/ world today news/ We want to return the content to the political conversation in our country, stated the MEPs from the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the EP
Stanishev: Without an in-depth conversation, Bulgaria will finally be anchored in the periphery of Europe
Vitanov: Let’s awaken the hope that the left in Bulgaria can look different
“The political crisis in Bulgaria requires a serious and meaningful conversation about policies. But in fact, all too often we are offered by-products or political GMOs. Parties choose convenient topics for mobilizing the hard-line electorate, which are too often a smokescreen for the inability to find workable solutions to real problems.”
This was stated by Sergey Stanishev, who together with the head of the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the EP, Petar Vitanov, opened the “Forum for Progressive Left Solutions” organized by the Bulgarian MEPs. The opening panel also included Giacomo Filibek – Executive Secretary General of PES, Biljana Borzan – Vice-Chairman of the S&D Group in the EP, Croatia, Jacques Paparo – Director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Lubomir Kyuchukov – Director of the Institute of Economics and international relations.
“Justice is key to leftist movements. We want a fair distribution of capital. Big companies have to pay taxes in the country where they make profits. The green transition should be paid for by polluters and big business, not the poor man. The workers’ rights that the BSP boasts are also the result of the European minimum wage policy. The fight against corruption is also a fight for justice,” stated Petar Vitanov.
On the subject of the upcoming policies of transformation and the role of the Bulgarian left, Stanishev added:
“If a deep conversation is not started immediately on all these gigantic challenges and a long-term national policy is not formed, there is a risk that Bulgaria will finally be anchored in the periphery of Europe, without a perspective for the future. It is the duty of people on the left to humanize the coming technological transformations. It is the welfare state that must regulate the new digital revolution.
Today, we cannot without pain talk about the state of the BSP. In the poorest country of the EU, we have a weak and increasingly retrograde left – 10% of 240 national representatives. The political obfuscations of the BSP leadership cannot hide the unprecedented loss of confidence.
We cannot accept that the party that brought Bulgaria into the EU away from European social democracy, and with one foot here and the other with Orban. In the run-up to the budget and the local election campaign, we want to bring substance back into the political conversation.”
It is possible that the BSP will look different and there may be a normal left in Bulgaria, Petar Vitanov said:
“Someone said that gender socialists gather here. No, people who want justice gather here. Because Bulgarian society has never been so divided. Today, the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer. Topics such as the overconcentration of wealth and goods are most important today. Socialists in the European Parliament are not fighting to take away our children, but for the justice they want to see in Europe.
The left is not out of fashion. The left is the only possible one. It is not just a phrase, it must be filled with substance. It cannot be linked only to the indexation of pensions. It should be related to the future of the grandchildren.
I hope that this discussion will awaken at least a little hope that the BSP can look different, that there can be a normal left in Bulgaria that will fight for justice.”
“The left cannot disappear because the problems that gave rise to it have not disappeared. It cannot be satisfied with picking the crumbs from the table of the right,” he emphasized political scientist Boris Popivanov, who moderated the opening panel.
Bulgaria needs a progressive, social and democratic left, the Executive Secretary General of PES, Giacomo Filibek, pointed out:
“I don’t think the left can waste any more time. European elections are coming up in a year and I can’t believe that a country like Bulgaria is doomed to have a social democratic party with less than 10% support. You must be ready for the next battle because we are in the middle of the most historic transition that will change Europe for generations to come. Bulgaria, and Europe, need a political force in the country, which is progressive, social and democratic.”
The euro should be a priority for Bulgaria, said the vice-president of the Group of Socialists and Democrats in the EP, Bilyana Borzan:
“The euro should be a priority for Bulgaria. When Croatia joined the EU, it was at the bottom of the economic rankings, and after joining the Eurozone, a serious jump upwards is visible. The figures show that prices after joining the eurozone rose by just 0.3%, while wages rose by between 20% and 40%. Due to multiple crises and speculative prices, Croatia did not feel all the benefits to the maximum extent.
“Fourteen months after the war began, we are no closer to its end. It means either we haven’t tried hard enough or we’ve changed in those attempts. We need to rethink our approach,” he shared in his analysis of the war in Ukraine Lyubomir Kyuchukov, director of the Institute of Economics and International Relations.
“I wish the left-wing people in Bulgaria to succeed in finding their way to unity and to take Bulgaria out of the unenviable position of a leader in terms of poverty and inequalities in Europe,” he added the director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Jacques Paparo.
Translation: ES
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