We should rely most on the voice and expertise of scientists regarding the processes and economic prospects facing our country from the introduction of the euro. This was said by the Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev at the opening of the conference “We and the Euro: Scientific Facts Against Myths“. The forum is held at the University of Economics – Varna and is organized jointly with the University of National and World Economy.
The forum brought together scientists, experts and representatives of academic circles from the two largest economic universities, who presented analyses, forecasts and perspectives from the introduction of the single currency in Bulgaria, and the moderator was the head of the Department of “Finance“ at the University of Economics – Varna, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Stoyan Kirov.
„Thank you for organizing this conference. When you from the academic community join the discussion, the trust will be greater“, Minister Valchev addressed the representatives of the two universities. According to him, academicism is distinguished by a high degree of pluralism and examines the topic from all its aspects. In addition, scientists enjoy greater trust in society than the ruling class, and no other community has conducted such in-depth research with scientific tools as the representatives of the academic community.
„In this case, it is not only about scientific arguments, but also about how to deal with the deficiencies of the information environment that facilitate speculation“, the minister added.
„We are convinced that after January 1, 2026, a large part of the fears will be dispelled. Bulgaria will benefit in the long term from the introduction of the euro“, said the minister. He pointed out that if there were any negatives from not having an independent monetary policy with the introduction of the currency board, we have already consumed them.
“The euro by itself cannot solve all problems. But European integration only leads to benefits“, pointed out Minister Valchev. He gave an example that at the end of the last century, incomes in Bulgaria were 28% of the average in the EU. Today they already reach 66% – this is a result of European integration.
The rector of the University of Varna, Prof. Evgeni Stanimirov, pointed out that the first positive effect of the euro is that our country has already increased its credit rating. In his words, we should talk not only about the euro, but about “us and the euro” - about what will happen to society, with facts, so that a valuable discussion on the topic can be held without populism. The Rector of the UNWE, Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov, pointed out that now is a very good time to introduce the single currency and commented on some of the widespread myths related to the single currency.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yanko Hristozov from the UNWE presented an analysis of inflation processes in Eurozone countries. He showed that inflation in Eastern European countries that introduced the euro in the last 15 years - such as Slovakia, Estonia, Croatia - is similar, even lower than that in Bulgaria during the same period. In addition, since the creation of the single currency, inflation in the Eurozone has been consistently lower than that in our country.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kaloyan Kolev from the University of Economics - Varna, commented on some of the myths related to the euro, and Senior Asst. Dr. Atanas Kamelarov presented a study on the place and stability of the euro in the global economy, banks and savings.
Dimitar Chobanov from the UNWE presented conclusions from the convergence reports of the European Commission and the European Central Bank, and Velin Peev, state expert in the Directorate “European Affairs and Policies” at the Ministry of Finance, explained how the European Stability Mechanism functions.
The conference was also attended by the Director of the Regional Education Department in Varna Irena Radeva, teachers, students, representatives of academia and business, as well as students from the “Dr. Petar Beron“ Mathematical High School and the “Acad. Blagovest Sendov” Vocational High School of Computer Modeling and Computer Systems in Varna, who have made their own developments on the topic of the euro.