Articles

Bulgaria is about to enter the excessive deficit procedure for the second time in its recent history. At present, all expectations are focused on the government, which must propose a regular budget for 2026 and give a clear signal that it is reversing the trajectory of public finances.

The new government in Bulgaria is proposing a budget with a deficit of 5.7% of GDP, or EUR 7.2 billion. And this is happening in the country with the lowest unemployment in the European Union — the lowest since records began.

In general, no tax should be considered in isolation, which is why the taxation of individuals\' income must be aligned with the taxation of companies\' income, i.e., corporate tax. Put most simply, the system should tax similar activities and income in the same way, rather than allowing arbitrage/tax avoidance based solely on legal form.

How can we make technology work for us and not the other way around? What is the difference between ‘algorithms’ and ‘androrithms’? Does outsourcing thinking to AI erode people\'s capacity to think and leads to the rise of \"super-stupidity\"? And what will human agency look like in the future? Leszek Jazdzewski talks with Gerd Leonhard, a top-rated futurist and a leading global keynote speaker.

For yet another year, Bulgaria spends the most on its judiciary as a share of GDP among all EU member states — 0.7%. By comparison, Ireland and Cyprus, which spend the least in this respect, allocate only 0.1%. Bulgaria is also the record-holder in terms of the judiciary\'s share of total public spending.

Today, we delude ourselves that when we stand before the High Court awaiting its final verdict, we are facing Themis — blindfolded, holding the scales and sword, the embodiment of ideal justice that disregards social status. Yet, these judges are not blind at all.

Technological development reaches into every area of life. Too often we view it only through the lens of information technology or AI; yet, the greatest revolution of modern times was the technological advancement of medicine and agriculture, which extended human life and enabled a spectacular growth of the global population.

Values will not defend themselves. Rights will not defend themselves. Freedom will not defend itself. And each of these elements of the order of liberal democracy is worth taking care of every day, but it is also worth—and necessary—to fight for them.

Is the Visegrad Group still relevant? Is it expereiencing its renaissance after Péter Magyar\'s win in Hungary? What is the relationship between the Visegrad countries and Ukraine? What types of projects does the International Visegrad Fund foster and what is their relevance in terms of cultural cooperation? And can civil society funding be considered as part of democratic infrastructure?

More than four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian businesses continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience. Yet, the results of the latest New Monthly Enterprises Survey (NRES), conducted by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER) in May 2026, suggest that signs of a slower economic recovery are becoming increasingly visible.