Prime Minister acad. Nikolay Denkov and Deputy Prime Minister Maria Gabriel said that they had proved that they were working as a team last year and had set the right direction. They promised that they will work for Bulgaria's accession to the euro area on 1 January 2025 because it is good for business and citizens.
"Maria Gabriel and I have never pulled out the bagpipes, it helps to have this civilised approach. I very much hope we can bury the tomahawks in Bulgaria and show how each of us can do a better job so that everyone is happy - citizens and businesses. There is a lot of injustice in Bulgaria, but in 2023 we have set a direction - the civilised, European one, which is not connected with deals and knowledge," the prime minister told "Darik".
For Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maria Gabriel, the first key word is dialogue and consistency, we have shown this in the past months and it must continue. "With consistency, vision, expertise we should continue to show results. We have put an end to the injustice of Bulgaria not being active and not making policies", she said.
Acad. Denkov had many conversations with different people during the Davos Forum. "Bulgaria is famous and well-known for its science Olympians, adding to this the development of information technology, Bulgaria looks quite attractive in our region. Bulgaria could be a hub for the development of these technologies. In the transfer of supply chains, we are one place that can be filled. We have many regions that have enormous potential with their mathematics and language schools. This gives a sense that the state has potential. With the adoption of the euro we are very interesting," the Prime Minister told his impressions. According to him, if we want incomes to rise, we need investments, but that is why we have to start using this potential.
Gabriel touched upon the place of Bulgarian foreign policy. "Bulgaria is a factor for security and stability in South Eastern Europe, we consistently defend this with our actions. Bulgaria has made it very clear that it will be a security actor with its policy towards the Western Balkans and the Black Sea region," she said and underlined our good relations with our neighbours - Romania, Greece and Turkey.
The Foreign Ministry has opened up to the world, we have restored the partnership with the US and the UK, Bulgaria has become a regional innovation leader, a lot of efforts are being made to modernise the diplomatic service. "In order to have motivated employees, we have to support our employees," she said, referring to the update of the money for the native diplomats working abroad. "Over the past few months, we have shown that we are Team Bulgaria," Gabriel insisted.
Acad. Denkov said that Bulgaria stood well in terms of all euro indicators, except inflation, but everyone understood that this was brought in from outside with fuel and food prices. He stated that inflation continues to fall very fast every month, but in the West it remains lower. "There is more to be desired in terms of inflation. The inflation indicator review to be done in the autumn because then it will be appropriate for the euro area. Bulgaria has support and has its place in the euro area. That is the objective and we are working towards it. However, there is nothing fatal if we also enter the euro area in May 2025. This is about the welfare of businesses and citizens, about control over the banks," the prime minister explained.
He stressed that the increase in income is greater than inflation in 2023. This is how Dankov commented on the personal perception of inflation, which shows that Bulgarians live badly because of the rise in the cost of living. /BGNES
