President: The inflation that is delaying our entry in the eurozone is largely due to previous goverment decisions

The Central Election Commission (CEC) is an independent body and there should not be any external interference in its work. I expect all institutions involved in the electoral process to work towards increasing public confidence in the elections and not to lead to the erosion of this confidence, Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev told journalists on February 21.

"I expect more transparency in the work of the commission and all the bodies involved in the elections. Let's not further devalue machine voting. Every effort is being made to find the best technical and organisational solution for the elections. We should not instil distrust in the elections because the turnout is not what it should be anyway," he urged.

The finance minister stated very clearly the economic situation in the country and the caretaker government made the biggest progress towards the euro zone - the signing of the memorandum on the production of euro coins, Radev stressed. Responding to Assen Vassilev's criticism of the postponement of the eurozone entry date, the President said:

"The caretaker government cannot compensate for the lack of political will by the parties in the previous parliament, which refused to adopt the laws that should ensure the country’s way further towards the eurozone. Some apparently want us to enter the eurozone through the back door, just as they entered politics and just the way they are presenting solutions to many of the problems. Bulgaria's entry into the eurozone is not a matter of outsmarting and schmoozing, but of trust and transparency."

According to Rumen Radev, the inflation that is holding us back from joining the eurozone on 1 January 2024 is largely due to previous government decisions.

Finance Minister: Bulgaria will not adopt the euro in January 2024

"I am convinced that Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone will bring substantial economic benefits, but the most important thing is to convince the citizens, because they massively do not have trust. So far, they have been paying the price of all reforms of incompetent and self-serving political decisions," Rumen Radev further said.

The case with the death of 18 migrants in an abandoned truck in Lokorsko has shown very clearly that the law enforcement authorities in Bulgaria should take a radically different approach to migrant trafficking, the President believes.

"It is indicative that in other countries the same crimes are punishable by tens of years of imprisonment, while in our country the smugglers are caught by the Ministry of Interior authorities, but they receive an agreement with the Prosecutor's office for up to five months and this is like an invitation to them to commit the same crimes again," he said.

According to the President, "the boasts from years ago about zero migration pressure" show that a policy of inaction and lack of real fight against migrant smuggling was pursued. He congratulated the Ministry of Interior for having started to purge its own ranks, to pursue smuggllers of illegal migrants in the interior of the country, despite the problematic fence (at the border) and insufficient technical and transport provision.

"In recent months, we have managed to convince the European Commission, the Council and all partners that border surveillance is not just the responsibility of frontline states, but of all Member States. We are already receiving this support and solidarity. Representatives of the European Commission are coming on Thursday and I expect significant support both in terms of financial means and equipment," Radev said.

Earlier today, Rumen Radev welcomed the newly graduated doctors from the Class of 2022 of the Medical Faculty of the Medical University of Sofia, who received their diplomas today.