Antoinette Nikolova

Brussels, Sofia, Rome

Director

BFMI was founded in 2021 by Antoinette Nikolova, a veteran journalist and broadcaster from Bulgaria with over twenty years of experience reporting from Brussels and the Balkans. Nikolova had witnessed first-hand the increasing threats to free speech in the region having twice been removed from her position at state-backed news agencies in Bulgaria for unbiased political reporting. Such practices had become commonplace in the region, but were largely being by policymakers in Brussels and further afield. 

A longtime special envoy and correspondent from Italy and the EU, Antoinette Nikolova began her professional career following the war in the former Yugoslavia. She has since worked for a host of international news organisations for the last 20 years including Deutsche Welle International, News Corp television stations bTV and SkyItaly, RAI, the Bulgarian National, and  Euractiv.

As a member of the Board of the Foreign Press Association in Italy, she campaigned for the integrity and independence of journalists in the country.