site.btaVP Iotova: Judging from EC and ECB Reports, Only Bulgarian National Bank Has Done Its Job

Talking to the media in Kazanlak on Sunday, Vice President Iliana Iotova said that judging from the reports of the European Commission (EC) and the European Central Bank (ECB), the only institution that has done its job is the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB). "I can say with full confidence that there are no criticisms in this regard," she stressed, adding that the BNB accomplished the entire process.

Iotova attended a rose picking ritual at the 122nd Rose Festival in Kazanlak. 

She declined to comment on President Radev's statement earlier in the day, but said that having read both reports carefully, she found "quite a few concerning recommendation". "I am familiar with the language of European documents; I have learned to read between the lines over the years. And when recommendations are made in a friendly tone, I know that they are actually evaluations," said Iotova, who was an MEP between 2007 and 2017.

Back in 2001, Bulgaria began examining Chapter 11 regarding membership in the Economic and Monetary Union, and from that point on, the remarks become very serious regarding the country's stability, the quality of governance, the as yet unreformed judiciary, and huge social imbalances, Iotova said. According to her, the recommendations point directly to a need to address the social cost of the switchover to a different currency. She added that the country, society and institutions have much to do from now on.

Regarding the ongoing protests against the adoption of the euro, the Vice President said this is the free will of the people - they have the right to express their opinion. "Anything else - silencing them, the extremely humiliating counting of the number of protesters, as if we are herds rather than people with a right to vote, as if we are subjects and not citizens - this is absolutely unacceptable to me. Different opinions must be respected, even if only one or two people are on the street - this has always been my policy," Iotova said.