At the other end of the scale are Bulgaria, Macedonia and Montenegro, where we see evidence of widespread disappointment over the current course of developments, low optimism concerning the future, low appreciation of international organizations and even low self-esteem." He also stressed the "critical lack of trust in official institutions of all kinds" shown across the region, which he saw as "an important obstacle to development, as lack of trust means a lack of respect for rules and laws".
Na drugoj strani su Bugarska, Makedonija i Crna Gora, gde su ustanovljeni znaci sveopšteg razočarenja u međunarodne institucije pa čak i nizak stepen samopoštovanja." Teodoresku je takođe istakao "kritičan nedostatak poverenja u zvanične institucije svih vrsta" koje pokazuju ljudi širom regiona, što on smatra "važnom preprekom za razvoj, jer nedostatak poverenja znači nedostatak poštovanja za zakone i pravila."