27.05.2025
Bulgaria’s accession to the Eurozone is part of the essential political exchange of ideas but it is not a topic for political debate and we will not go into it. The time for political debate was in 1997. Today, all responsible politicians and all institutions in charge are well aware of where Bulgaria stands at present. As a government, we know very well what needs to be done and we rely on institution-to-institution partnership. This was stated by Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov at the opening of a discussion on “Financial Literacy as a Factor for Investment, Income and Eurozone”, arranged by the Economic and Social Council.
The Prime Minister was firm that at present, when the nation must be convinced that the adoption of the Euro is of benefit to the better competitiveness of our economy, to provoke a debate on the Euro is actually manipulation and an attempt to instill and pull fears in people. As a government, we do not need this mise-en-scène and this libretto, Rossen Jeliazkov pointed out. As he put it, if there is something that divides society, it is precisely the institution-to-institution skirmishes. “They cannot lead to anything different except that they will deepen the understanding that political dialog in Bulgaria is not at the appropriate level and create the feeling that we may again enter a spiral of elections. I don’t believe this is the goal of employers and trade unions and of the Executive branch of power,” the Prime Minister noted.
Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov recalled that the political talk on the matter that started in 1997 was really finalized in 2005. From then on, everything is a matter of technology, Rossen Jeliazkov pointed out. The Prime Minister recalled that last year the National Assembly passed an act on the adoption of the Euro and the act was promulgated by a presidential decree. This act specifies, inter alia, the date on which the Euro shall be adopted. “When the act was approved by the National Assembly which is the emanation of representative democracy, and this act was promulgated in Darzhaven Vestnik (The State Gazette) by a decree of the Head of State, the debate then gives the feeling that we are talking about other things that, at this very moment, are very far from the prospective presidential campaign next year,” Rossen Jeliazkov said further.
The Prime Minister emphasized that currently it is important to bring to the forefront the issues that are the subject pf today’s discussion. In Mr. Jeliazkov’s view, better public awareness is of key importance and a public awareness campaign has been launched. It is important that people know about all the measures that the government is taking to counteract possible profiteering practices that some unscrupulous businessmen would try. What the government will do to calm down people’s concerns is very clearly outlined in the national plan for the adoption of the Euro, Mr. Jeliazkov pointed out. He was firm that the institutions will treat any attempt at profiteering most severely. The general public will be promptly informed about forthcoming actions; we also rely on the feedback with civil society and the NGO sector, Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov said further. The Prime Minister emphasized that Bulgaria is an open economy and should take advantage of all the benefits, including membership in the Eurozone.
