Shuleva warns Bulgaria trapped in stagnation

ByEnigma 808

Former Bulgarian economic minister Lydia Shuleva welcomed Rheinmetall’s billion-euro contract to build an ammunition factory as foreign investment dropped nearly 11 percent through mid-2025. She told NOVA News that defense manufacturing drives national economic growth of 5.3 percent while other industries decline.

Shuleva criticized the 2026 budget proposal for lacking policies that encourage high-value production and innovation. She said Bulgaria needs investment strategies that generate better wages through productivity rather than across-the-board salary increases for government workers.

The Economic and Social Council member noted pension system reforms remain unaddressed despite available solutions. She warned that automatic wage increases for public employees burden taxpayers without improving efficiency.

Bulgaria abandoned fiscal discipline after 2020 by running deficits and depleting reserves originally built from surplus years. Shuleva said that linking budget-sector salaries to average wages creates unsustainable debt that productive citizens must cover through higher taxes.

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    Besides writing and being a content creator, Enigma 808 sometimes likes to watch paint dry on walls, listening to ASMR while timing snails racing. Such is life.