Economic Freedom Foundation

A new edition of the Nanny State Index has just been released — a ranking that measures how heavily European countries regulate their citizens’ lifestyles. Experts from the Civil Development Forum (FOR) are sounding the alarm: “Virtually all of the countries surveyed are increasingly turning to paternalistic solutions.”

In recent years, deregulation reforms have become a key step in many European countries toward simplifying rules and improving administrative efficiency. As a result, citizens and entrepreneurs have gained easier access to public services, and markets have become more business-friendly. But which specific reforms have delivered the best results — and how can other European nations benefit from their neighbors’ experiences?

It is now official – Bulgaria will become the 21st member of the euro area. This concludes a years-long process of preparing the country to join the monetary union. The first euro coins and notes will appear in Bulgarian wallets on January 1, 2026. In June 2025, EU finance ministers unanimously approved Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone. The Bulgarian lev will be replaced by the euro at the beginning of 2026, with the exchange rate set at 1 euro = 1.95583 leva.

Who is Javier Milei? Where do his ideas come from? Where is Argentina heading under his leadership — and is it too early for books like these? Many of these questions already have answers within reach. In this review, we look at two recent publications on Javier Milei. The first is The Milei Era by Philipp Bagus. The second, Milei: The Revolution They Did Not See Coming, is co-authored by Nicolás Márquez and Marcelo Duclos.

Poland is taking significant steps towards deregulation, driven by the growing need to simplify its legal framework. Efforts are underway to improve the quality of law by removing outdated and unnecessary regulations, fostering a more business-friendly and efficient environment for citizens and enterprises alike. But will these efforts truly lead to a more dynamic and innovative Poland, or are we simply replacing one set of challenges with another?

The Polish economy depends on deregulation not becoming a passing trend or an episode of the election campaign. Deregulation has the potential to be a major driver of growth. If there were a contest for the economic buzzword of the year in Poland, “deregulation” would be a frontrunner. Thanks to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s meeting with entrepreneurs in February 2025, the issue briefly rose to the forefront of Polish politics.

The Economic Freedom Foundation has supported the Freedom Games for several years. At this year\'s edition, at the EFF stand, participants were able to share their reflections on capitalism. We contrasted them with the content of Capitalist Manifesto by Johan Norberg. Among those who took part in our survey, positive associations predominated: capitalism means poverty reduction, efficient accumulation of resources, and freedom.

I am a classical, pro-free market liberal and I have always been closer to the Republicans than the Democrats. But in this election I had fingers crossed for Kamala Harris because she was more predictable and a better candidate from a geopolitical point of view. But if you look at it purely from a business perspective, the better option seems to be Trump.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Bank of Sweden\'s Alfred Nobel Prize in Economics for Friedrich Hayek, we would like to recall the achievements of this Austrian thinker and his impact on the entire democratic world, social sciences, and liberal philosophy.

December marks the first anniversary of Javier Milei\'s swearing-in as president of Argentina. This is the perfect time to summarize his most important achievements to date. When he began his term, He was an eccentric. During the election campaign, he promised the abolition of the central bank, the unilateral adoption in Argentina of the U.S. dollar as a circulating currency, and drastic cuts in spending and bureaucracy.