Seen from the outside, the current political situation in Bulgaria could be defined as original, but it is far from unprecedented, as a similar rotational model already exists in Romania and Northern Ireland.‎

"Bulgaria has many merits," the French ambassador believes. "There are qualified personnel, technicians, engineers, and often wonderful francophones. At the end of last year, we welcomed more than 100 entrepreneurs from Brittany, an extremely dynamic French region, who came to explore investment opportunities. There are great examples of successful cooperation and cross-investment from the Bulgarian and French sides. I will point out just one - the wings and cockpits of some Airbus planes are manufactured and installed in Bulgaria thanks to the joint work of French and Bulgarian engineers. Bulgaria has both geographical and political advantages, it is a member of the European Union, but it is also located at the crossroads between Northern and Southern Europe and also towards Turkey and beyond - the Middle East."

As for the Eurozone, the criteria are strict, such as those for inflation. It is still high in Bulgaria for the time being, but "measures have been taken and they are being implemented," argues Joël Meyer. "We hope that Bulgaria will join the Eurozone very soon," he says. According to the French ambassador, the adoption of the euro will also have a favorable effect on investments, industrial and commercial cooperation, if only because of the elimination of not at all insignificant commissions for bank transactions. ‎

Bulgarian politics and priorities naturally unfold in the larger framework of dynamics in the EU, for which 2024 with the upcoming European Parliament elections is critical. What are Joël Meyer's predictions?

"I'm talking about the country I know best - France, and I can't help pointing out the danger of the growing influence of the so-called populist parties. However, we believe that Europe is not the problem, but the solution." ‎

Otherwise, both France and Bulgaria are currently going through an agricultural crisis. And here Europe should be the solution, the ambassador believes. It is necessary to change the Common Agricultural Policy without calling into question what has already been achieved, including in relation to the fight against climate change. There also needs to be a level playing field between European agricultural producers and farmers from third countries who can import into Europe. In other words:‎