site.btaVazrazhdane Leader Kostadinov Accuses Government of Opacity, Warns Euro Switch Will Drive Prices Up

Vazrazhdane Leader Kostadin Kostadinov criticized the government for its lack of transparency regarding rising prices and the consequences of adopting the euro, speaking at a press briefing in Parliament on Wednesday.

The rejection of the party’s request to summon Finance Minister Petkova for a hearing further demonstrates the authorities' unwillingness to inform the public about the real impact of joining the eurozone, Kostadinov said.

He pointed out that the government refuses to acknowledge that inflation is out of control and Bulgarian citizens are about to lose even more of their purchasing power.

"Even in Croatia, which recently adopted the euro, they imposed price caps. Their president admitted that there is uncontrollable price gouging. And here? Here everything is swept under the rug," he added.

Kostadinov sharply criticized the official data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI), which reported a 0.4% inflation rate for June, while checks by the National Revenue Agency (NRA), the Commission for Consumer Protection (CCP), and the Commission on Protection of Competition (CPC) show food price increases between 40% and 80%.

"So, which government institution are we supposed to trust? That was the reason we wanted to summon the Finance Minister. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen."

Kostadinov also raised the issue of the lack of a legal definition for the term "speculation" in Bulgarian law, which, he said, leads to legal chaos and arbitrariness when fines are imposed.

He stressed that entering the eurozone is already producing visible negative consequences, rising bank fees, a decline in people's living standards, and economic insecurity. He mocked the propaganda claiming the euro will bring prosperity, calling such statements "fairy tales for the gullible."

"For months, they’ve been telling us how we’ll bloom and thrive, how we’ll be in the heart of Europe. So now we’re asking: if joining the eurozone means entering the heart, in which organ of Europe have we been until now?" Kostadinov added.