What are your views of Bulgaria in 2012. A good topic to get our teeth into. Good posting
Here are some views from Novinite [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I think what has been written just about sums up what the press think? but its not perhaps what we all think about Bulgaria in the last 12 months ? for instance has Bulgaria moved forward? I would say yes but not much and I'm hoping for leaps this year.


Daisy, rest of this post has been removed as it is all contained in Willow's link above and we don't need to duplicate it here! Chris.

Daisy wrote:

I think what has been written just about sums up what the press think? but its not perhaps what we all think about Bulgaria in the last 12 months ? for instance has Bulgaria moved forward? I would say yes but not much and I'm hoping for leaps this year.


Daisy, rest of this post has been removed as it is all contained in Willow's link above and we don't need to duplicate it here! Chris.

Has Bulgaria moved forward, Daisy, you say yes, but not much, so could you give us your views on what and where Bulgaria has moved forward

Quote :

And since this government turned out to be about as corrupt and incompetent as any of its predecessors, it logically came to a collapse of its public trust .... A number of existential threats for the Bulgarian nation – such as the demographic catastrophe, the ethnic tensions, the collapse in education

Without wishing to be a cynic the above quote could equally apply to the UK ?

I think much of Bulgaria has come on in leaps and bounds in the last 5 years. It still has along way to go but this article paints a very gloomy picture.

Sorry Chris

Nothing much has changed really. Bulgaria is still looked down upon from the many that don't live here. In fact BG has the same problems as any other European Country, in that there are floods Earthquakes and the like. The economy is up and down as every where else. But the big difference is that this lovely Country is not over crowded has many stunning places of interest and is one of the friendlies places I have ever been to.

Daisy wrote:

Sorry Chris

No worries Daisy, I just put my 'Mod' head on for a minute!

It wasn't a telling off!

Agree Tonyb60. In a way I usually think nothing much has moved on, but on interspection things have slowly moved forward. Prices have risen but where haven't they? More supermarkets so more choice although I still use my original one. A main highway and some improvement in infrastructure. Coach and rail stations are markedly better than when I first arrived. The new airport with another planned to replace the old terminal one. Many smaller changes which we probably all take forgranted like better telephone, TV satellite, internet over all of Bulgaria etc etc. Not all took place in 2012 but were started and are still ongoing.
Definitely it seems the Bulgarians are getting more of a voice judging by the protests and demonstrations.
Yes a lot has stayed the same but Rome wasn't built in a day and given the world financial chaos I am optimistic for Bulgaria. After all, when you are at the bottom of the poverty ladder the only way is up while others are on the way down. I know where I would rather be for the present.

I have to agree with what is being said regarding progress..those of us who live here fulltime are less likely to notice the changes that are taking place, albeit very slowly, than those who come and go. We have just witnessed the opening of some 18 kilometres of main road which was constructed to replace one of the worst roads I've ever seen anywhere in the world. It runs right through the middle of our village and connects us, not only to the city, but to around ten other villages further out..the local bus used to take 2 and a half hours for the full one way trip, but now does it in 50 minutes. We now have a beautiful main street, complete with proper curbing, road markings, crosswalks etc...the bonus included all new water and power supply lines.

The internet connection, which used to be pretty good , is now awesomely fast and very reliable (much faster than I ever had in the UK, by a country mile!). The main city streets in Plovdiv are being upgraded, particularly those used by buses and it is getting much easier to drive around without your eyes searching for bomb craters in the road.

If this is the bottom of the ladder, I don't really mind being here because I know where we are heading.

Rakiaplease wrote:

Quote :

And since this government turned out to be about as corrupt and incompetent as any of its predecessors, it logically came to a collapse of its public trust .... A number of existential threats for the Bulgarian nation – such as the demographic catastrophe, the ethnic tensions, the collapse in education

Without wishing to be a cynic the above quote could equally apply to the UK ?

I think much of Bulgaria has come on in leaps and bounds in the last 5 years. It still has along way to go but this article paints a very gloomy picture.

Rakiaplease
I don't think this article paints a very gloomy picture of Bulgaria, in fact I would suggest it paint's a very realistic picture with hope for the future and improved infa-structure and living conditions. I would not be as bold as you to suggest that the the country has come on in leaps and bounds in the last five years but I would agree that it has improved some what
I have probably been involved with Bulgarian attitudes, culture and mentality more that a lot of expat's who live in Bulgaria on a full time basis, so I don't think living in the country is a reason for being well versed with all that goes on especially where crime and corruption is concerned, and yes I could agree with the quote that it could equally apply to the UK, it probably does, sad by true

Hello Willowsend. I first came to Bulgaria around 8 years ago and I can see the changes. Everything from living costs to improved infrastructure. Things are moving forward, even small things like allowing property ownership in your name, rather than having to form a company. There are changes in the high street and big names are popping up all the time. There is foreign investment being thrown at Bulgaria..I could go on and on.

Bulgaria is changing. Be it for better or worse remains to be seen !

I refer to Admins post this morning, Who are the Worlds Top Pessimists and pick out a sentence relevant to this topic

I still have some faith that things are changing, even though very slowly. It’s just a matter of constant work in making society understand that things can be done differently. On the personal level, on an individual level, it’s a very tough thing to do. I don’t know if it’s at all possible to do.

I think this article about sums it up from the Novinite rag

Steve Hanke: Corruption Is Bulgaria's Achilles Heel

If Bulgaria manages to tackle corruption successfully, the country will become number one on the Balkans, Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke, who designed the currency board in Bulgaria in the 1990s, says.

"
Something must be done against corruption. If this changes, Bulgaria will definitely have the leading role on the Balkans. Investors are always surprised when they see how good the economic and bank indicators of the country are. The problem is that they refuse to even look at them because of the corruption and the judicial system,"
Hanke said in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, Saturday.

The economist further stressed he believed the best part of Bulgarian "
history"
must be told, with presenting the positives, and not just the negative. He reiterated corruption was the country's "
Achilles' heel"
in preventing economic growth.

Regarding the newly imposed tax on bank deposits, which became effective in Bulgaria on January 1, the Professor voiced strong disagreement with such "
political decision."


"
I have been opposing this since the day it was announced. At times of crisis the bank system should not be interfered with. This is a case of pro-cyclic regulation. Times are bad and should not be additionally worsened with imposing new taxes in the middle of the crisis. Other than that, the regulation of Bulgarian banks by the Central Bank, BNB, is a very good one,"
said he.

Hanke stated that Bulgaria was one of the very few countries to successfully deal with bank capitalization i.e. in the time of economic boom the country tightened control over banks, and in the time of crisis, this control was eased.

The economist noted his opinion that Brussels and the West in general should have learned a lesson from bank regulation and the successful practices of countries such as Bulgaria and Estonia.

Now we are getting down to the Nitty Gritty
Corruption Is Bulgaria's Achilles Heel

If Bulgaria manages to tackle corruption successfully, the country will become number one on the Balkans, Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke, who designed the currency board in Bulgaria in the 1990s, says.