site.btaPrime Minister Urges Shift from Strategies to Plans with Deadlines and Budgets with Regards to Demographic Policy

Speaking to journalists after a meeting on the demographic policy on Friday, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov outlined a targeted approach, a positive image and a shift from strategies to plans with timelines and budget. The meeting was attended by representatives of ministries, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Economic and Social Council, the Sofia University, the National Statistical Institute, the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, NGOs and experts.

“There are several aspects to work on in the future - the first is a targeted approach according to the social groups and according to the incomes of the people we are trying to address, as well as according to regions. The second is that we are hindered by the negative image that we ourselves create by focusing on the negative events in the country. The third is to work together so that the good ideas are implemented in a certain timeframe with a certain budget and we move from strategies to concrete plans in this area,” said Denkov. 
 
“The demographic policy is a priority of the government and we have the assurance that it will be implemented in the long term,” said Atanas Atanasov, Chairman of the National Statistical Institute (NSI). The NSI carries out many studies in the field of demographic statistics and can provide all the necessary data so that an effective demographic policy can be implemented now and in the future, he added. 
 
 
“In order to have solutions to the demographic problems in the country, there must be specific goals for implementation and we count on the institutions to have specific goals, with deadlines and a budget that will be invested in the return of some of the Bulgarians who are outside the country, to increase the birth rate,” said journalist Andrei Arnaudov. “Together we need to speak positively about Bulgaria, because everything else will be much more difficult,” he added. 
 
“It is encouraging that at the national level we already have a clear understanding of what the specific problems are and in what direction we need to act in order to have a positive demography, which is possible if we have a vision for the future and take the right measures in the right direction,” said author Georgi Bardarov. In his words, the first steps have been taken, the results will not come immediately, but when there is consistent work and the right measures, they will become visible in the foreseeable future.