Bulgaria Disagrees with Eurostat Unemployment Data

The two biggest problems in Bulgaria, according to EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva, are poor education and unemployment. Photo by BGNES

Eurostat has registered an increase of unemployment in Bulgaria and has ranked the country last in the European Union.

However, the Bulgarian Employment Agency ahs denied the statement claiming the data by the statistical office of the EU is for November 2010, the Bulgarian private TV channel bTV reported.

The Employment Agency stated that Eurostat registered 10% unemployment in the country on the basis of conducted polls, rather than on the actual number of people who do not have jobs and who are registered in unemployment bureaus.

In an interview for the Bulgarian Darik Radio, Kristalina Georgieva, the Bulgarian EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, has made suggestions on how Bulgaria could push itself from the "bottom of the EU".

"We should be concerned about two things in Bulgaria. One of them is that Bulgarian children become less and less literate. We have excellent kids who win Olympiads, but the average level is going alarmingly low. The second thing is the increase of unemployment," Georgieva said.

In her words, if Bulgaria wants to become an optimistic and good for living country within 5-10 years, then it has to choose a direction.

"The choice of direction is no easy thing because we have to choose it, then unite and follow it. I take very personally the idea of positioning Bulgaria on the basis of highly educated people and to choose a growth model, which is now popularly called green growth," Georgieva said.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!