Parliament Speaker Thanks EU Institutions for Supporting Bulgaria's Eurozone Accession

The Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, Raya Nazaryan, has expressed gratitude to EU institutions for their support in Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone. During a visit to Brussels, on November 19, Nazaryan held talks with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, ahead of the opening of a forum on strengthening democratic processes, attended by representatives of national parliaments.

At her meeting with Metsola, Nazaryan stressed that the National Assembly had played a key role in introducing the single European currency in Bulgaria by adopting all the necessary legislative acts and decisions. According to the Speaker, Bulgarian institutions are working to ensure a smooth, transparent and successful transition to the euro. She noted that efforts are under way to conduct a broad information campaign, with particular attention paid to supporting older citizens. Nazaryan also invited Metsola to visit Bulgaria next year.

Addressing the forum in Brussels, Nazaryan said that the greatest threat to democracy is fear of the future.

Raya Nazaryan, Speaker of the National Assembly:
“Trust in institutions is declining. Democracy faces the challenge of surviving in an era of populism, toxic political and social polarisation, hybrid threats, foreign interference and the manipulation of information. Citizens are experiencing a period of unprecedented anxiety, insecurity and concern. They are gripped by an understandable fear of what tomorrow may bring. And the greatest threat to democracy is fear of the future. But the future is already here — it is happening now. A world of rapid technological progress; a world in which communication is instantaneous and the abundance of information is vast and without precedent in human history. In the coming decades our societies will function in a fundamentally transformed information environment, and we should prepare for that.”