site.btaFinance Minister Calls for Budget Extension Beyond March 31; Two Largest Groups in Parliament Signal Backing

Interviewed by Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) on Sunday, Finance Minister Georgi Klisurski urged Parliament to support an extension of the 2025 State Budget Act beyond March 31 so as to keep the government running after that date when the current budget extension is set to expire.

Klisurski said a further extension until the adoption of a regular 2026 state budget would prevent any interruption in state spending and secure the performance of essential government functions.

In the absence of an adopted 2026 State Budget Act, in late February the caretaker government approved a bill to amend the budget extension law. On March 5, the parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee was scheduled to consider the amendments but its meeting was cancelled. On March 6, MPs of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria Friday blamed the former powerholders for blocking the bill's progress through Parliament and argued the Bulgarian armed forces' rearmament faced an "enormous risk" because the funding from the EU Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument cannot be ensured unless this law is adopted.

The Finance Minister told BNR that funds from the SAFE instrument could reach Bulgaria as early as April if the Government approves extension to the existing provisional budget bill. He said the first EUR 500 million of over EUR 3.2 billion resource under the SAFE could be disbursed if Parliament approves the extension. He added the SAFE funds are EU resources - loans with very favourable terms, long grace periods and low interest rates.

GERB-UDF Floor Leader Boyko Borissov said his parliamentary group will support the budget extension bill in the form submitted by the caretaker government, to prevent disruption of state functions and avoid political accusations. In a live address to MPs on his Facebook profile, Borissov said that, in his view, the government is not seeking a majority in Parliament and aims to later shift responsibility onto other parties if the budget extension fails to be approved. The group will back the bill "as is" and will authorize Budget Committee Chairman Delyan Dobrev to uphold this position.

In a BNR interview, Continue the Change leader Assen Vassilev said he expects the National Assembly to approve the budget extension bill. "This concerns literally four paragraphs, there is nothing controversial," he said. "I do not think GERB wants to block key payments halfway through the election campaign," he added. According to Vassilev, the draft can be adopted quickly and should be passed before Parliament dissolves ahead of the election campaign.

Bulgaria will hold snap parliamentary elections on April 19.