Europe, We've Been Waiting for You!

In his weekly column "Max's Column" for TBmagazine, Maxim Behar talks about the difficulties and changes in the Bulgarian economy and business and the only force that counts - experience.

We really had a goal since the years before all the crises. Some said: "We are going to Europe", but I opposed them saying “It is not true, we are going back to Europe”. Whatever the vocabulary, it happened, and now for our not so big business community, Europe means only one word - funds. This synonym of cash flow that you get basically doing nothing, has pretty much messed up our whole concept of free market and competition to succeed in business.

Naturally, Bulgaria is really a different country now. Far richer, with wonderful, young people, ambitious, educated, and full of desire to achieve a lot and as quickly as possible. And being part of a great, free and civilized market, is the most important reason for this. But the so-called European funds seem to have wedged themselves into our seemingly free economy and quickly changed our values. Naturally, Bulgaria needs these funds so it can catch up as quickly as possible (if possible, of course) with the more confident countries of Eastern Europe.

But Europe will truly become a goal, a symbol and even an icon, when every Bulgarian lev in the economy not only helps, not only builds, but also motivates a steady income. Brussels can easily do it. Because that was and remains the point of the long wait.