site.btaVice President Iotova: "Bulgaria Needs to Be Stable Domestically to Stand Up for Its Priorities in Europe, Worldwide"

"Bulgaria needs stabilization at home so as to stand up for its priorities at the European and global level," Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Iotova said during a discussion with participants in the Management Skills National Programme of the Dimitry Panitza Bulgarian School for Politics, quoted by the President's Press Secretariat on Wednesday.

The discussion covered a wide range of topics, including leadership in the context of global conflicts and the role of international organizations, the EU’s place on the world stage and the need for reforms, Bulgaria’s main development priorities, and the growing sense of fragmentation in social relations.

Iotova said that Bulgaria lacks national ambition for development. Asked to list three key directions for the country, she highlighted the project for a gigafactory for artificial intelligence and high technologies which could turn Bulgaria into a technology hub, organic farming, and tourism focused on cultural and historical routes.

Commenting on the sense of social fragmentation, Iotova said that Bulgarians are becoming increasingly alienated, often repeating the phrase "this is not my concern". The Vice President stressed the need to restore mutual trust, engage in dialogue, and listen to differing opinions. In her opinion, impunity at all levels has the most harmful impact on the country and society.

In the context of the collapsing global security system, Iotova underscored the need of reforming international organizations, including the United Nations, so that they can meet current needs and offer workable solutions. She criticized the EU's "hesitant crisis response", citing the lack of unity over the war in Ukraine. "Decisions are in the hands of the big countries, while the smaller ones remain mere onlookers," she argued.

Iotova pointed to the difficulties in reaching common decisions, especially in defence and security, and again called for a revision of the Lisbon Treaty. "We need knowledgeable people with vision and character, ready for bold action to pull the European Union out of the paralysis it has fallen into," she said.