site.btaUPDATED GERB Leader Borissov Says Candidate Has Been Proposed for Lukoil’s Special Administrator Position

GERB leader Boyko Borissov announced that a name has already been proposed for the position of special administrator of Lukoil, but it will be made public once it becomes clear whether President Rumen Radev will veto the recently adopted legal amendments related to the appointment.

Speaking to journalists in Parliament, Borissov called on the President to state whether he intends to impose a veto on the changes. He was referring to a post by Radev earlier in the day, in which the President asked why the government had not yet appointed a special administrator for Lukoil.

"He was irritated by a confidential letter I sent him, probably because it praises Bulgaria as the best, fastest, and most correct in implementing the legislation," Borissov said, without providing further details about the document.

He said that all the government's actions are coordinated with the European Commission, OPAK, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Borissov said that the only thing he asked for is that the President make his decision now, not on the last day, whether he will sign the law or veto it.

According to Borissov, all required procedures have already been completed, except for the presidential veto process.

He also said that cooperation with the refinery’s current management was going well. According to him, Bulgaria has six months’ worth of petrol, four months of diesel, and two months of kerosene.

Borissov also hailed the latest payment under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) as "a major success" for the government. "After three years with no payments and one failed plan, nearly BGN 1 billion was credited yesterday at a very important time, allowing [Finance] Minister Petkova to co-finance projects,” he said. Borissov added that Parliament must soon review three bills proposed by Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, paving the way for fourth and fifth payments under the plan early next year. 

Responding to a question about the 2026 draft budget, Borissov confirmed that "the government will submit it to Parliament", stressing that this approach is "very different".

Borissov criticized the wage-linking policy introduced in recent years, arguing that connecting the minimum wage to the average wage had distorted the system. He argued that for four years, employers and unions didn’t raise the issue. According to him, now there are thousands of people earning one or two million a month, which inflates the average wage, drags the minimum wage up automatically, increases all state expenses, and drives the economy into a spiral. Borissov said he had promised employers that this linkage would be abolished. 

The GERB leader added that while he agreed with the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) on this year’s budget, they would have to support GERB’s approach next year "if we want to have a government".

Commenting on President Radev’s statement at the Manager of the Year awards on November 10, where Radev said wanted to apologize for Budget 2026, Borissov remarked that the President had "perhaps apologized to business because the government is supporting energy-efficient enterprises with BGN 1.1 billion". He questioned why state-subsidized companies should later report profits and pay dividends.

Borissov further noted that his communication with employers had been temporarily "interrupted at their request", but stressed the need for cooperation: "After four years of confusion, now we all need to fix the country together, which requires understanding from employers."

He warned that cutting wages now could undermine Bulgaria’s entry into the euro area, as people might interpret it as a consequence of joining.

Finally, Borissov was categorical that GERB will not agree to an increase in VAT, responding to reports that employers had requested it. "We’ve said it before, we will not raise taxes. Bulgaria already has the lowest corporate tax in the EU - 10%," he concluded.