Ivailo Kalfin

Before taking up the post, he was since 2019 Director of the Economics and International Relations Institute in Sofia, focusing on research related to migration, labour market inclusion and the need for an updated social contract. Prior to this, he served on two occasions as Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister (2005–2009 and 2014–2016), as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2005–2009) and Minister of Labour and Social Policy (2014–2016). Between 2009 and 2014, he was Member of the European Parliament, Vice Chair of the Committee on Budgets and rapporteur for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014–2020. From 2014 to 2017, he was a member of the Monti Group – the High Level Group on Own Resources. For the following two years, he served as Special Adviser to the EU Commissioner on Budget and Human Resources. Mr Kalfin was elected as a member of the Bulgarian parliament on four occasions. 

In his earlier career, he served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Bulgarian National Bank and as Economic Policy Secretary to the President of Bulgaria and was a lecturer in various universities. He also has experience of the business sector. Mr Kalfin holds MSc degrees in International Economic Relations and International Banking, acquired respectively at the UNWE in Sofia and Loughborough University, UK. He has honorary doctorates from Loughborough University and also the University of Ruse, Bulgaria.