As a representative of the political power which formed the parliamentary majority in the 38th National Assembly and governed Bulgaria in the past four years, I feel obliged to say what heritage we leave to the new majority and new government; what we expect from the new majority and the new government; what the new majority could expect from us; what priorities the United Democratic Forces will defend, Nadezhda Mihaylova, chair of the UtDF parliamentary group said on the first day of the 39th parliament. Before we go further we need to know where we start from, she added. For the period 1997-2001 the average economic growth in Bulgaria was 4.14%, well above the average in Central Europe /3.48/, in the world /2.88%/, and in the EU /2.08%/. The second pillar of our heritage is the financial stability and the strong lev. In 1997, Bulgaria`s foreign currency reserve was about USD 300 million; today it exceeds USD 3.5 billion. As for incomes, in May 1997 the average wage was BGN 142, or USD 60; in March 2001 it was BGN 272, or some USD 120. Transparency international reported decline in corruption between 1997 and 2001. Bulgaria`s corruption index today is similar to that of Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

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