Rosen Plevneliev assessed his term of office as president as “indisputably very hard, but worthy of respect and successful.” In a final address to the nation at the end of his term of office, President Plevneliev points out:

We successfully tackled three political and parliamentary crises, two waves of citizens' protests and two caretaker governments. 2013 and 2014 were particularly critical, when in the space of two years the country had five governments and three parliaments. A principled position, cooperation with the political parties but also with civil society were crucial in calming the nation and guaranteeing a successful transition to a new parliament and a new government. I stood by the citizens, went to meet the protestors, organized civic debates, opened up the presidential institution to all. We went through these difficulties together. We introduced direct democracy in the country. I am proud to be the first Bulgarian president to have initiated a referendum and the first to have had three democratic referendums held within my term as president, Rosen Plevneliev points out and adds:

I acted as an earnest European, I was the most active Bulgarian president internationally, I practiced economic diplomacy in action. We introduced innovations, dual education and long-term planning, established an innovation ecosystem, the first in Bulgaria and in the Balkans. We built a modern Bulgaria, implementing a record number of modernization projects in the country.

The clash in Europe today is a clash of values, Rosen Plevneliev stresses. I believe in the supremacy of law and support it any way I can. I opposed those who believe in the supremacy of strength and geopolitics. I chose and upheld the European road of development because I believe in Bulgaria’s European road, because that is the road set down by the Apostle of Freedom – to be equal to the other European nations.

Bulgaria must continue to work towards the unity, not the division of the EU, uphold its family and assert its values, not weaken them, Rosen Plevneliev points out.