The way Bulgaria has been governed over the past 15 years has brought us to the first place in corruption and to the last place in all European rankings in terms of standard and quality of life. Yesterday, finally, they came out with their program, which turned out to be more of a presentation without any strategy for energy. This was stated by the leader of „Progressive Bulgaria” Rumen Radev at a meeting with citizens in Stara Zagora and recalled that the topics „corruption” and “energy” often intersect, quoted by novini.bg.
“You can't have 68 acres in Kozloduy, intended for the new blocks — one appraiser appraise them at 3,000 leva per acre, and then have another appraiser appraise the land 1,000 times higher. So they wanted the state to pay 200 million leva for 68 acres. Where is this thing?”, asked President (2017 - 2026) Radev.
He emphasized that the coalition's program regarding energy has specific guidelines for action that take into account objective reality – unsustainable operation of the Kozloduy NPP, failures in the Chaira Nuclear Power Plant, RES capacities that do not have a reliable and cheap energy storage system.
"It is clear where we will go – ensuring national security through the most autonomous energy system possible. And the only autonomous energy system in our country is coal — what we have in Stara Zagora”, noted Rumen Radev.
He recalled that Bulgaria's last energy strategy expired in 2019 and the only attempt to create a new one was by the caretaker cabinet of Galab Donev in 2023.
Of course, we will work for new and green technologies in energy, but the autonomy that coal provides must not be lost. Especially in the event of a crisis, he also emphasized.
„The coal is ours, the capacities are ours, the people are ours, the technologies are ours. We also see how countries like Germany and Poland are already starting to turn the corner due to the impasse in the crisis”, said Radev and noted that „Progressive Bulgaria” intends to continue on the path of realism.
The leader of „Progressive Bulgaria” also stated that the Bulgarian healthcare relies too much on hospitalizations, and this is an inefficient model that is often abused through fictitious hospital admissions.
“Let's categorically reduce out-of-pocket payments for health, introduce centralized supplies for expensive medications and devices, because huge amounts of money are flowing out of there and we need to finally turn off this faucet”, emphasized Rumen Radev.
He also highlighted the need for a well-functioning system for emergency medical assistance by air, especially against the backdrop of the high mortality rate caused by heart attacks and strokes and for providing assistance in remote and hard-to-reach areas of the country. The leader of “Progressive Bulgaria“ recalled the struggle of the presidential institution, which developed the project for the creation of the Air Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) system, for its inclusion in the Recovery and Resilience Plan, how this project was rejected by the Borisov government, but thanks to the caretaker cabinet in 2021, it received approval from the EU.
In Kazanlak, Rumen Radev emphasized that Bulgaria is a recognized global producer of high-quality weapons and defense products, and the modernization of the Bulgarian Army should not miss the domestic defense industry in this process.
„The modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces must first seek our manufacturer and the state must support it in scientific and technical terms and with the production of qualified personnel. "Let's do everything possible for our defense industry to become part of major European defense projects, for which we have proven potential, and help it enter new markets," said the leader of "Progressive Bulgaria" Rumen Radev.