site.btaProgressive Bulgaria to Table Legislative Amendments Aimed at Strengthening Price Controls on Monday - Radev

Addressing reporters upon entering Parliament on Friday, Progressive Bulgaria leader and prime minister-designate Rumen Radev said that his coalition would submit proposals for legislative amendments aimed at strengthening price controls on Monday. 

Radev said the new government’s top priorities would include tackling soaring prices and inflation, addressing the record budget deficit, appointing a new Supreme Judicial Council, and advancing the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

“It is an extremely difficult task, but we first need to conduct a thorough analysis of the country’s financial situation. Only then will we know what measures we need to take,” Radev said when asked how the government plans to combat inflation and rising prices.

He added that taking on external debt would most likely be unavoidable, though the amount and timing would depend on the outcome of the financial review.

Radev also noted that ministerial portfolios are expected to be assigned at an upcoming meeting of the Council of Ministers. “We will not allow Parliament to turn into a battleground between Peevski’s camp and Prokopiev’s camp at a time when urgent decisions must be made in the interest of Bulgarian citizens. Parliament is not an investigative body — there are institutions responsible for carrying out investigations. Parliament’s responsibility is to ensure that those that must carry out investigations do their job properly,” he said. Radev's remarks came in response to a question about Democratic Bulgaria's proposal to establish an ad hoc committee to examine discrepancies between Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Delyan Peevski’s officially declared assets and income, his major expenditures, and his actual standard of living.