The 2026 budget violates European rules. This was stated by economist and budget mathematics lecturer Assoc. Prof. Shteryo Nozharov on the air of “Your Day” on NOVA NEWS.
“There is a lack of a cyclical buffer. This is an ECOFIN requirement specifically for Bulgaria. In our country, net primary expenditures are not 4.9%, but 6.3%. That is, we exceed them by a lot. The structural budget deficit is at least 3%. In addition, the budget is unsustainable. It is built on one-off revenues and does not solve any medium-term problems. This plan-account is not an instrument of economic policy”, Nozharov explained.
When asked if it was possible to update the budget in 2026, he answered as follows:
„The update has always been upward, in this case it is excessive. Despite everything, it is possible to have more of a sobering up - an update in terms of disclosing that part of the revenues are uncollectible, and reducing part of the expenses”.
According to him, personnel costs have increased almost 4 times.
„In Bulgaria, we far exceed European standards. In Germany, personnel costs in the public sector are 8.5% of the Gross Domestic Product. We see that in our country they are chasing 11% of GDP, and the average for the EU is about 9.3%, added the economist.
According to him, there is an excessively bloated administration that has begun to weigh heavily on the state budget.