[ad_1]
The Three Seas Initiative offers our country a real opportunity to achieve more sustainable economic growth and a faster and more efficient convergence with other countries in the Trimor region and the EU by increasing connectivity: transport, energy and digital, which will unlock unused resources. So far latent potential to optimize production, trade and economic cooperation.
This is stated by the official position of the Republicans for Bulgaria on the participation of Bulgaria and the political reactions in the country after the presidential summit of the Three Seas Initiative in Tallinn on 19 October. We publish the message without editorial intervention:
“The reality of this possibility must be realized an hour before by Bulgarian politicians. The urgency of this realization stems from the fact that our country hosted the summit in 2021 and will preside over the initiative for the next year. Worrying.” The fact is that no Bulgarian politician congratulated our country on the success achieved with the official presentation of the presidency in Tallinn; This is not a success for a president, this is a success and an opportunity for our country.
It is even more worrying that no politician commented on the summit on the merits, did not mention the conclusions and the analysis of the perspectives of our country, how we will do it so that we present ourselves not only in a “decent” protocol, but also to achieve practical results and tangible progress both for the initiative and for the development of the region, as well as for Bulgaria. This is the time to point out that Estonia has raised the bar very high. No politician commented on the messages expressed at the meeting by our partners in the context of the initiative, he did not analyze what messages the Bulgarian president sent. Instead, all our state involvement came down to lackluster remarks about the inability to fully conduct the President’s bilateral visit and the missed official dinner in Tallinn.
The lack of content analysis is another sign of the lack of coordination and cooperation between the Presidential Administration and the Executive Power on the issues of the initiative. The signs of this lack intensified in June this year, when at a meeting of foreign ministers of the initiative, the Bulgarian representative at the deputy minister level said that the best thing for our country is to assume the presidency in 2022, after the meeting. in 2019 in Slovenia, Bulgaria has already expressed its desire to preside in 2021, and diplomatic meetings have been held in early 2020. on the content of the Bulgarian household issues in 2021 Such disagreement is a bad sign for our partners, not only because it shows the lack of a basic institutional dialogue, but also because it is a sign of the inability of the institutions to join the service of important issues and in the fulfillment of national interests.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness of the real opportunities that the initiative provides and the lack of responsible political behavior are not the only problems. Even more worrying is the lack of understanding of the specific parameters of the initiative and its operation. During his speeches in Tallinn, the Bulgarian President stressed on several occasions that the Bulgarian presidency will give priority to establishing a clear decision-making mechanism for the selection of projects for financing from the initiative fund. This application reveals the ignorance of the philosophy and concept of the fund, which is managed by an exclusive independent financial advisor, an international company specialized in the management and attraction of investments, and the decisions to select financing projects will be made by this advisor in based on market logic and Return on investment. The Heads of State have defined only the objectives and the general framework of the fund in accordance with the mission of the initiative. This mechanism has been chosen precisely to ensure maximum transparency of market-based decisions, avoiding any possibility of pressure or political influence in favor of one country or another. This is necessary to ensure that the private investors, whom the fund hopes to attract, are managed in the most market-appropriate way. This is precisely the objective of the financial participation of the Member States in the fund: to make it more attractive, stable and secure for private investors. The philosophy is that more and more strategic projects to increase connectivity should be implemented with private investments and through public-private partnerships, as is the usual practice in Western Europe, that is. The fund is an instrument for the convergence of the financing model of this type of projects in the countries of the Three Seas Initiative, where this type of project is financed more frequently by EU structural funds with those of the oldest members of the the western part of the continent. .
Another worrying aspect of the messages from the President’s request for the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency is the emphasis on the need to extend the initiative to connectivity in the field of science and education as a central priority. Given the initiative’s high level of ambition in strategic, economic and geopolitical terms, such an emphasis shows a low level of ambition on the part of Bulgaria. Without underestimating the importance of science and education, it should be clear to every politician and expert analyst that they are not subject to the high diplomacy to which the Three Seas Initiative belongs. Republicans for Bulgaria calls on Bulgarian politicians for a more responsible behavior and a higher level of experience in the issues of the initiative.
The position and statements of the Bulgarian government unfortunately show a complete abdication of work in favor of the Bulgarian international interest and its good image. Political antagonism seems to prevail over state responsibility, and this is unacceptable. The reaction of the Bulgarian government representatives and the lack of position on the content of the meeting in Tallinn are further proof that the resignation of the government is urgent, as it cannot fulfill its commitment to serve in the name of a better future for Bulgarian citizens. “.
[ad_2]
