EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion
In May, the participation of the experts from the EKIP was related to topics such as joining the eurozone, Tax Freedom Day, the European elections, social policy and others.
On May 18, we celebrated Tax Freedom Day. This year, too, the Bulgarian Libertarian Society organized a unique celebration of the holiday – it treated more than 300 people to beer on Vitosha Blvd. The event attracted the attention of both passing citizens and the media. Europe TV covered the event with a detailed report. On the same occasion, economists from the EKIP appeared on television for the next two days.
Georgi Vuldjev and Rumen Galabinov explained in "Europe Morning" what the day is when we stop working for the state, do Bulgarians spend more money than they earn, and what the consequences of imposing common European tax rates would be.
Stoyan Panchev and Arkadi Sharkov were guests on "Free Zone with Georgi Koritarov" on the same topic, which grew into a broad overview of the political and economic situation in Bulgaria and the European Union.
Of course, the most current topic that shook the media over the past month was undoubtedly the European elections. The economists from EKIP participated with opinions on a number of issues related to the European Union.
Editor-in-Chief Georgi Vuldjev kicked off the conversation with a participation on Bulgarian National Radio about EU funds. According to him, in our country, EU funds are associated with serious abuses, false political loyalty, and in the long term, they worsen the competitiveness of our economy.
In the show"Intersection point"on VTK, he commented on the results of the elections across Europe. He discussed what impact the election results are likely to have on the economies of the member states and the overall economic development of the EU.
On Nova TV's "Plus-Minus. The Commentary After the News" show, Vuldjev expressed skepticism about joining the eurozone: "I don't see any positives from adopting the euro. We currently have positives from the euro as we are tied to it through a currency board. The biggest drawback of the euro is that it allows some member states to live on the backs of others."
Stoyan Panchev also joined the discussion on the euro. In his article “Double Standards on Bulgaria’s Path to ERM II and the Eurozone,” he analyzed the specifics of Bulgaria’s path to the eurozone, and more specifically, the lack of consistency in the application of membership requirements by European institutions.
In another article, Panchev criticizes the path of development of the European Union: political and economic dimensions of the "Mobility Package", the Brexit negotiations, and others.
The chairman of the EKIP was also on the air in the program "Plus-Minus. The Commentary After the News", defending the right to self-defense and the protection of private property. "The right to defend one's property is absolute. Any encroachment on property is in practice an encroachment on the individual," commented Panchev.
Arkadi Sharkov wrote in Capital magazine about the necessary reforms in hospital care, municipal and state hospitals, whether privatization is necessary or it is better to close them. Speaking to the Bulgarian National Radio, the health economist called for not bypassing the administrative and legal decision-making process regarding the request of the doctors from the pediatric hospital to increase their salaries.
Sharkov also discussed the trade war between the United States and China and Google's decision to stop doing business with Huawei. "This is mostly a blow to consumers, as a significant portion of people already use the products of the world's second-largest smartphone manufacturer," he said in an interview with Studio BTA.
Dimitar Karagegov presented the cause of marijuana legalization on the show "Social Profiles". The BLO program director also participated in two popular podcasts: Level Up Hub and 2&200podcast.
