Optimism for Bulgaria

“We cannot create a normal business environment if there aren’t equal conditions for everyone, and if those in power do not play by the rules,” Iva says.

Illustrator Ralitsa Tchobanova has a message for her peers: Voting is important. Inform yourself. Participate. Vote.

By the time Louisa could vote in an election, democracy was well established in Bulgaria, but enthusiasm for voting was on the wane. The Bulgaria-specific reasons for this are manifold, but the outcome is also consistent with what happens worldwide. “Paradoxically, the more democracy you begin to have, the lazier you become as a democrat,” Louisa says.

We have all been there. The novelty is gone, and the challenges appear to loom larger than the gains in life quality we experienced since we have democracy in our lives. This six-step guide will help you reevaluate your relationship with democracy and ultimately make it stronger.

In that vision, the whole region has become a magnet for creative people building businesses that espouse slow consumption, honor traditional crafts, and promote a sustainable use of resources—and for visitors embracing those values. In that environment, guests and locals exchange experience and bond over shared meals of Smilyan beans and other local delicacies.

The Nadezhda bookstore in Plovdiv’s Trakia neighborhood is a special place. Everything from the positive name—nadezhda in Bulgarian means hope—to the welcoming interior and friendly staff is designed to make you feel at home. Inside you are not just a customer but a dear guest who is greeted by the biggest smiles you have seen and offered a small souvenir with a message—a small token of gratitude for your patronage.

It is the go-to resource for socio-economic analyses on Bulgaria’s regions. Whether you are an investor looking at Gabrovo’s engineering potential, a local planner in Ruse interested in attracting educational investment, or an expansion-minded business in search of areas with low taxation, efficient local administration, and a qualified workforce, the Regional Profiles of the Institute for Market Economics (IME) are your first stop.

There are six times as many university graduates and twice as many high school graduates in the country’s Roma community than there were a decade ago, and school attendance has improved among all age groups.

Mariana Barakchieva has programmed eye surgery software, worked in radio, done broadcasts for TV networks in Bulgaria and the United States, managed a mountain shelter in the Swiss Alps, and pulled off daring rock-climbing feats.