PART TWO:
BULGARIA TODAY AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE XXI CENTURY
TRANSITION TO A CONSTITUTIONAL STATE AND CIVIC SOCIETY WITH A SOCIAL MARKET ECONOMY
No matter how hard the current situation in the country is, the socialists find it entirely realistic both to overcome the crisis and modernize Bulgaria. Based on a sound analysis, we propose a path and a policy to this end.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party views the present and the future day of Bulgaria as an overcoming of internal division, confrontation and instability and a consolidation of national unity, peace and stability. This can be achieved by a wise political strategy and a good practical policy. We, the socialists, propose a strategy of peaceful transition and national consent. We apply a policy of democratic reforms and tolerance.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party holds that the establishment of a constitutional state and transition to a civic society with socially and environmentally oriented market economy plays a decisive role for the modernisation and prosperity of Bulgaria.
A constitutional state guarantees realisation and protection of individual rights, wide participation in representative and direct democracy, strict respect for the law. We view Bulgaria as a democratic state with order, peace and security in it and we'll make our best to have this come true.
The civic society creates conditions for consolidation of liberty end democracy. The socialists stand for fully-fledged civic society of modern European type with a growing role of the individual in it and in the making of state policy. We stand for freedom of speech, ideas and organisations, for pluralism in all spheres of social life.
The prosperity of Bulgaria and welfare of Bulgarian citizens can be economically assured by the creation of a social market economy, where there will exist all forms of property and interaction between competition and state regulation. Market as well as democracy are an achievement of human civilisation. Socialists do not withstand the market. We stand for a social market economy which provides justice and welfare for all. The political reform should be result in democratic by nature, successfully functioning and able to solve the problems of society and of the citizens legislative, executive and judicial powers. The political reform should lead to the establishment of a free and democratic civic society. Now it is of paramount importance to confirm the political culture and the principles of democracy which must govern both the citizens and the state political and municipal structures. Today Bulgaria needs a democratic but a strong state authority based on a democratic but stable society. The chaotic state should be overcome not by the recurrence of the ,,strong hand", but through uncompromized enforcement of law and the rules of democracy.
Especially important and in many ways decisive is the role of the successful implementation of an economic reform for the transformation of present and coming Bulgaria into a prosperous country. The reform aims at the creation of a social market economy in our country. It combines economic efficiency with guaranties for social security for each individual.
Social market economy means a mixed economy where private and state owned property are functioning in equal legal and economic conditions and are of relatively equal worth in producing the gross national product.
In a social market economy the state carries out active regulatory functions through fiscal, monetary, investment policies and a policy of incomes and employment, a social policy. The state, without violating the principles of free initiative and competition, pursues a policy which guarantees the social security of the society and the individual.
A social market economy requires economic autonomy of broad strata of the population, developed and regulated by the state markets of goods and services, of capital and labour force and a civilized partnership between the main subjects of economic relations.
Property gives the owners opportunities to receive incomes and to be independent from the state. The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for socialisation of property. i.e. for its distribution among a great number of subjects, for development of joint-stock companies and other collective forms of property. In this way social polarisation is limited, solidarity among people grows and democracy is consolidated.
A social market economy is opened to the world economy. The state promotes participation in international division of labour as well as the flow of foreign capital under certain conditions. Besides, the Bulgarian specialists want to defend the interests of national manufacturers by means of moderate and selective protectionism.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party holds that compliance with the rules of the market do not cover all of the engagements of society and of the state when it comes to the provision of the very living conditions of man (environment, health care, housing) and for the moulding of the individual (raising and edification of the coming generation, education, electronic media).
From this point on, the social and economic transition, according to its goals, tasks and the time, necessary for its realisation, can be divided into three periods:
* in the short term, 1-2 years, which can be described as economic recovery, with termination of the economic decline, stabilisation, commencement of the structural reform, selective restoration of a part of traditional markets of the country and an increase of real incomes, which will make the transition period endurable;
* in the medium term, 5-6 years, which is characterised by an economic growth, technological innovation, market expansion, increase of employment, new proportion between manufacturing and services, between sectors and branches, between social and private property, new system of social insurance and increase of the living standards of the population;
* in the long term, 15-20 years, when there will be available all institutions and functional mechanisms of the social market economy. Bulgaria will participate in the international division of labour and the living standards of the Bulgarian will reach the level of medium developed countries.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is of the opinion that the long-term goal is the building of a social market economy, in compliance with Bulgarian conditions. The immediate goal of the economic policy for the beginning of the transition is to stop the aggravation of the crisis and to generate conditions and incentives for economic recovery.
THE ECONOMIC POLICY OF TRANSITION
Bulgaria needs an economic policy of transition, which can be developed in several inter-linked directions.
The Bulgarian Socialist party considers that the production of goods and services should be placed in the core of reform. The financial measures by themselves cannot solve the economic and social tasks of transition. We apprehend the financial system as a means. Monetary, fiscal and taxation policy is supposed to serve the production and not visa-versa.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is convinced, that industrial investment policy is the ,,driving force" of the change and the main factor for economic growth. World economic practice does not know a single case of overcoming of an economic crisis without restructuring, technological innovation and growth of production of goods.
The successful realisation of a market reform in considerably changed internal and external economic conditions, in the opinion of the BSP, requires a structural policy, connected with the system of national priorities. Taking into account the requirements of the market environment, the specifics of the country and its strategic interests, the state is supposed to define the key branches and production priorities. In compliance with the financial state of the companies and capacities of the budget, under certain conditions and terms, there should be applied incentives for their „sanitation". The range of incentives includes credits under preferential conditions, extension or remission of „bad debts", tax reliefs, state orders, purposeful subsidies etc.
Only such an approach can ensure the restructuring of our national economy and the preservation of the best part of our industrial potential and agricultural production.
Shifts of the property in the process of privatisation are a significant part of the structural policy. The Bulgarian socialist Party stands for combined approaches of privatization. The market and social path to privatization should not go against one another. The economic potential of the country has been built with the efforts of the whole society and therefore the BSP defend the right of all Bulgarian citizens to participate, including gratuitously, in redistribution of the national capital.
We strive for a mass privatization because it provides tools for economic enrichment of broad strata of population and compensates the lack of privatization capital. On the other hand the market privatization provides budget revenues and reduces the pressure of inflation. However, it is unjustified to sell state owned property et any price. Privatization „per piece" and entirely on a market basis may ensure a single time income, but at the expense of considerable damages for the society in the medium and long run. Privatization should be guided by the actual state of state-owned companies and to in compliance with the national economic policy.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party considers participation of foreign investors in the process of privatization as a source of foreign exchange resources, as a possibility for transfer of technologies and for finding markets. As a rule, foreign investors must enjoy equal conditions with the Bulgarian buyers.
Socialists stand for guaranteeing the Bulgarian interests in the privatization. Their programme includes provision of employment and investments, preservation of the Bulgarian trade mark, when it is recognised and prevention of monopoly on the market. In certain conditions the state can provide low interest credits to promote Bulgarian participation in privatization. For some productions of strategic importance it is justified to define limits of the range of foreign participation similarly to the practice in other countries.
Future structure of property and the character of relations between labour and capital will depend on the way privatization is being performed. Therefore, the socialists demand clarity on the origin of the capital, used for privatization purposes. The Bulgarian socialist Party takes into consideration the positive role of the constructive national capital in a market economy and as a left-wing party strives for servicing not only private interests, but the development of the whole society.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party offers an agrarian policy which is aimed at overcoming the downfall in the country-side in short terms and at building a compatible agriculture. The agrarian reform must become the main element of our structural policy.
The immediate task is to overcome the degenerative processes. It requires:
* to complete the restoration of the right to property on cultivated lands;
* provision of legal and economic conditions for establishment of new economic structures (co-operatives, family farms, different type of societies etc.) on equal footing;
* special attention should be paid to agricultural co-operatives as the most suitable form of agricultural production in the current Bulgarian conditions;
* efforts should be made to restore traditional foreign markets for our agricultural production;
It is also necessary:
* to confirm the legal base for regulation of relations as to land and the processes of setting up the forms of use of land i.e. laws on the market of land and lease of land, defending the rights of the producer above all;
* setting up of a state system of economic regulation of agricultural production through adequate taxation, financial, credit, price and export-import policy;
* building up of the market infrastructure - agro-exchange, tenders, agro-service, specialised agriculture credit institutions, management and marketing consulting system etc.;
* privatisation of supporting activities and of processing industries at favourable terms for the agricultural producers;
In the long run we shall work for:
* development of infrastructure in the rural areas - municipal economy, communications, health care, education etc.;
* diversification of production in agricultural regions through unfolding of industry, rural tourism, recreation, sports, fishing etc.
* building up environmental complexes - agriculture, forestry and water economy - for the production of high quality ecologically pure products;
* integration of agricultural producers in the entire social life of the country.
The realisation of such an agrarian policy will provide a boom and competitiveness of Bulgarian agriculture.
The socialists insist on support, provided by the state, for the agrarian sector with low-interests loans, direct and indirect subsidies, export incentives as well as restoration of the infrastructure of agricultural production. Traditional productions, which can satisfy not only the major part of internal demand and generate considerable incomes from exports, deserve special attention. The scientists-agrarians and the Bulgarian Agricultural Academy need protection and better conditions for creative development.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for re-examination of the current fiscal and monetary policy.
It is ridiculous to expect economic growth in conditions of total restrictions, marked by ,,expensive money" ( high interest rates on credits), too heavy a tax burden, strict restrictions on the real incomes etc. Some of these restrictions are necessary, however, their application in the current combination of factors runs against the logic of the growth. We are confident that an inflation generating factor is the fall in production rather than possibly a lower interest rate. The current price of credits makes their use effective only for short term i.e. in commerce. Credit demand from production companies is next to zero as the expensive financial resources exclude achievement of price competitiveness. Investment credits for production purposes can and should be preferential, irrespective of the form of property.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for moderate, high and differentiated scale of taxation, which must not suffocate investments and growth of production. Through the redistributive functions of the taxation policy, growth can be stimulated and more revenues for social funds be provided.
The socialists hold that the main tax burden should be carried by business subjects' revenues rather than by the citizens' and households' incomes.
While calculating the total tax burden of the citizens it is necessary to strike a socially well-founded balance between tax payments and social-security contributions.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for a change of the current budgetary policy, carried out far too passively with pointedly fiscal functions. Income and expenditure parts of the budget are not sufficiently interconnected. The share of uncollected taxes is great. The government could not stabilize the budget in the medium and long term period unless it restructures budget expenditures. Even paying the price of bigger short-term deficit, the state should allocate more financial resources to direct investments supporting the preferential interests and for influencing the market demand of goods for investment purposes. Reorientation is needed towards perspective scientific and engineering organisations which possess potential for technological innovation of capital.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party supports the status of the Bulgarian National Bank as an institution subordinated to Parliament. The organizational and financial independence of the Central Bank does not exclude out supposes seek to synchronised actions with the Government as a prerequisite for a successful economic policy. Significant is the role of the BNB for prevention strong tremors in the financial system. The BSP stands for setting up and development of a system of popular banks.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for an active regional policy as an element of the unified state social and economic policy, which provides more or less equal, balanced and sustained development on the territory of the country and leads to improvement of living conditions in the regions. Important part in it is dedicated to the priorities of different territories, regional infrastructural systems, areas for industrial agglomeration and entrepreneurship.
We shall introduce a system of incentives for regional development which will include selective subsidies that will guide the investment process of the state; differentiated taxation policy; credit reliefs. The management of the decentralisation and de-concentration of industrial enterprises and of environment will include measures of restrictive character.
The BSP holds that the practice of regional programming is an important and active form of regional policy. We shall restore the elaboration of projects for development of mountainous, hilly, along the borders, coastal and underdeveloped regions and areas with high rate of unemployment or other specific problems.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for an active foreign trade policy which is in compliance with the realities and national interests. The reduction of unemployment and the national stability will depend to a great extent on the success of this policy.
The loss of markets in Eastern European countries mainly in Russia and in the Community of New Independent States, combined with far too quick and politicised withdrawal of Bulgaria deepens the social and economic crisis.
Selective restoration and intensification of previous ties, including the Middle East countries and establishment of economic ties and contacts with countries from the Far East could lead to reduction of inevitable damages due to the gradual reorientation of our foreign economic relations and could upgrade our economic potential.
The conclusion of trade agreements with the European Union and with the European Free Trade Association is a priority of Bulgarian foreign policy and opens wide opportunities for reorientation of our foreign trade towards the countries with advanced market economy. Till now however, the effect of this reorientation of our economy is modest. non-symmetric preferences now in operation preserve an unfavourable structure of imports and exports and trade deficit both with the EU and the EFTA.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is of the opinion that national interests should be more efficiently guarded in co-operation with the international financial institutions. The membership in the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and in other international financial, economic and commercial organisations introduces Bulgaria to the global financial system and provides easier access to world markets. The granted credits promote stabilisation of our financial system, particularly the balance of payments and help for implementation of certain industrial, environmental and infrastructural projects. However, we do not conceal it from the Bulgarian public that some of the recommendations of these organisations and imposed requirements do not comply with our interests. It is inadmissible to ask that the share of the budget deficit in the gross national product should be lower that the average indices for the European Union and other advanced countries. Equally unacceptable are the recommendations to focus our economic policy on financial stabilisation rather than on national production. Too large are the scissors between our foreign debt due to our new loans and the deterioration of the general state of economy both in industry and agriculture. Besides, the size of the granted credits does not meet the high demands of our economic policy. We stand for expansion of cooperation with the international financial and other institutions, but on equal footing in compliance with our economic possibilities while preserving the perspectives for development of our national economy.
The policy of generating employment plays a significant role in a social market economy. The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for a high and economically feasible employment.
The state policy of employment management requires a special organization which should include setting up of national and regional labour offices. A national informational system of labour supply and demand is required.
Employment regulation demands the introduction of tax and credit reliefs while preserving and creating new jobs, including for young people, disabled and individuals transferred to more appropriate jobs. Interconnecting of our investment, branch and regional policy with the program for closing down ineffective enterprises, for privatisation, for stabilisation and reorientation of the labour force, creates opportunities for overcoming unemployment and for increasing the level of employment. The socialists stand for protection of the national labour market by a flexible import-export customs policy, by placing state orders to local enterprises and by complying with international norm of labour permits for foreign workers. The burden of unemployment can be reduced by signing of bilateral contracts ,,for export" of Bulgarian workers and specialists for work abroad.
The beginning of the structural reform and definition of professional and qualification necessities of the country require the foundation of national, branch, regional and company organisations for professional orientation, qualification and retraining. The market economy demands a redistribution of the roles of the state, employers and citizens in the professional training of workers and specialists.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for regulation of incomes and prices.
The incomes from labour, entrepreneurship, social payments, interests and rent should be formed by the market. The salaries of managers and workers in state-owned and municipal enterprises must be defined on the basis of production and economic results.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is conscientious of the fact that social differentiation is inevitable when there is a market, however, it pursues a policy aimed at restraining of poverty and preventing the practice when personal wealth grows by means of plundering of wage labour and society. It relies on the tax regulation of remuneration of wage labour and freelance professions, of the incomes of one-man companies and traders which can lead to a just redistribution of the money of society.
It is necessary to bring closer the levels of payment in the budget sphere and in material production, and in perspective to implement the European standards in payment for intellectual labour.
The Socialists stand for regulation of prices by defensive minimal and subsidised purchasing prices of agricultural products and for reasonable selling prices of monopoly goods.
The opening of Bulgarian economy leads to levelling of domestic and international prices. It requires an adequate increase of salaries in accordance with productivity of labour of the purchasing capacity of the lev and of the economic potential of businesses and the state.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for such a proportion between the prices and the salaries, pensions, family allowances, tuition, that can prevent from ruining the real incomes of the population. It demands introduction of mechanisms of indexation of wages, pensions and allowances in compliance with the growth of inflation.
THE SOCIAL POLICY IN THE A STATE OF CRISIS AND IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF MARKET ECONOMY
The transition to market economy requires considerable changes in social security, in health care and in satisfying population's needs of housing. The Bulgarian Socialist Party withstands the drastic reduction of the social gains of the Bulgarian people.
Drive against Poverty
The poverty in Bulgaria is already a mass phenomenon. Figures of interrelation between incomes and cost of life for the majority of Bulgarian population are alarming. Therefore the priority of our policy in the immediate socioeconomic period of crisis is termination of the impoverishment and in the long run - overcoming the poverty.
The Bulgarian Socialist party stands for a responsible participation of the state in redistribution of a part of the national income for warranting the necessary financial and material means of living for the citizens, families and social groups in privation and with low incomes. Incomes from labour and social payments should be immediately compensated in compliance with the growth of inflation.
The BSP stands for development of a national system for social support. We endeavour expansion of the list of proposed allowances in cash, in kind and in services. Justice requires objective criteria for selecting citizens and families which badly need social care and support. Temporary work or part-time jobs should be provided for lastingly unemployed people. Socialists will take to heart the problems the gypsy population in privation that suffers particularly acutely the shock of transition to market economy.
The state system of social care is to be supported by branch, professional, regional, syndicate, religious, private and other charity organisations with money and material resources for servicing of socially weak individuals. We should provide preferential financial prerequisites, promoting their foundation and activities.
In our view the country has in possession free social, resort and other buildings which can be restructured for use by poverty stricken citizens and families.
Social insurance
The social insurance should correspond to the market economy environment. It must expand its range and cover new social insurance hazards -unemployment and paid medical service. It is feasible to have three relatively autonomous insurance systems set up: (1) pension insurance, (2) protection in case of unemployment and (3) health insurance.
Though independent these three insurance systems must be developed interdependently particularly as to financing and management of insurance funds. At the beginning there is available one well-established state organization for social insurance and a new one, but comparatively well-developed in the country, unemployment organisation. There is no health insurance. In our view further development of the national insurance system should be set up with succession and preservation of all rational aspects of the existing organisation.
The Bulgarian Socialist party stands for preservation of the state social insurance with a higher administrative and financial independence in its functioning. Besides, there should be legal and economic possibilities for volunteer and additional insurance and for foundation of branch, professional, insurance and other insurance organisations (mutual insurance funds). Insurance responsibilities must be equal for all employers and hired workers of the public and private sector and for the individuals with freelance activities. The state should guarantee the real implementation of these requirements, including in the private sector. Funds must be raised by instalments, adequate to the level of payment, taxes, inherited practice and necessities satisfactorily distributed among employers, workers, officers and the state. Insurance funds should be managed on quarto-partite principle with the participation of pertinent administrations, employers, syndicates and organisations of pensioners, unemployed persons etc.
Our concept of the reform in pension insurance requires just warrant of conditions for a worthy living for superannuated people in liberalised conditions for retirement. Requirements for length of service and age should be flexible, fully in compliance with the labour traditions and daily routine of the nation, with unemployment and possibilities of early retirement. It is important to promote labour longevity. The pension should be defined by the job description, wages and length of service which the people have been insured for. They must be up-dated in due course and in compliance with the cost of living.
Unemployment insurance must be used for benefits and aid in cash in cases of dismissal and difficulties in finding jobs. Provisions from this fund can be used also for financing qualification and retraining projects of unemployed persons as well as for promoting economic activities for generating new jobs.
At the beginning the health insurance funds' the insurance of the employed should be mainly done by the employers and with the support of workers and children insurance, students insurance and pension insurance - by the municipal budgets. With the growth of wages and of the pension funds the insurance burden can gradually be redistributed so that it can provide to a greater extend participation of the insured themselves.
It is feasible that amends for sick-leave are to be paid by health insurers rather than the social insurance funds.
Birth incentives and children's allowances should be provided by the state budget. The reproduction of the nation is a state policy.
General Health Care
Prior to setting up of an insurance system in health care it badly needs financial and organisational consolidation. The provision of natural functioning of the health institutions, of life-saving drugs and consumables and the maintaining of medico-diagnostic equipment are among the most important social tasks in the period of transition.
In the field of reform in the health care the Bulgarian Socialist Party unreservedly stands for: warranted and available medical care - for each Bulgarian citizen; free of charge medical care until the insurance funds are set up.
In the medium run measures can be taken for restructuring and modernization of state health and for paving the way for the emergence of various medical institutions of general treatment, prophylactics and rehabilitation.
The state is supposed to guarantee equal conditions for all forms of medical practice and various medical institutions, to cover part of the costs of state owned health institutions, and to keep on financing the medical training and scientific research.
The new system of health insurance should be connected with an organizational change of medical service, introducing greater possibilities for choice of the health institution and the treating doctor in order to promote motivation for a higher quality of medical activity.
It is necessary to work out a new system of sanatorium and health resort treatment, to ameliorate organisation and management of the state owned sanitation and drug control as well as the specialised supervision on the work of health institutions and specialists.
Production, trade and prices of the drugs is subject to regulation by the state.
Available Dwelling
The principal aim of the Bulgarian Socialist Party in the area of housing is the dwelling to become available for the Bulgarian citizen. Availability means a certain correlation between the price of the dwelling, family incomes and support, provided by the state. The Bulgarian Socialist Party strives for a mechanism of state compensations for those who lack dwelling, credit reliefs. with regard to the income, while buying or building suitable dwelling; subsidies for the municipal construction and through other means.
With regard to the demographic crisis it is necessary to pay a special attention to the housing construction for young couples, to the provision of subsidies for low-income families and to other groups with handicapped social status. The BSP will insist on launching of a special state programme for resolving difficult housing problem of the citizens, affected by the restitution.
The growth of the share of the leasing housing fund increases the access to dwelling and opportunity for satisfying the changing housing needs. It is required that the uneven correlation between self-owned and leased housing fund to be gradually changed in favour of the latter so that we can reach the European standards.
Propagation of housing construction is not only an important social task but also a factor in the economic growth, as is in fact the reality in advanced countries. It can be achieved by state financing of the housing sector, by promoting the participation of the social funds in investment in housing projects, by establishing special credit institutions. It is recommended to increase the share of private capital in the housing construction too. The participation of various organisations in the housing construction requires enforced state and public control upon the quality of their execution, on adhering to the town plans, on creating environmental and aesthetic residential areas.
MODERN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS - A CHALLENGE TO A NEW POLICY
In a modern society the environmental policy is not only an element of state governing and a side-line compensation activity but an imperative for any human activity and most of all for the organisation of economic life. The path of human salvation to a sustainable development requires elaboration of a comprehensive and entirely new environmental policy. To this aim the BSP appeals for the elaboration of a national strategy of environmental protection and development. The character and complexity of solving environmental problems call for a national consensus, state and political and social organizations' participation and willingness for a global cooperation.
In socialists' view a number of problems of ecological character can find solution in the span of transition.
A national system of environmental monitoring and control should be established which is supposed to meet modern international standards; an organisation for ecologically compliant use of land, for drive against deforestation and mass forest diseases, for preservation of biological diversity and for balanced development of mountainous regions is to be set up.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party puts environmental requirements among the leading criteria for defining branch priorities in the process of economic restructuring.
Economic development should take into consideration the protection and rational use of natural resources through economic and energy policy which promotes ecologically viable productions, energy and raw materials economy. The endeavour of the present generation of people to satisfy their needs should not be at the expense of deteriorating the environment of the coming generations.
In view of the limited capacity of the budget to spend money on protection, reproduction and reclaiming of environment, financial resources will be generated in the span of privatisation and be deposited in a special environmental fund. A prerequisite for observing the ecological requirements is the openness of information and application of the principle ,,those who pollute pay".
Hazardous imbalance between the society and environment as well as between different regions of the world calls for the society to abandon a lot of biased stereotypes. The quantity of used substances and applied factors about environment cannot remain any longer as a criteria for economic progress. The same applies to the socially unfounded and not accounting for the environmental imperatives economic growth.
The many-sided impact of the technical and scientific revolution as a deteriorating factor on the environment may become a factor ameliorating its state.
Overcoming of the acute demographic imbalances is a prerequisite for achieving an environmental balance and on this base for achieving sustainable development and balanced growth of the quality of life in various countries and geographic regions.
The global character of the environmental problems, trans-border impact on environment and exhaustion of natural resources increase the role of international environmental co-operation and compel the active participation of Bulgaria.
THE DEMOGRAPHIC SITUATION - ACUTE PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULT PROSPECTS
The future of the Bulgarian nation, our place on the Balkans and in Europe, particularly in the long run, considerably depend on the demographic state and demographic trends of the country.
The crisis in the economic and social sphere causes deterioration of the demographic problems. Unfavourable trends are marked not only in certain aspects of demographic reproduction, but in almost all principal demographic indices.
The conjunction of a demographic crisis with the transition tears traditional social links and creates instability among the social communities.
The crisis of statehood coincides, as far as timing is concerned, with the critical state of the Bulgarian society.
One-sided treatment of certain negative processes only darkens and covers the whole picture of development of the population and does not terminate the trends which are dangerous for the future of the nation. The socialist appeal for a national consensus and for a state demographic policy to be elaborated and to start immediately being implemented.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party emphatically holds that the present demographic crisis cannot be overcome by inconsistent measures. A comprehensive policy must be applied which can influence in a positive way the demographic reproduction. The socialists consider the provision of employment as a basic prerequisite for regular, sufficient incomes and for the social realisation of the personality. The young generations need special support. The measures for improving the ecological situation and the health state of the nation, of education and social insurance also help the favourable shift of the demographic environment.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party considers as one-sided approach both the assuming of all the burden for the raising and edification of children by the state and the trends these functions almost entirely to be left to the parents and families only. It is in the interest of society to have a qualitative reproduction of the nation, and the parents and the family are responsible for the raising and edifying of the generation they are creating.
The creation of adequate conditions for life and work in the country is a prerequisite for the limitation of the economic emigration and for the returning of part of the Bulgarian citizens who have already left the country. The Bulgarian Socialist Party is making an analysis of the demographic problems of the country with regard to the processes of international and regional dimensions Any underestimation of the ethnic questions as well as the attempts for their violent solution can bring about grave conflicts. It is inadmissible ethnic variety to run against the integrity of the nation.
GUARANTIES TO THE RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL
The Constitution of Republic of Bulgaria establishes a modern system of rights of the individual Legal and social guaranties are needed for their application.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is determined to defend the equality of rights among all citizens in principle. It withstands any attempts of discrimination on the ground of sex, race, ethnic identity, origin, religious and political convictions, social status or property.
The socialists stand for the equality of men and women. They strive for its deepening, taking into consideration the natural particularities of the two sexes.
The most urgent and significant task in the area of the human rights is to guarantee sacredness of the individual - his/her life, liberty and property. Protection of the individual and the principle of responsibility demand to outline new forms of corpus delicti and rationalise the prosecution.
As a result of the drastic increase of crime ever more often is voiced the question ,,in favour" or „against" the death penalty. The BSP is against the death penalty in principle but stands for its warranted replacement with life imprisonment for particularly dangerous criminals. However we are aware that nowadays this question becomes particularly acute. Measures are called for guaranteeing the life of every and each Bulgarian citizen. Modern society cannot solve this question by simply imposing the retribution - life for life. At the same time the value of a single human life should not be placed higher than the value of another human life. In view of the evident trend of humanazing of the penal responsibility the problem of the capital penalty depends both on the extent of crime at the present state of society and the effectiveness of the police and judicial system, on the quantity and quality of penal and social rehabilitation institutions. The BSP recognises that the death penalty question should be considered at a national referendum.
Today the citizens have a clear feeling of the reality of their political rights and of the opportunities for free expression - suffrage, right to associate, freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, press, meetings etc. However, dissatisfaction with the performance of the political institutions and politicians increases. The inability of the statesmen and politicians to take the society out of the crisis generates apathy even indignation with their performance among increasing number of people.
Mass civic participation in the political process diminishes the alienation of politics from the necessities of society and limits the power abuse and corruption among political elites. Therefore along with the suffrage the socialists pay considerable attention to the civil freedoms. Realization of these freedoms guides and corrects political activity, keeps the ruling circles under permanent social control. Normative development of the citizens' right to petitions to the Parliament, to local bodies of self-government will contribute to this end.
Democracy is impossible without information. The Constitution proclaims the right of the citizens to access to information from state bodies. This right, however, should be combined with an effective mechanism of enforcement. Quite a small part of the information of various state bodies, including governmental and presidential decrees of not classified character, is made public. More openness about the activity of various state bodies which do not work with classified information is needed.
Increased opportunities of access to information and the growth of its importance requires from the judiciary to apply civil and penal sanctions in cases when disseminated incorrect information discredit citizens and officials.
The transition challenges the social and economic rights. The Bulgarian socialists unreservedly hold the thesis that the rights are incomplete should there be no conditions for their realisation.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party accentuates on the reality of the labour and insurance rights, particularly of the employed in the private sector where they are more often violated.
The right to union association plays a significant role for the provision and protection of the labour and social rights, connected with them. The BSP as a left-wing party associates itself with the support for trade union rights but withstands acts under the disguise of syndicate activities which violate social order and unlawfully infringe some other's rights. The link between the protection of social rights and political activity should not erase the border line between syndicate and political activity.
Lately, particularly after our national, ethnic and religious conflict became more acute there is a more ardent discussion going on about the question whether the individual only or the community as well can be entitled to human rights. It is out of discussion that there are some rights which, due to their substance, can be exercised only by a group within a community with other people, holders of the same right. However, the introduction of rights on the basis of community identification - ethnic, religious, lingual etc., may not only serve to provide actual equality among the citizens, unfolding of democracy and upgrading the humanism of the law, but rather to intensify the contradictions and to raise the tensions in society which can often result in dramatic consequences.
Therefore, the BSP sticks to the classic and dominating in the countries with advanced democracy, concept of individual and universal human rights. The socialists hold that on this basis the rights of Bulgarian citizens of all ethnic, religious and other groups can be guaranteed legislatively and practically.
CONSOLIDATION OF DEMOCRACY AND OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL STATE
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for the development of social democracy and for consolidating of democratic institutions - public and non-public.
As a mass party deeply rooted in our society, the BSP strives for direct influence of the citizens on the state policy. They must have opportunities to influence the decision making process which is having decisive impact on their lives. The democratic character of the institutions themselves depends to a great extent on the participation of the citizens in their activity.
Participation of the citizens in the political process is felt most intensively by the application of the freedom of association and of suffrage.
Establishment of political pluralism in Bulgaria makes us part of the European political tradition of the new times. The BSP stands for political pluralism because it gives different social interests an opportunity to have political expression and to offer various options of social development. However, in the present conditions the political confrontation is so acute that hinders the social dialogue. It develops into a conflict between basic state institutions, leads to erosion of the statehood.
The number of parties, their political orientation and internal structure affects in a powerful way the image of the political system. The availability of too many quasi-political formations, the great majority of which have neither social and electoral base nor internal structures of their own retards the appearance of clear political alternatives and diminishes the responsibility of the participants in the political process. Some parties exist in the public space only through the mass media or serve as a screen for economic activities.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party has no intention to impose the two-polar or other model of political activity, but stands for considerable changes in the legal status of the political parties. In particular, it calls for: upgrading of the requirements for representative qualities of the parties, financial support from the state and introduction of effective controls upon their financial activity; removal of the existing ambiguity between a social association and political party which turns part of the political organisations into profit-making ones and points the way to avoiding the rules of political activity.
The electoral system is the main mechanism which represents the political will of the society and shapes the government of the state. Besides, it influences the organisation of the political parties and the structure of political system as a whole.
While considering the type of electoral system the BSP views the necessity of a parliamentary expression of various socially tangible political interests and political trends as well as the parties' continuous identification. The Bulgarian Socialist Party strives for high responsibility of the political and state elite, for its innovation and for uplifting of its level. Taking into consideration these requirements the BSP stands for an electoral system which can provide stable state institutions and qualitative staff.
The variety and the role of social associations - syndicates, women's, youth, professional, environmental, unions of intellectuals and other organizations is growing in the development of democratic process. The BSP holds that this is one of the areas where the civic society can make a progress in expressing and defending the specific interests of the citizens as well as in linking the policy with the endeavours of various social groups.
Social democracy - the one, with the mass participation of the citizens themselves and which represents their interests cannot be achieved without the development of state institutions.
The Constitution of 1991 lays the legal base of the constitutional state but it doesn't make the society a constitutional one by itself. The character of economic relations, of social insurance and political organisation defines the modalities for transformation of the state into a law-governed one.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party will be a stronghold of constitutionalism in the country and by its activity will guarantee politically the constitutional government and will maintain the stability of the constitutional mode of life.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party will continue to stick to the established parliamentary government. It is conscientious of the fact that Bulgaria needs a responsible, workable and competent Parliament. It is evident that by itself it is not a reliable warrant against the violation of democracy, including by itself. The constitutional jurisdiction, should it be independent and competent, is among the major factors holding the acts of the deputies and the other institutions within the framework of the Constitution. However it is clear too, that the Parliament is a result of the freely expressed will of the citizens and a reflection of the pluralism in society. Compared to any other state institution it is less pliable to imposition of undemocratic government.
The principle of division of powers characterises the democratic government and the constitutional state. The socialists defend this principle not only in the organisation of the state, but in the distribution of economic, political, informational and other powers of the society. With regard to the state, the principle of division of powers requires strict definition of the powers of the state bodies, mutual control and also co-operation among institutions through which state sovereignty and effective government are enforced.
A number of problems of the transition are connected with the judicial power. The independence of the judicial power is a decisive condition for its complete functioning, but this independence does not exclude any control and responsibility without which comes to the fore the judicial arbitrariness. The Bulgarian Socialist Party withstands the re-politising of the courts, prosecution and investigation, and the conduct of political trials. It insists on impartiality and high professionalism of the jurisdiction.
The state power should be stabilised on the basis of the Constitution. Adoption of laws, scheduled by the very Constitution, though some of them are being adopted with big delay, will contribute to this end. By its parliamentary activity the Bulgarian socialist party will promote the setting up of the system of state institutions: the establishment of a Chamber of Accounts, of state bodies with co-ordinating and directing functions that are supposed to improve state government.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party withstands the violation of the rules of competition, the parasitism of the private property at the expense of the state one, the parallel activity of civil servants in the same areas of the state and private sector. It is necessary that the management of the property and the exercising of the administrative power should be divided both functionally and personally. It can be achieved by a comprehensive regulation of the legal status of the civil servant. Enhancement of the requirements to the civil servant is at the same time an upgrading of his social prestige, it means achievable aims by stabilising his status at work, by withdrawal of the civil servant from all activities that are inconsistent with the performance of his function, by increasing his remuneration and other measures.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for separation of the church from the state and secular character of the state power. It observes the autonomy of religious institutions.
The Socialist Party points out the importance of Eastern Orthodoxy as a traditional confession in Bulgaria without imposing limits on the dialogue among the people on religious basis. The socialists appraise the role of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the history and in its contribution to contemporary development of the country and support its reunion.
Consolidation and Development of the local Self-government
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for the consolidation and development of local self-government. It requires conditions for financial. property and organisational self-dependence of the municipalities and for direct participation of the population in the government of communal affairs.
The BSP withstands the trend of ceaseless narrowing of the functions of municipalities and centralisation of activities and powers at national and regional level and gradual withdrawal of sums from the budgets of schools', health, cultural and other institutions. The Socialists stand for expanding the rights and responsibilities of the municipalities as to all activities with local significance, including those like water supply, land reform, environmental protection, communal affair, collection of local taxes and others. The municipal authorities should exercise influence while taking decisions for development, for closing down of existing and opening of new productions and activities, for the entire development of the territories and planning of the residential areas, for the protection of public order. A legislative regulation of the sources of financing the municipalities according to their functions and refusal of a financial policy, which places the municipalities in full dependence on state subsidies.
The socialists hold that it is particularly compelling to regulate the range and the regime of municipal property and of communal enterprises. The BSP is for expansion and not for total privatisation of the municipal property, for consolidation of the economic base of the municipalities. The BSP will promote the range of municipal property to grow by restructuring of state property.
The socialists want bigger self-dependence and self-governing in certain residential areas within the municipalities on the basis of income sources of their own and allocated on objective criteria subsidy.
The BSP stands for restoration of self-government in the urban areas with district division through the election of district's councils and mayors directly by the population of the district.
The BSP will contribute to the direct participation of the citizens in the government of the communal affairs, enforcing by law the issues, which require convening of referendum or a general meeting, together with the mechanism of control on the activity of the municipal councillors by the population.
The BSP pays special attention to the development of the municipal economy, to recreation organisation, to generating conditions for social contacts, and to increasing the quality of life in the municipalities and residential areas. Implementation of the new administrative and territorial division of the country should be considered as a long process. It has to be realized gradually in compliance with the will of the population according to the capacity of the country and as a part of the entire reform.
Enhanced Role of the Mass media in the Democratic Society
Introduction of modern technics, of new technologies and the increase of the range of information brought about irresistible growth of the impact of the mass media on the world. The media is the mediator in the system of human contacts. It creates the national image of the democratic society and at the same time makes events and ideas available to all.
Great is the role of the mass media in creating and disseminating the cultural values both on national and international scale.
At the same time the development of mass media goes together with certain negative phenomena and hazards both of political and cultural nature.
Mass media must be protected from the ambitions to be subjugated to the state power and from overwhelming commercialisation.
The impact of the authorities on the mass media could hardly take the form of a direct censorship. Interference of the rulers may be indirect, but not less dangerous. When the power representatives storm certain media, its owners are usually prone to make of adopting the views of the authority. This ruling pressure usually leads to twisting of collecting, submission, interpretation of information and hence to manipulation of public consciousness.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for free from political dictate media, for impartial covering of the events and for equal presence of various views in the society. The impact of commercial interests on the media is another menace. Centralized management of newspapers, TV and Radio stations is posing a serious danger to its activity. The BSP stands for an arrangement of the way the infrastructure of disseminating information is to be distributed among the media. It withstands its concentration in the hands of certain groups and individuals, by eliminating competition.
In the BSP view the legal arrangement of the media should prevent the possibility of imposing information monopoly by acquisition of newspapers, TV and Radio stations. A legal arrangement of this kind must also include a provision for the highest possible share of ownership of various media. Free and independent media is also connected with financial self-dependence. This can be partially achieved by overcoming the monopoly of the state electronic media. Opening of private Radio and TV channels could hinder the imposition of political dictate by the rulers and could introduce a real market mechanism in the area of mass communication.
The activity of the electronic media should not be dictated by the political forces. The policy of state electronic media must be put under the control oft he society by the pertinent specialised bodies.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for an equal presentation of activities of the political forces in the national media in compliance with their representative weight and influence.
The Bulgarian socialists will enhance their activity in assuring the prestige and independence of the state electronic media, which are supposed to defend the national interests, to consolidate the nation, and to upgrade the political culture of society. The BSP will strive for setting up powerful mass media with left-wing orientation.
THE NEW ROLE OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
The education and science mark not only the spiritual development of each country, but its lasting economic success too. The world does not know cases of economic progress and real national independence should the society fail to pay attention to its intellect. In the new times the role of science and education radically increases.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for a national strategy of preserving and developing of education and science. This strategy is meant to promote surmounting of the serious crisis in society and effecting of economic transformations.
The socialists strive for a stable educational policy of the state which is compliant with contemporary achievements of the science and represents the new technological revolution, with the national traditions and in compliance with the European standards.
The Bulgarian socialists want a general access to education.
It compels the state to keep on providing free of charge basic and secondary education, to finance a considerable part of the higher education. Under certain conditions it should bear the expenses of the education of students with excellent grades and of the socially weak students. It is necessary to establish a state fund for crediting of students and post-graduate students under relieved conditions. The students" and post-graduate students' tuition, transition from paid towards free of charge education and visa-versa should be placed in accordance with achieved educational results.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for the preservation of the secular character of the school; for preservation of the specialised secondary schools, for upgrading of mother tongue education and for enhancing of foreign language education, for development and protection of the Bulgarian national consciousness in history and literature training; for academic autonomy, state educational policy and social requirements towards education; for general state educational standards and accreditation norms for all higher educational establishments (state and non-state); for transition in higher education mainly to a tree-stage system, on which basis the present semi-higher education should be arranged.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party works for bringing about social consent for taking science in a position of equal power with regard to the other areas of social life, assuming the trend that some of its branches will become an essential priority for surmounting the crisis. On the basis of professional principles and social necessities we shall be seek for restructuring of the academic and scientific organisations.
A greater material and financial support by the state is needed for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Universities. Without financial support of the state will hardly survive the scientific disciplines, some of them developed on the basis of Bulgarian schools at world level. The same is valid for the branch science without which technological and product innovation of economy would be painful.
The preservation of the scientific potential of the country, and the protection of the prospects for theoretical and practical researches of the highly qualified scientists and specialists is nowadays a task of paramount importance. Budget companies; charity societies and other financial sources should provide conditions to maintain and enforce growth in important for the society and for national economy research work.
Bulgaria should have a state policy for scientific research and technologies. Reforms in the scientific field are supposed to be performed on this basis. There should be organisational structures and links between Bulgarian and world science and between the academic, university, branch and company's sector of the national science.
Placing the science into a market regime does not always require mandatory self-financing.
Funds for science and education can be increased by introduction of tax exemptions for certain educational and scientific activities and for economic organisations, which pay money for education and science. Off-budget incomes of the scientific organisations must remain entirely with them and should be used mainly for scientific development.
The Bulgarian Socialist party stands for enhancing the prestige and social status of the teachers, lecturers and scholars, for termination of the exodus of young people from scientific work. This can be done by an impartial appraisal of the professional qualities of the employed in science and by removing discriminating political considerations toward them through effective guaranties of their copyrights of the scientific product and via improved payment.
PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE BULGARIAN ARTS AND CULTURE
The Bulgarian Socialist Party attaches prime importance to the role of arts and science in the development of Bulgaria. The works of art and authors in the field of culture are invaluable capital of the country and society. Our progress is impossible without fruitful development of a modern national culture.
The socialists are voicing their concern with the reduced state care about arts, culture and conditions for creative work; the downfall before which the entire Bulgarian culture stands. Bulgaria should have an active and consistent state policy in the field of culture.
The state of culture is closely connected with the quality of life. Growing inequality in the way of living of certain people place them in different cultural media, and social and economic inequality among nations threaten cultural originality of some of them. Our national culture is strongly affected by reduction of state funds, by restitution and unemployment.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for preservation, enrichment and development of the national culture. It demands protection of cultural and historical monuments and archive funds; creating conditions for the existence of Bulgarian books, fine arts, theatre, cinema and music, of communal cultural centres, cultural houses, and libraries; preservation of state schools of arts.
We insist on working out and implementing a well-thought and balanced national cultural policy. It should provide:
* preservation of Bulgarian cultural originality, traditions and achievements;
* freedom and democracy in creative work;
* quick increase of the share of national income for development of science, education and culture;
* tax relief for private persons, companies and foundations, which provide financial means for the development of the spiritual sphere;
* better living conditions, social recognition for the Bulgarian writer, artist, musician actor, cultural worker.
* active cultural ties and co-operation with other countries and cultural openness towards the world and at the same time barriers before the surrogates of the false-culture and ,,cultural colonialism".
* presentation to the world the best samples of Bulgarian culture - ancient and modern.
For the purpose of protecting the national character of our cultural environment it is desirable that certain proportions of Bulgarian and foreign programmes should be present on the national ether. Such restrained policy of protectionism could stimulate the development of Bulgarian arts, could promote learning of European culture, and represent various world tendencies in cultural and civilising process.
The socialists points out the need of a state policy for financial support of culture. This policy includes differentiated taxation on different kinds of literature; budget financing of the theatres with national significance (drama and music) and of the teams being of representative national qualities, setting up of cinema houses on a joint-stock company principle with state participation.
Communal cultural clubs play a prominent role for the preservation of our national originality. Renovation of this tradition brought about the appearance of cultural centres in the recent decades. The Socialist Party stands for development of the municipal cultural clubs as self-governing social organisations materially sustained by their own property and by subsidies of the communes and the state.
The museums as a form of preservation of the historical memory need both suitable conditions for archive - collecting activity and exhibiting and disseminating of cultural values among the public. According to the significance of a certain historical and cultural memorial, cares for its preservation are to be taken by specialised international organisations or persons.
Immense is the contribution of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to defending Bulgarian spiritual life and to the creation of our culture The Orthodox Church may play today an important role for the preservation of national traditions, for neutralisation of the damaging effect of various sects, for uniting of the Bulgarians abroad as well as for the cultural development of the Bulgarian society.
BULGARIA - IN NEW EUROPE AND ON THE RESTLESS BALKANS
Bulgaria needs a realistic, consistent and dynamic foreign policy, free of ideological burdens, based on the national interests and principles and in the norms of international law. Such a foreign policy may rely on the national consent and support and may uplift the prestige of the Bulgarian state.
The contemporary geopolitical situation can be characterised as a transition from the acute two-polar confrontation of the ,,cold war" towards a multi-polar world, which requires that the big problems should be resolved by broad international agreements. This transition, however, is going more and more under control not so much of the UN, but of the group of 7-most advanced industrial countries in the world and particularly of the US.
In the coming years the global events will be influenced to a great extent by the US strive for its confirmation as the only super-power, for turning the next century into a new ,,American age", for using military force if necessary against everybody, who maybe considered as a threat to American interests.
Today the greatest risks for Europe, being particularly strongly reflected on the Balkans, are connected with implicit raising of doubts about the principles, recognised for decades. Among them are: inviolability of borders, reduction of the levels of military confrontation, universalism of rights etc. The BSP stands for a consistent application of these principles by all European states. We are alarmed by an eventual further disruption by ethnic and religious distinction of setting apart the independent republics of former Yugoslavia, by the attempts to create ethnically pure states on the Balkans.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party will contribute to the economic, political and cultural integration of Bulgaria in the European structures as well to the institutionalised development of this all-round integration.
In the new circumstances Bulgaria supports the principles of the Conference of Security and Co-operation in Europe. The participation in the CSCE puts us in interaction with European states, the US and Canada in all main directions of international relations - security, politics, economics, human rights, culture, environment and information.
Bulgaria stands for co-operation with the Council of Europe, with the European Union and West-European Union, for Euro-Atlantic co-operation, including NATO. The activity in the main European intergovernmental organisations enhances the transition to market economy and modern civic society, provides political guaranties for our security.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party holds the principle that association of Bulgaria with political and military alliances should be decided upon by a national referendum.
The Bulgarian socialists stand for overcoming of the uneven development between Western and Eastern Europe. It would give chances to Bulgaria to carry out the transition without collisions, to become a really equal participant in the build up of new Europe, and in perspective to come nearer to the advanced countries.
The Bulgarian foreign policy should make use of the bilateral relations with European countries in all areas. Within the European direction the Bulgarian foreign policy should develop its relationships with West European countries and use the potential and traditionally good relations with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The co-operation with them, including in the Danubian basin, can be expanded in all spheres on the basis of equality and mutual advantage.
It is important for a country like Bulgaria to maintain good relations with the world powers, to look for multi-directed guaranties for its security, appraising them according to their reality and intensity, without aligning the country with one or another state, no matter how strong it is.
For the purposes of national security and economic stabilisation of Bulgaria it is necessary to maintain and develop relations of priority with Russia and with other states from the Community of New Independent States. Our vital interests compel us overcome the stagnation in the development of relations between Bulgaria and Russia.
The opening of Bulgaria to the world needs to develop the relations between Bulgaria and the US, taking into consideration the place and the role of the USA in world's politics, its impact on the European processes and on the Balkan region.
The growing role of China, Japan, India and the states in the Pacific region in the world's politics and economics opens new opportunities for co-operation, it can stimulate our economic growth and increase global balance and security.
Our foreign policy should use the traditionally good relations of Bulgaria with the Arab and other countries from the Near and Middle East, from Africa and Latin America for the development of co-operation in various areas.
The political space in the Balkan region is of paramount importance for the national security, territorial integrity, survival and sovereignty of the Bulgarian state. This is the region where Bulgaria is in a position to contribute to its utmost to the strengthening of peace, understanding and co-operation in Europe - all elements that shape the image of our country before the outside world.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party advocates such a Balkan policy, which pursues deepening of the relations and development of the confidence, good neighbourliness and co-operation with all Balkan countries; which observes strictly the territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, respect of sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use of force or thread with force; which does not allow development of the relations with one Balkan country to be effected at the expense of deteriorating the relations with others. The BSP is committed to an active, consistent, open, free of historical and ideological bias or ambitions for hegemonism, and megalomania, foreign policy, which excludes formation of „axes", ,,triangulars" and other formations, counter disposing certain Balkan states to others or Bulgaria to some of her neighbours.
As a „Gate" to three continents the Balkans will even further be a cross point of strategic interests of global and regional powers, meeting place for various cultures, religions and civilisation. Their importance as a communication centre in connection with the expansion of international economic ties between Europe, Asia and Africa will keep on growing. Bulgaria should consider both the positive and negative impact of these complicated realities on the political and economic situation in the region and take timely suitable political steps.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is convinced that the Balkans can play a bigger role in defining their own destiny. This requires all-round development of the relations and enhancing of the co-operation among the Balkan countries and peoples.
In the political area the BSP stands for development of bilateral and multilateral dialogue between parliaments, political parties and public organisations of the Balkan countries. It is necessary to create prerequisites for regular meetings of the ministers of foreign affairs, to lay the grounds for summit meetings and in perspective a multilateral political mechanism for consultations and co-operation. Such a co-operation on the Balkans has a perspective, should it be unfolded as a projection of the All-European process.
In the economic field there are also considerable opportunities for cooperation between the Balkan countries. The Black sea economic co-operation zone is making its first steps. These forms of multilateral co-operation do not exclude competition among the participants, but they shouldn't make it easier for some of them to establish a regional hegemony. The development of this co-operation can be successful, should it observe the criteria for setting up the unified European economic space.
Co-operation in the field of environment becomes ever more important for the Balkans. It is in the Bulgarian interests to enhance it, as this country is to a greater extent object, rather than subject of trans-border pollution of air and water. Measures are needed for environmental protection of the Balkan peninsula, for the protection of the cleanness of the Black sea and the Danubian basin.
The character of the present international relations brings to the forefront the necessity of forming awareness for the increasing commonness of the interests of the Balkan countries and peoples, for their own responsibility for protection of peace and tranquillity in the region. The BSP insists on a foreign policy which is to alter the image of the Balkans as a ,,powder keg" of Europe and to lead to all-Balkan solidarity and tolerance among the Balkan states.
THE NATIONAL SECURITY - AN ACUTE PROBLEM FOR CONTEMPORARY BULGARIA
The break-down of the block system of security left Bulgaria without sufficient political, economic and military guaranties for national security.
The Bulgarian Socialist party sticks to the principles of general security, observation of the international obligations, protection of human rights, respect for independence and democratic choice of any country, mutually advantageous co-operation among states.
Bulgaria takes considerable interest in the efforts for establishing of an All-European system of security, based on co-operation. Such a system should lead to reducing the considerable imbalance in the military area with our neighbouring countries, for larger transparency and predictability of military activity in the Balkan region, for peaceful solution of disputes among Balkan countries.
From the point of view of the European and national security the most favourable option could be if the interaction and eventual affiliation of Bulgaria with NATO is accompanied with transformation of this organization into an universal system for European or global security, giving opportunity to all European countries to join in, including Russia.
The maintaining of national security depends on the economic state and political stability of the country, on the personal security of the citizens, on the informational environment, on the overcoming of demographic problems and on the spiritual atmosphere in society.
The main guarantor of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bulgaria particularly in the absence of sufficient outside guaranties for the national security, are our armed forces. The military potential of the country should be sufficient to counteract successfully any military or any other threats and to terminate a military aggression.
It is inadmissible to use armed forces for resolving an internal conflict.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party withstands the use of our armed forces in military conflicts, unrelated directly with the countries defence. Assumed ally's obligations and based on UN resolutions and on European security organization's military arrangements can be fulfilled only upon a Parliamentary decision.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party also stands for consolidation of national security via relations on a bilateral and multilateral basis mainly with various European countries, including the Balkan ones.
The problems of confidence and security have proved to be particularly acute on the Balkans.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party holds that in case of a conflict between Balkan countries like the Yugo-type crisis and the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria should display initiative on a bilateral and multilateral basis for its peaceful and just solution and should refrain from actions which may place her in opposition to one of the countries engaged in the conflict. Bulgaria shouldn't take part under any circumstances - directly or indirectly - in military activities between Balkan countries, either should it grant its territory and air space in support of such actions.
Bulgaria must go on with her efforts for a closer co-operation among Balkan countries in the military area, which can lead to new confidence building measures and a greater predictability in the military area, to reduction of the unfavourable balance of armaments as well as to freeing the Balkans from nuclear weapons. Depending on the degree of confidence, Bulgaria may propose at a certain stage signing of a treaty of non-aggression among the Balkan states - at the beginning on a bilateral basis and later on a multilateral basis.
The present ethnic and political situation on the Balkans puts to serious test the national security of Bulgaria. National and ethnic conflicts are instrumental for maintaining political and military pressure in various parts of the peninsula. The processes of misunderstanding and confrontation on an ethic basis are not terminated on Bulgarian territory either.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party stands for a consistent policy on the national question and ethnic relationships which can create prerequisites and conditions for guaranteeing of national security, independence and territorial integrity of the Bulgarian state; for strengthening the international prestige of Bulgaria, for development and confirmation of the national dignity; for timely solution of ethnic and cultural problems through a policy, based on the respect to the religious and ethnic identification of the people and democratic consolidation of the Bulgarian nation.
The relations between the Bulgarians in the country and those living abroad form a two-sided process aimed at strengthening the patriotic sentiments of Bulgarians abroad and simultaneously using their capacity for enhancing the contacts of the country with the outside world. The state must pursue a policy which unites the Bulgarians world-wide, while granting concessions to the citizens from Bulgarian origin in the process of acquiring Bulgarian citizenship. It provides conditions for training in the country of foreign citizens with Bulgarian nationality and promotes cultural exchange with the Bulgarians abroad. Special efforts should be taken to protect the historical and cultural monuments abroad.
