Economy Magazine Turns 30

Economy Magazine turns 30 - this is the good news we cannot wait to share with our readers. The world and technology are changing, but the magazine is constantly being renewed and continues to be published, as it always finds a successful formula for its existence.

Memory of Events

Established shortly before the Great Change that began on 10 November 1989, the magazine turned into one-of-a-kind chronicler of the transition to an economy, which was able to breathe and develop in the face of global competition. The magazine is a contemporary and observer of all this, it has its own memory of the events, hopes, disappointments, but also of the reality and the successes. It has also gone through a number of trials - for example, several times its ownership changed, there were years of severe economic crises, digitisation is also a serious test for its flexibility and endurance... But today, the bimonthly bilingual Economy Magazine continues forward with its accompanying special editions and the special events it organises.

Encounter

In the St. St. Cyril and Methodius National Library, we encounter the first editions of the magazine. A fascinating meetup that shows us how much the magazine has changed during these 3 decades. In the very beginning, it was an information brochure called “Economy and Economic Regulation”, but with the beginning of the big socio-economic change, the magazine grew rapidly and turned into Economy – a monthly magazine for theory and business. For a certain period, the addition “Economic Regulation” was published along with it.

We page through the issues, year after year, and we gain confidence that from the beginning until now, the publication stays on the “course” of its founders: to offer various columns that have a single goal - not to leave its readers indifferent by any means. It continues to offer a “warming” inside, even in the frostiest of months, on topics that are important to society and to the development of the economy. During its 30-year history, Economy has remained a non-political magazine. Yes, from the first issues, we can sense the feeling of hope and illusions, of the desire to put an end to the controlling administrative system of government, we are overwhelmed by the expectations for a better and fairer future, based on the development of a market economy. The magazine gradually grew out of the initial intoxication of expectations and delusions, which, over time, have acquired different and more realistic outlines and principles.

Mister and Misses Economy

The Mr. and Mrs. Economy competition continues to be the most enjoyable moment for all those who are contributing the most to the development of the Bulgarian economy. In the first years, it was quite natural that the grand award was given to scientists and people holding key positions, whose decisions strongly influenced the development of the Bulgarian economy. It is no coincidence that the first winner of the Mister Economy award 1990 was Prof. Georgi Petrov. In 1991, the award was given to Ivan Kostov for his contribution as a finance minister from the government of Dimitar Popov. The next winner of the award was the manager of the Bulgarian National Bank Prof. Todor Valchev for his role in the dynamic development of the Bulgarian banking system. In 1993, the winner of the competition was Ventsislav Antonov, creator and head of the Agency for Economic Analysis and Forecasting, for his contribution to the signing of the agreement with the London Club for the rescheduling of the foreign debt, which, at that time, was defined as the most important event for the Bulgarian economy. 

Then, the competition was not held for several years, it was renewed as Mr. and Mrs. Economy in 2000 from the new publisher of the magazine - Hiron 91 Publishing House. Mister Economy 2000 was won by Vasil Kanev, CEO of Ideal Standard for Eastern Europe. In 2001, the first Mrs. Economy was awarded, and the award was given to Rumyana Kyuchukova, CEO of Mobiltel. Then, the contest continued to take place every year, including after 2011, when the ownership changed again and the magazine turned into the most modern business edition. 2019 is a special year for Economy Magazine. Interesting moments are ahead of us, we prepare pleasant surprises for our readers and meetings with people who have made an important contribution to the development of the Bulgarian economy in the last 30 years.  Let's be together in this jubilee year.