Bulgaria

The EU is no longer the abstraction it was in the beginning of the crisis. For many Europeans the crisis turned the Euro from a convenience into an issue, the Greek – from exotic and hospitable people into lazy parasites, and the English – from key allies into awkward partners.

The EP parliamentary elections in Bulgaria took place in the midst of what can only be called a crisis of public representation.

Bulgaria became a member of the EU, it became a member of NATO, but still, I don\'t think that the expectations that everybody had when it joined the EU in 2007 were matched to the full extent.

Republikon Institute used data available from Eurobarometer to construct three categories among voting-age population in Europe: eurosceptics, who are dissatisfied with Europe; “soft eurooptimists”, who, in general, are comfortable with the depth of European integration, and “federalists”, who would give more power to Brussels. The Institute then looked at the ratio of these categories in different countries – with a special focus on Central Eastern Europe.

The one thing which is clear is that if the Oresharski government continues to cling to its imprudent and populist line of action, it won’t be long before we see more and more representatives of those remaining 40% out on the streets as well.

In the long term (after 2020), the removal of direct payments should be a priority both for Bulgaria and for the EU as a whole, as only this way would the proper market-oriented development of the sector and the free competition between farmers from different member states be ensured.

Right from the start of the Great Recession the current account deficit shrunk with 62% in 2009, got to the relatively low level of 376 million euro in 2010 (around 1% of GDP) and turned into surplus of 361 million euro (close to 1% of GDP) in 2011. By doing so, all experts, who continuously […]

Just recently the Ministry of Finance issued 5-year external debt in euro, with annual coupon of 4,25% and annual yield of 4,436%. The total value of the issue was EUR 950 million, while the submitted bids stood at over EUR 6 billion. The issue was oversubscribed in just 30 minutes from hitting the screens and […]

In Bulgaria, during the years 2000-2009, there has been an increase from 21% to 46% in the employment rate of people aged 55-64 years old.

The Ministry of Economy finally published the eagerly-awaited plan for amendments to the Law on Protection of Competition (LPC). The newly proposed texts in the LPC are, for all points and purposes, a reaction to the ‘drama’ between the suppliers and the supermarket chains. It is no secret to anyone that the government feels compelled […]