A conference on preserving the Bulgarian lev, attended by economists, financiers, public figures and MPs from "Vazrazhdane", was held yesterday in Sofia.
A special guest at the conference was Prof. Steve Hanke. He is a professor of applied economics and founder of the Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health and Business Enterprise Research at "Johns Hopkins" University in Baltimore. Professor Hanke is known as the father of Bulgaria's currency board, holds eight honorary doctorates, three from Bulgarian institutions: the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, D.A. Tsenov and the Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar". Professor Hanke was the chief advisor to President Stoyanov from 1997 to 2002. He is currently rated as the third most influential economist in the world by Focus Economics in Barcelona.
The conference was opened by the chairman of "Vazrazhdane" and the PG of "Vazrazhdane" - Kostadin Kostadinov, who welcomed all those present with the words:
“This is a free and open forum, this is a common cause for the future of the state, regardless of the differences of individual groups of people, it is necessary to unite around a national cause to save our common future. Bulgaria's financial independence is at risk. Upon adoption of the euro, the Bulgarian budget will be subject to approval by the European World Bank, which eliminates our sovereignty. We expect all Bulgarians, regardless of the differences in their interests, to take part on 22.02.2025. (Saturday) at 12:00 in front of the BNB for a march in support of the Bulgarian lev. The need for public support and resistance to attempts at pressure from the EU and international institutions is enormous“.
At the end of the forum, a declaration was signed, which insists on preserving the Bulgarian lev as the national currency and protecting financial independence, holding a referendum on the issue, developing alternative strategies for sustainable economic development without sacrificing the country's financial independence, Transparency and accountability.
Among the signatories of the declaration are Assoc. Prof. Grigor Sariyski - economist, Velizar Enchev - former MP, public figure and journalist, Boyan Durankev - economist, Stoyan Panchev - economist, Strahil Angelov - economist, Todor Belenski - journalist and public figure, Rumyana Chenalova - judge, lawyer and public figure, Krasimir Petrov - economist and financier.