Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has said that Bulgaria enjoyed far superior freedom a century ago, in a speech commemorating the 101st anniversary of Bulgaria’s declaration of independence.
 
"A hundred years ago Bulgaria was a lot more independent than it is now," he said, quoted by Dnevnik daily. "This is natural, considering the global challenges facing the entire world nowadays," he added.
 
According to his statement, in order for Bulgaria to avoid degenerating into a state of complete energy dependency, the government has "undertaken all measures necessary to enable the country to follow the policy of the European Union in the aim of energy diversification".
 
Meanwhile, on the controversial issue of the influx of third world refugees into the European Union, and Bulgaria in particular, Tsvetanov was quoted as saying by Dnes.bg that by mid-October a task force created by the government would come up with a position. 
 Bulgaria is yet to establish a coherent unified policy framework on the question of refugees. According to Tsvetanov, "further debates are necessary".
 
Regarding the vexed question of Bulgaria's policing - the general poor morale in the service and alleged corruption - Tsvetanov vowed that all municipal police stations in the country would undergo a meticulous investigation and that meetings would be held between government officials and high ranking officers from the force.
 
"It is important that dialogue is conducted face to face, so that we can get familiar with the current plight of police officers, if we are to help them," he said.
 
Finally, Tsvetanov said that he is familiar with the petition gathered by the new syndicate representing the Bulgarian police force and that with the new legislative bill introduced in Cabinet, there would be no obstructions or limitations in the future for police officers to protest, voice concerns or participate in such syndicates and formations.