The biggest change...

The biggest change, which is observed in the Bulgarian society during the period of transition to democracy, is that some persons who take part in the country government are connected with the futurists in Bulgaria. Members of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees used to be prime ministers, vice prime ministers, ministers, bank directors and experts. Unfortunately, this process stopped in 1996, when the Bulgarian Socialistic Party, the BCP’s successor, took the power.

It gradually removed people, connected to the futures studies, from the power. The process did not stop then; it continued to the present days throughout the government of the UDF. It is due to the governing’s lack of interest in these research programmes and the lack of a whole strategy and a concept for Bulgaria’s development in future. The reform in Bulgaria is parcelled and its directions are dominated by various groups’ interest, connected to the governing political party.

In spite of it, the 21st Century Foundation research programmes in the fields of geopolitics macro-economy and the restructuring of the property produced an impact on the transition in the country, when some of the members of the Foundation and some person from the circle near - it took part in the government.

In an inner plan the Foundation develops research programmes in the fields of the social stratification, the development of poverty and corruption, which mark the major problems, which the country will face in the process of transition. Nowadays the position of the future researches in Bulgaria can be restored due to the opportunity for the executing a new policy in the country, based on the consent between various political forces.

A reform in the BFS and involvement of new young scholars in it is on the way. The main problem of the transition is the brain leaking from Bulgaria, which hits hard the research programmes. The moving of the centre of the research programmes of worldwide significance from Europe to Australia brings a serious problem, too. Due to the total decline in the education there are no bigger opportunities for reviving the future research programmes in the country.

At the moment the situation in Bulgaria is not changed in a positive direction. The opportunities for development, for finding a job and for science research programmes are limited. The country does not finance such research programmes, there are not any science magazines.