According to our analyses, the budget situation does not look as catastrophic as it was presented. This was stated to journalists by the President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), Plamen Dimitrov, on the occasion of the data and measures in the budget procedure for 2026 announced yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Galab Donev.
According to him, more clarity should be obtained on what the analysis presented by the government is based on.
Regarding the idea of a 10% reduction in spending, Dimitrov said that the devil is in the details. If the proposal is for a horizontal reduction of everyone, we are against it, he commented.
And he emphasized that in some areas the incomes are close to the minimum and a reduction in expenses cannot be thought of. According to him, it makes sense to discuss in some sectors, which, in his words, have received a larger increase in salaries, such as the “security“ sector.
The President of the CITUB again emphasized that there are sectors that are underfunded, giving the example of public transport.
The fact that the five percent is missing in the income policy is also a problem, Dimitrov also stated. He said that the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions supports an increase in the maximum social security income.
According to Dimitrov, there should be measures to support the poorest, for example, a subsidy in the amount of the value of the small consumer basket for people with incomes up to the poverty line.
Dimitrov also said that the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions will request that the topic of the measures presented by Galab Donev be discussed at the meeting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC) this afternoon, at which the social partners are to discuss two bills related to the high prices of goods and services.
Earlier today, Plamen Dimitrov opened the forum "Macroeconomic Challenges, Fiscal Policy, Sectoral Transformations and Social Sustainability in Bulgaria". The event was organized by the union.
There is no drama with the deficit, the unionist commented during the forum. The deficit problems cannot be explained by the cost of salaries and pensions, Dimitrov added, BTA reported.
According to Dimitrov, it is not true that salaries in the public sector are ahead of those in the private sector. If this is true for the "security" sector, it is not for the entire public sector, he pointed out. The unions have no relation to salaries in the "security" sector, Dimitrov commented, pointing out that this is a political decision voted in parliament.
With regard to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the data of the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions (CITUB) indicate that for the period 2021 - 2025 the share of consumption is constant. The share of gross fixed capital formation and exports in GDP must be increased if we want to have sustainability, Plamen Dimitrov also said.