Bulgaria's New President: My Office Needs Good Airing

New Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev, went on his first official visit abroad to Brussels in a sign of the country's allegiance to the EU. Photo by BGNES

The Presidential Office needs a good airing, and I open my window every day, says new Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev.

Thursday night in Brussels, Plevneliev took part in an extremely open and informal conversation with Bulgarians working in European institutions.

The participants have been invited in person by the Head of State and had the opportunity to ask him all kinds of questions and receive an answer.

"I don't like the idea that big politics are cooked behind the thick walls of the Presidential Office – the institution must be a center for debates, open to the world," Plevneliev further stated, adding that in the next several months he will outline commitments to Bulgarians abroad, and that he hoped some of them will become nostalgic.

The President also pointed out that he "was dreaming of a State administration that can say no to a Minister; has perspectives; does not feel threatened by purges over the change of cabinet; works with clear goals, and a sense of security and motivation."

When asked about the situation with Roma in Bulgaria, he explained that there are plans to use EU funds to establish educational centers for them.

To the question about mutras (organized crime figures), Plevneliev replied that now they exist mainly in the movies, not in real life anymore.

The President voiced hope Bulgaria will follow Estonia's example in developing modern technologies and infrastructure, and that the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BAS, will turn this into their priority.

Plevneliev invited all participants to maintain close contacts with the Bulgarian Embassy; to send emails to his office, and to visit him with their ideas when they are in Sofia.

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