Christian Lindner arrived in Sofia for a few hours this week to participate in a forum. Svetoslav Ivanov spoke with him directly on stage in front of the audience in the hall.
Our topic today is "The Changing World: What's Next for Europe". We will talk about contemporary global processes – the US administration, customs policy, the drama with Europe, the feeling of global instability. Against this background, is the eurozone – a good prospect for Bulgaria?
Christian Lindner: Yes, of course it is. I have worked with the Bulgarian government – more precisely, with the governments – over the past few years and I have witnessed Bulgaria's efforts to meet the convergence criteria, inflation, growth, fiscal stability, debt to GDP and so on. That is why I want to congratulate the Bulgarian people on this great success. This was hard work, you achieved it and today is the time to be proud of what has been done in recent years.
What is your personal opinion on the euro, as a citizen – how do you see it?
Christian Lindner: Germany benefits from the euro. We used to have concerns about currency instability – the German mark was very strong. Some people feared that the euro would become something like the Italian lira, but the opposite happened. The euro is stable, it is a strong currency, attractive. We are currently seeing how capital flows in the world are changing direction – increasingly heading towards the eurozone. We have benefited from the euro and I believe that Bulgaria will benefit too.
What would you say to many Bulgarians who are afraid of adopting the euro? This is a normal process. As a German, you have also gone through this type of debate, right?
Christian Lindner: It is interesting because the situation is quite similar. The Germans were proud of the brand. The brand was a symbol of the rise of the German economy after World War II - the so-called economic miracle. And isn't it the same in Bulgaria? You have a currency named after a lion - it is a national symbol of pride and identity. So I understand the concerns and perhaps even romantic feelings associated with your own, traditional currency. But the positive effects for the Bulgarian economy, in my opinion, are much more important. Transactions will become cheaper. This will lead to more economic dynamism. It will be easier for Bulgarian small and medium-sized enterprises to enter the single European market. So adopting the euro is in the long-term interest of Bulgarian citizens.
Of course, I know that there are also short-term problems and concerns. Of course, there will be businesses that will take advantage of the introduction of the euro to raise prices. We saw a similar situation in Germany. And what happened then? Customers have a choice - and they did. They chose cheaper products. So in the long run, we did not see an increase in the price level. And I think it is a very good step by the Bulgarian government to require dual price labeling for a certain period - so customers can make informed decisions.