On 19 January 2009, Mr. Walter Radermacher – Director General of Eurostat visited BNSI in Sofia. It was one of his first official missions in EU Member States and his first in Bulgaria. Mr. Radermacher got acquainted with the activities of BNSI and also with the active involvement of our country in the European structures.

Within the framework of the mission, Mr. Radermacher held meetings with Ms. Meglena Plugchieva - Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Plamen Oresharski - Minister of Finance, Mr. Ivan Iskrov - the BNB Governor, as well as with experts from the BNSI, the BNB and other Bodies of Statistics.

At a specially organized press conference, Mr. Radermacher expressed his satisfaction with the NSI work. He compared the Bulgarian statistics to a modern, high speed train, while Assoc. Prof. Mariana Kotzeva - BNSI President, to an experienced motorman at the head. He outlined the three main directions before the Bulgaria statistics during the years – transition from a planned to market system, from national to part of the European, while the European system itself extends the scope of the statistical surveys from industry and culture to the information society. He mentioned: “If there is good and smooth cooperation, only then the statistics could manage with the new challenges, and Bulgaria should win the trust of the remaining countries and its citizens”.