Think Tank of Young Bulgarians Puts an End to the Transition

Young Bulgarian professionals and students from across the world are working on a new vision of their country. Bulgarian society has experienced great socio-economic hardship during the 90s, known as the transition period. The young generation finally want to end the transition.

"It is not about forgetting the past. Rather, it is about reconciliation with what has been irretrievably lost or cannot be changed regarding the future vision of the country," Kaloyan Bukovsky, member of the Millennium Club Bulgaria's Governing Board and director of The End of the Transition campaign, said in an interview for Bloomberg TV Bulgaria.

After the fall of socialism across central and eastern Europe, many Bulgarians at the time hoped that the new period that awaits them will bring a higher standard of living and more democratic freedom. However, hopes since then have mostly been dashed, as the country continues to struggle to get back on its feet. Serious issues, such as corruption, a demographic crisis and organised crime are a reality in modern day Bulgaria, with a general overarching feeling of pessimism still looming over the country, almost thirty years since the fall of socialism.

In addition, the Bulgarian political and social elite, and the general public by extension, has been at odds with how to interpret the country's socialist era (1994-1989). Left-wing parties have generally been nostalgic of the socialist era, whereas right-wing parties have defined that period as 'criminal' and have sought to, essentially, conduct a "witch-hunt" on individuals linked to the State Security, the Bulgarian secret service at the time.

Earlier this year, Millennium Club Bulgaria, a think tank of young Bulgarian professionals and students launched its ...