site.btaCC-DB Co-leader: Change May Be Slower Than We Would Like, But It Is Happening

In a declaration read during the opening of Parliament’s winter session on Thursday, Kiril Petkov of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria said: "Change is happening, albeit more slowly than we would like, but it is happening nevertheless".

In his words, change happens through the elimination of fear among Bulgarian citizens. "I do not think there is a single Bulgarian who is still afraid that they will die in winter without Russian gas. I believe that the fear of an all-powerful, uncontrollable attorney general is also a thing of the past. I believe that the fear of the unlawful or illegal use of institutions is also gone. Change is also happening through a change in the expectations of Bulgarians. I do not think there is a single Bulgarian pensioner who does not know that there is money for normal pensions. There is not a single Bulgarian teacher who does not expect their salary to exceed the national average," Petkov said.

"Bulgaria will complete its European integration by achieving this goal, which will further raise the living standards of Bulgarians," he noted.

"Our plan is to continue this change in 2024," Petkov said, adding that it should permeate the state institutions, where "many of the old systems still function in the old way". "Regulators such as the Financial Supervision Commission, the Commission on Protection of Competition, the Council for Electronic Media, the Communications Regulation Commission should become transparent and efficient and serve the interests of Bulgarian citizens and businesses," he said. Petkov also stressed that it is time for the security services to be reformed and modernised.