In the past years we have been witnessing qualitatively new processes in the region of Southeast Europe, we have reached a phase of unprecedented peace, friendliness and understanding, President Rosen Plevneliev said at a gala-dinner at the EU-Balkans forum, organized by the Economist weekly. In his statement, the Head of State highlighted European integration as a major engine of positive change and the Balkans – as a region having enormous potential.

Rosen Plevneliev outlined three major risks that the Southeast European countries are facing. First of all, this is the insufficient connectivity as a condition promoting sustainable economic growth. The strategic infrastructure should be built so that a new quality and competitiveness can be achieved, more investments can be secured and more jobs can be created, the President said.

Another major risk that these countries are facing involves the stability, efficiency and transparency of the institutions. “People expect that the politicians will be up to the standards of the democratic state, the institutions will face the small companies and guarantee a fair environment so that every investor can invest in the region, not only those that have ties there,” Rosen Plevneliev commented.  In his words, the hand that has been lent to the civil society will help the institutions in the region start functioning in a more efficient and transparent manner.  

Thirdly, the Head of State said that the process of democratization and establishing European-like democracies is still ongoing in the Balkans. The President reiterated his willingness to have the approach of linkage with the totalitarian past changed. “We still have problems related to the half-expressed stories of the communist secret services – something that the other states have long solved.  And in this respect Bulgaria can set an example for each country in the region. These dependencies, dating back in time, must be eliminated – we are living in the 21st century. We do not have anything to hide when we are managing a public resource and heading toward a statehood that pays attention to the business environment and to the society based on justice, morality and solidarity,” President Rosen Plevneliev said.  He was adamant that the nostalgia from the past must be replaced by a constructive approach. We should be looking to the future, to common priorities which should be addressed by devoting gradual and consistent efforts.

For a long time the Balkan peninsula was considered to be Europe’s border. We should be aware that if we look at Europe and Asia taken together, the Balkans are located just in the middle – we are the linking element and we are opening our doors for new markets, the President further said before the participants in the conference. More than 48 billion euros will be invested in Southeast Europe by 2020 and by then we will have witnessed a drastic change in the infrastructure in the region, the Head of State forecast.

“I am convinced that when we see a region with a population that stands at 60 million, and when what we are doing produces results, the businesses will use the potential that looms large,” Rosen Plevneliev further added. The better connectivity between the Balkan countries in all sectors – infrastructure, energy, tourism, banking, will contribute to securing more investments and will create conditions for a new phase of integration, the Bulgarian President further said before the participants in the forum.