EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion
Over the past month, the TEAM actively participated in public debates on a number of topics, the most key among which were healthcare, the economy of Bulgaria and Europe, and the international situation.
Healthcare
Our Deputy Chairman and health expert Arkadi Sharkov has been extremely active in the public space over the past month and has touched upon the various problems of healthcare in Bulgaria. He expressed disagreement with the proposed measures for additional mandatory health insurance, commenting that the proposals themselves are not sufficient and that the model copies that of the pension system - temporarily patching up the problems at the expense of deepening them in the long term. According to him, a more adequate approach would be to subtract the proposed 2% mandatory insurance from the already existing state insurance, instead of adding to it.
Sharkov stressed that the solution to the crisis in the healthcare system also involves the demonopolization of the central treasury, but warned that if this is not done through the introduction of a truly competitive market model in healthcare, another oligopoly will form. He cited countries such as the Netherlands and Switzerland as good examples.
The health expert also addressed the serious problem of overspending on medicines by the National Health Insurance Fund, which is creating a huge financial gap in the system. He recalled that last year the EQUIP published an analysis of drug costs for the period from 2005 to 2016 in Bulgaria and recommendations for measures to lower prices through the implementation of a progeneric policy.
Another problem of the domestic healthcare system is hidden co-payments for healthcare services. According to statistics, co-payments in Bulgaria are among the highest in the EU. The health expert's recommendations for combating this problem were related to increasing price transparency in the system.
According to Sharkov, all solutions to these problems are achievable, but there is a lack of leadership and political will to implement a strong and deep pro-market reform and to oppose the lobbying interests that profit from the current system. However, it is a plus that there is already an open debate about the problems and that society is open to the idea of introducing market principles in healthcare.
Media appearances on the topic:
- Arkadi Sharkov: There are interested parties who prefer that the healthcare model not be changed | Arkadi Sharkov | BNR | 10.07.2018
- Arkadi Sharkov: It is necessary to clarify payments in healthcare | Arkadi Sharkov | BNR | 23.07.2018
- A. Sharkov: Co-payment for medical services will brighten up healthcare | Arkadi Sharkov | investor.bg | 17.07.2018
Economy of Bulgaria and the EU
This month, EKIP's editor-in-chief Georgi Vuldjev and Arkadi Sharkov spoke on key economic topics.
Vuldjev highlighted the structural problems of the Eurozone and called for a rethink of the course towards membership in the monetary union. He also pointed out that the fiscal and monetary centralization planned by Brussels is de facto a step towards the federalization of the EU and criticized the non-compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact by countries such as Spain, Portugal and France. Our editor-in-chief did not fail to comment on the severe crisis of the pension model and recalled the EKIP campaign “Pension Reform for the Young”. You can watch his participation on the topic of the problems of the pension system in this video:
For his part, in the program “Face to Face” on bTV, Arkadi Sharkov reminded that the considerations for entering the Eurozone are more political than economic. He noted that although meeting the formal criteria for membership in the monetary union is a positive assessment for Bulgaria, adopting the euro would threaten our economy in the long term. The reason for this is the structural problems of the Eurozone. In the same program, he criticized the protectionist policies of US President Donald Trump, which caused a trade conflict with China.
Media appearances on the topic:
- The EU Crisis and the Character of the European Banking Union | Georgi Vuldjev | Eurocom | 16.07.2018
- Will Europe win from the economic war between the US and China? | Arkadi Sharkov | bTV | 13.07.2018
- And is there a need for pension reform? | Georgi Vuldjev | TV Europe | 25.07.2018
The international situation and political populism
The analyses of the international situation in the public sphere were also supplemented by the political analyst of the EKIP Kaloyan Pravov. At the beginning of the month, he commented on the development of the Brexit negotiations, emphasizing that the position of the UK proposed by May and her ministers at the Chequers mansion represents a strategic mistake that could cost the British people and the Conservative Party dearly. He pointed out that the divisions among the Conservatives on this issue are serious and that a proposal that de facto leaves regulatory control over the British economy in the hands of Brussels would be political suicide for the Conservative Party.
Nikola Filipov commented on the trade wars that are being waged between the US, China and the EU. According to him, Europe needs strong leadership to sit at the table with US President Donald Trump and uphold the principles of free transatlantic free trade. Mr. Filipov added that China does not seem to be giving in to Trump's pressure and that the Chinese economy is capable of withstanding a longer trade war.
The past month was not without curious cases of political populism. The chairman of the EKIP Stoyan Panchev was invited to the morning studio of NOVA to comment on the controversial statements of the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, who claimed that Serbia had overtaken Bulgaria in terms of salaries. Panchev debunked this claim with data he presented in the studio and added that the Bulgarian economy is more comparable to that of Bosnia and more developed than that of Serbia. Interestingly, despite the Yugoslav war, the economy of Croatia is doing better than the Bulgarian one.
The debunking of the domestic political populism and the manipulations surrounding the EU presidency was entrusted to Kaloyan Pravov, who gave a detailed interview to one of the most widely circulated newspapers in Bulgaria - Treta Vastas. In the interview, Pravov explained that our EU presidency was in no way a success, as we failed to raise key issues for Bulgaria and Europe. According to the political scientist, the reason for this is that the bloated state administration and the government were more focused on dealing with the technical implementation of Bulgaria's presidency obligations instead of implementing a clear vision for these six months.
Media appearances on the topic:
- May's Brexit proposals bring Britain and the EU closer | Kaloyan Pravov | Bloomberg TV Bulgaria | 09.07.2018
- Has Serbia really surpassed us in salaries | Stoyan Panchev | NOVA TV | 24.07.2018
- Kaloyan Pravov, political scientist: Bulgaria is silent before Europe on topics in which it has national interest | Kaloyan Pravov | “Treta Vasht” newspaper | 12.07.2018
- Business Daily with guest Nikola Filipov | Nikola Filipov | TV Europe | 09.07.2018
These were the highlights of the TEAM's public appearances over the past month. We will continue to provide our expert assessment and actively defend personal freedom and the market economy!
