Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that the state is holding talks with the European Commission on the 2027 budget. According to him, the budget plan will be prepared in euros and must go through European coordination procedures.
“For the first time, we are making a budget in euros“, Radev told journalists on the sidelines of parliament. He specified that there are several controversial issues on the project that are still being cleared.
The Prime Minister explained the delay with the need to agree on the parameters that may affect citizens' incomes. "I don't want to rush, because if we don't negotiate them, it will affect people's incomes," he said.
The opposition disputed the claim of negotiations
„We continue the change“ accused the government of hiding the budget and will present it after the elections. According to the opposition, the project must be submitted by the end of October.
Assen Vassilev said that there is no procedure for negotiations with the European Commission on the budget. „Bulgaria sends, the European Commission gives an opinion. There will be no negotiations,“ he said.
Vassilev demanded that the government show the project so that the parliament could discuss it, and defined the future plan-account as a “budget of impoverishment“.
Radev promised to preserve social measures
The Prime Minister stated that the budget would preserve social benefits. He pointed to increases in salaries, pensions and maternity benefits as measures that will continue.
Following criticism from the opposition, the Council of Ministers stated that it was unworthy for party leaders, who are responsible for the state of state finances, to manipulate society for election purposes.
Parliament did not gather a quorum
Radev made his statement after a quorum was not gathered for the parliamentary session. The deputies were supposed to discuss the case of the burnt-out “Starlink“ antennas.
The Prime Minister praised the services for the detention, with the help of Germany, of two 18-year-old suspects in the arson. According to him, they are also connected to a similar case in another European Union country.
The opposition questioned whether the Bulgarian services had received prior signals from partner services. It also proposed a declaration confirming that Bulgaria would not send military personnel to the war in Ukraine.