There are over 200,000 Bulgarians in Spain and they form the third largest Bulgarian community abroad. They greeted the president during his visit to Madrid emotionally - with the Bulgarian anthem and poems. They asked the head of state many questions, including when the VAT on textbooks and books would be abolished. They also demanded the establishment of a Bulgarian cultural institute in the country. 

Bulgarians from the diaspora told the president that they would return to Bulgaria only if they saw a real change taking place in their homeland, BNR reported.