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Former entrepreneur Kiril Petkov, newly elected Prime Minister of Bulgaria, has business insights to tackle two of the country’s most difficult challenges: low immunization rates and rocky relationships with neighboring North Macedonia. I’m betting on power.
Bulgaria has the lowest immunization rate in Europe, at only 32 percent.
The country, which has long struggled with high levels of corruption and low confidence in the system, has also sparked criticism on the European stage for blocking the path to EU accession negotiations in North Macedonia.
Currently, the new government wants to vaccinate “at least 50%” of Bulgarians by April, said Petkov, a 41-year-old graduate of Harvard Business School, a few days after taking office last week. I told POLITICO.
Strategy includes hiring a marketing company to run a group focused on vaccines and potential financial incentives for people over the age of 65 to get a jab, he said to Brussels. Said in an interview during the first official trip.
To overcome the distrust of the institution, he advocates a respected person to oversee the vaccine program: Professor of Virology Radka Argirova.
“I want her to be Dr. Forch in Bulgaria,” he said, referring to Anthony Forch, the chief medical adviser to US President Joe Biden, who became famous in the United States.
Petkov aims to “create a reliable person that Bulgarian can listen to.” To vaccinate yourself. ”
Petkov served as interim minister of economy earlier this year and took office after months of political turmoil, including three elections.
Former entrepreneurs also said they would like to create better training for Bulgarian physicians, including a “standard protocol for advice” on vaccines.
Bulgaria’s low vaccination rates are due to “a lot of misinformation” and “a huge amount of political unrest,” Petkov said.
Balkan CEO
The Prime Minister also wants to take a more business approach to his relationship with North Macedonia.
After years of controversy, the EU last year agreed to request North Macedonia and Albania to begin membership negotiations. However, Bulgaria has blocked negotiations over the controversy with North Macedonia over history and language.
As a result, both North Macedonia and Albania were unable to proceed to an agreement on a negotiating framework, which is a prerequisite for initiating negotiations at an intergovernmental conference, which is the next key step in the membership process.
The Bulgarian move is with the Balkan Peninsula, where expansionists have claimed that Sofia has undermined the credibility of the block, leaving a political gap in areas where Russia, Turkey and China are eager to gain influence. It fueled frustration in Brussels.
The new Bulgarian government has no plans to withdraw the demands associated with the historic conflict with North Macedonia, but Petkov aims to broaden dialogue and use economic cooperation to improve relations. Said.
According to Petkov, the approach is to “strengthen existing positions” and the Commission hopes to consider a “working very hard for six months” relationship, but does not reveal a deadline for the process. rice field.
“For now, I don’t think any government can go to their population and say,’OK, forget all the issues and just sign the agreement,’ because this government will soon lose power. “Body,” he said. Said.
Instead, its purpose is to show people why cooperation is beneficial, Petkov said, for example, by inviting the CEOs of companies in Bulgaria and North Macedonia to build a relationship.
“I want to be able to fly directly from Sofia to Skopje, but I hate flying in Vienna. If possible, I need the first rail connection. At least that’s the plan. I want a joint cultural calendar.” He added.
Corrupt crunch
While fighting the pandemic and dealing with the conflict with North Macedonia, the new Prime Minister also faces the major challenge of fighting corruption and implementing reforms.
The Petkov administration, along with the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the populist “with such people” party, and the liberal Bulgarian Democratic Party Alliance, is made up of his continuous change party, following a large anti-corruption protest. I promised to work on it. Graft.
“We ran a campaign to eliminate corruption tolerance,” he said, and his “personal dream” makes Bulgaria a “textbook case of how to get rid of corruption in a very short period of time.” I added that it is.
The government has already set up a parliamentary committee to investigate corruption, and one of its first legislative measures is to strengthen the investigative power of Bulgarian anti-corruption agencies.
He is facing a difficult battle. The country has struggled to push forward with judicial reforms, which are considered essential to eradicate systematic corruption.
The European Commission’s 2021 Rule of Law Report raises many concerns about Bulgaria’s judicial system, including the Prosecutor’s “Accountability and Criminal Liability.”
Petkov, who asked prosecutor-general Ivan Geshev to resign, admitted that the new government does not have enough votes to introduce the constitutional amendments needed to address structural issues within the judiciary.
The Prime Minister said the government “will make every possible effort to transform the judicial system,” but “we must stay within the rule of law. The rule of law itself is the first.”
The prime minister also claimed that he was his own person. One of the main criticisms of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and other political opponents against him is the puppet of President Rumen Radev, who has formed an alliance with the Socialist Party, which has a close relationship with Russia and the history of corruption. Is that.
Asked about his relationship with Radef, he said he “worked really well with him” while serving as interim minister, but “did not receive a single call from him. [on] What I should do. “
He argued that he and Radef would lead “completely separate institutions” in the constitution, noting that a small country like Bulgaria should have a “joint voice” on some issues. The prime minister was “totally nonsense.”
“Good communication is important, not dependencies,” Petkov concludes.
This article is part of PoliticoPremium Policy Services: Professional Healthcare. From drug prices, EMAs, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, etc., our professional journalists are always aware of the topics that drive the healthcare policy agenda. Email [email protected] Free trial.
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