Bulgaria's GERB Report: Will for Reform despite Bad Legacy

The Bulgarian Council of Ministers, led by Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov (center-left), published Thursday their first report on the one year of their rule. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

The current cabinet is the first one in Bulgaria in the last 20 years to undertake such large-scale reforms, according to the report of the ruling GERB party on the first year of their term.

The report notes the difficulties faced by the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) in the effort to carry out serious reforms in the conditions of economic crisis and bad legacy from predecessors.

At the beginning, the report points out European development and future of Bulgaria are among the top priorities of the government. The objective assessment of the results from the rule of former cabinets is given special attention because it had led GERB into the right direction and revealed the reasons for the staggering problems, according to the report.

“Corruption practices, abuse and mismanagement have exceeded even our expectations and revealed the alarming state of our country, a state that our predecessors tried to conceal. We found out that reform is needed in all sectors. The cabinet accepted the challenge and with a strong will and, sometimes unpopular, measures began the change,” the report reads.

The report assesses that despite strong resistance, reforms in the State administration, health care, education, defense, diplomatic representation, judicial system and public finance have turned already into irreversible processes leading to increased efficiency in the above sectors and laying the foundations of their better future.

According to the cabinet, their most important achievement is the change in the political behavior and acceptance of responsibilities by those leading the country, based on principles of transparency and dialogue.

Other achievements include the fight against organized crime, particularly neutralizing gangs dealing with kidnappings and highway robberies, the budget update and the strict fiscal policy, the decision that the State would not finance the second Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the town of Belene and would look for a strategic investor.

The Council of Ministers report notes as top priorities for 2011 maintaining fiscal stability and a budget deficit below 3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), maintaining the stability of the Currency Board, continuing preparations for the country’s Eurozone entry.

Also in 2011, the cabinet will make efforts to facilitate the realization of the Russian gas line project “South Stream,” the EU “Nabucco” gas line, gas connections with Turkey, Greece, Serbia and Romania, and research on possibilities for natural gas extraction in Bulgaria.

Other top priorities include looking for a strategic investor for the Belene NPP, encouraging competition on the energy market, amendments in the Energy Act.

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