"Waiting for Godot" is a popular play by Samuel Beckett in which nothing happens. Two tramps wait for a certain Godot who never comes. Waiting for someone and/or something that never comes is an apt metaphor for the relationship between rulers and society. Politicians and bureaucrats are …
More »The issue of the national currency cannot be resolved behind closed doors
Stoyan Panchev's interview with Trud newspaper: The early parliamentary elections were marked by low interest and minimal surprises in the results. No party won outright. No potential coalition was given enough room for action. Slavi Trifonov's party presented a draft cabinet, thus leaving potential partners …
More »Why the eurozone isn't working
Amidst the enthusiasm for the investigation into the irregularities of the previous administration, the caretaker government of Stefan Yanev has approved a plan for Bulgaria to join the eurozone. This is a puzzling move, because this plan is largely inherited from the previous government, whose abuses in other areas the current caretaker cabinet appointed by …
More »The march towards the eurozone and the price we will pay
Author: Stefan Antonov On July 10 (the day before the elections) it will be one year since Bulgaria and Croatia were admitted to the waiting room of the eurozone and the banking union. GERB's decision to push in this direction became a fact despite legitimate and well-founded concerns that the state was taking unacceptable risks. The period since its …
More »Why is the ECB silent about the BDB?
The ECB is silent about the BDB. We have sent a request for all documents on the case. As we have already written, Bulgaria has been a member of the Banking Union for 9 months now. A key element of the BS is the so-called Single Supervisory Mechanism. Supporters of the eurozone promised that banking supervision in the hands of the ECB would correct the problems in …
More »Letter from the EKIP to the President regarding the process of joining the eurozone
On 22.06.2021, the EQUIP sent a letter addressed to the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Economy. Addressing President Radev directly, we called for a careful assessment of the potential risks for Bulgaria related to the possible accession to the eurozone. To this day, institutions such as the Ministry of Finance …
More »Bulgaria in the euro against the backdrop of the bitter Italian experience
EKIP: Dear readers, we present to your attention an extremely valuable analysis of the "Theory of the Optimal Currency Area" and Italy's experience in introducing the euro. There are many useful things that can be learned from the experience of other countries in joining the eurozone, from which Bulgaria should learn a lesson. On …
More »We asked the ECB: What are they doing about BDB supervision?
Bulgaria has been a member of the Banking Union for 9 months now. A key element of the BS is the so-called Single Supervisory Mechanism, which was promised by the supporters of the eurozone to correct the problems in local banking supervision. With the letter below, the EKIP asked the ECB – what they have done, what they are doing and …
More »Why green energy should be like Bitcoin
The national plan under the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility is a major topic of discussion in both the new Bulgarian parliament and the excited post-election public sphere. The facility is just one part of the €750 billion Next Generation EU package (nearly half in the form of loans) born out of the pandemic, …
More »Discovering the potential for decentralization in small RES installations
|Click for full report| Discussions around the National Recovery and Resilience Plan have been a major part of the heated political debate over the past week. They will continue to be important in the coming months. Unfortunately, they focus on the issue of the date of submission of the documentation to the European Commission, without …
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