while recalibrating expectations in a fast-changing security environment.

BRUSSELS—European Union leaders have agreed to a sweeping restructuring of the bloc’s economy to confront an “enormous” triple threat from Washington, Beijing and Moscow, backing urgent reforms designed to forge “European champions” capable of competing in an increasingly hostile global order.

Meeting Thursday at a 16th-century castle in eastern Belgium, the 27 heads of state endorsed what European Council President António Costa described as a “real game changer”—an action plan with binding timelines to slash regulations, integrate financial markets, and coordinate energy infrastructure across the continent.

“The pressure and the sense of urgency is enormous, and that can move mountains,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared following the summit, confirming the formal proposal will be presented in March. “We need European champions.”

The Franco-German Engine Revs

The meeting opened with a carefully choreographed display of unity between the bloc’s traditional power centers. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz crossed the drawbridge side by side, presenting a joint front despite recent strategic disagreements.

“We share this sense of urgency that Europe must take action,” Macron said from the blue carpet alongside his German counterpart. “There is increased pressure on us, with competition—sometimes unfair competition—that is very intense, with very strong pressure from China, tariffs imposed on us by the Americans with threats of coercive practices.”

Merz, leading Europe’s largest economy after his CDU/CSU alliance’s recent electoral victory, emphasized speed: “We want to make this European Union faster, we want to make it better, and above all we want to ensure that we have competitive industry in Europe.”

Competing Visions for a ‘Dangerous Era’

The Brussels agreement attempts to bridge a philosophical divide splitting the continent. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Merz lead a deregulation camp insisting the EU “cannot continue to hyperregulate,” while Macron champions “strategic autonomy“—a push for European producers to receive preferential treatment in defense and critical industry procurement.

“There’s no time to lose,” Meloni warned. Her allies want deeper trade relationships with Washington and agreements like the recent EU-Mercosur deal, while Macron argues for shielding “sectors that are particularly under threat” including cleantech, chemicals, steel, automotive and defense industries from foreign competition.

The French president renewed his call for “Eurobonds for the future”—joint EU borrowing to fund strategic investments—describing the instrument as essential “to challenge the hegemony of the dollar.” The proposal faces resistance from fiscal hawks in northern Europe.

The Draghi-Letta Doctrine

Thursday’s agreement draws heavily from blueprints drafted by two former prime ministers turned economic architects. Mario Draghi, former head of the European Central Bank, and Enrico Letta, former Italian premier, have both urged radical integration to close Europe’s innovation gap with the United States and China.

Draghi’s 2024 competitiveness report called for cutting red tape, upgrading infrastructure, and completing the capital markets union to prevent European savings from flowing to American markets. According to the Letta report, €33 trillion sits in private European savings—capital the leaders hope to unlock for strategic investments.

“We have way too many barriers that prevent money and capital from moving from one country to another, way too many obstacles to simplification,” said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, whose European People’s Party claims 13 EU heads of state among its members.

From Tariffs to Energy Grids

The economic overhaul responds to immediate external pressures. The Trump administration has imposed sweeping tariffs on European exports while threatening coercive trade measures, even as Beijing restricts exports of critical minerals essential for Europe’s green transition.

The action plan includes measures to coordinate upgrading energy grids across borders, deepen financial integration to create genuine “European champions” capable of competing with American and Chinese giants, and loosen merger regulations currently preventing EU firms from achieving scale.

“No more words, but more action,” Metsola insisted.

Citizens Demand Action

The Brussels pivot comes amid shifting public sentiment. According to the latest Eurobarometer survey, EU citizens are “hungry for a stronger EU and a more unified, stronger and ambitious leadership” amid military threats, economic pressures and climate instability.

“There has never been a better time for European leaders, national political leaders, to actually leverage on these European citizens’ demand for greater European action,” said Alberto Alemanno, professor of EU law at HEC Paris.

The leaders agreed to maintain momentum with concrete legislative proposals before the June NATO Summit in The Hague, where European defense spending and economic security will dominate the agenda alongside the ongoing war in Ukraine.

For a bloc long paralyzed by institutional gridlock, Thursday’s castle retreat marked a rare moment of decisive action. Whether the “game changer” translates into tangible economic power—or dissolves into the familiar Brussels inertia—will determine Europe’s position in an emerging multipolar world.