As the winter season approaches, the economic outlook is becoming increasingly bleak, both for Bulgaria and for the whole of Europe. Data shows that gas storage facilities in the European Union are filled to relatively satisfactory levels and natural gas prices have started to decline. However, recession seems inevitable in a number of key European economies, led by …
More »Privatize this: the right to access water and water supply concessions
I dedicate this article to my friend Vladimir Karolev, with whom we have repeatedly discussed the concessioning of water, district heating, resorts, beaches and services. [i] “Bath” or “shower”: vital signs of the problem This question did not, for example, face the residents of Sofia in 1994 and early 1995. The reason is very simple …
More »Concession this: Water and Sewerage and the benefits of private provision of public water
I dedicate this article to my friend Vladimir Karolev, with whom we have repeatedly discussed the concessioning of water, district heating, resorts, beaches and services. [i] After St. George’s Day, state television spread the news that the water supply companies were planning to raise the price of water. As the drafter and introducer of the modern (since 1991) law on the protection …
More »How Ukrainian refugees can be a positive for the Bulgarian economy
Guest author: Rosen Sharkov Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine - 24.02.2022 to date, the migration of Ukrainian citizens to neighboring EU member states - (Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria) has increased dramatically. As of today, according to data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees - refugees ...
More »What can the government do against inflation?
The inflation crisis in the country (and the world) is deepening and looks set to continue to deepen in the coming months. The war in Ukraine and the economic sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russia have reinforced the already strong inflationary trends and are leading to a shock increase in the prices of a number of raw materials – food, energy and industrial (for …
More »How is speculation (not) tamed?
The ideas and historical events discussed in this article can also be seen presented in this video. Speculation, in the words of economist Assen Hristoforov, is an action by a producer, entrepreneur, or trader "with the intention of realizing more than normal profits in a relatively short period of time thanks to the special state of the market." …
More »How will the war in Ukraine affect inflation?
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world not only politically but also economically. The sanctions imposed in response to the war are almost unprecedented in their scale and scope and could lead to an economic divide deeper than that of the Cold War. The war and the sanctions will …
More »Study: If Bulgaria adopts the euro, prices will rise even faster
The transition from a currency board to a conventional monetary policy (the euro, for example) will, all other things being equal, contribute to an increase in the inflation rate in Bulgaria. Not only an initial change in prices as a result of rounding can be expected, but also a permanently accelerated inflation due to the change in the monetary regime. In all countries, …
More »Three questions for Assen Vassilev about Budget 2022
Today, the first state budget prepared by the government of the so-called "Coalition of Change" will be submitted for discussion in the National Assembly. Expectations, especially for the party that leads the coalition and controls the Ministry of Finance - "We Continue the Change" - are high. GERB governments, especially the last one, deservedly do not have a very good reputation ...
More »Why is there talk of a larger deficit in Budget 2022?
Acting Finance Minister Valeri Belchev "corrected" himself on Friday and revealed that the deficit in his ministry's planned state budget for 2022 will actually be 5.1% of GDP, not 2.9%, as he initially said a week ago. I recall that at that surprise press conference, the minister did not know what the parameters of the main ...
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