site.btaBulgaria Must Show Commitment to Budget Consolidation, Says Deputy PM Donchev
Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev said Bulgaria must demonstrate a commitment to budget consolidation, gradually reducing its deficit in the coming years to return to the 25-year tradition of balanced budgets and zero deficit.
Donchev talked to the press after Monday's meeting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC), at which the government, employers and trade unions discussed the revised versions of the 2026 State Budget Bill, the National Health Insurance Fund Budget Bill and the Public Social Insurance Budget Bill.
He said concrete steps on deficit reduction are needed, a topic on which he saw consensus among business and union representatives. Another agreed measure is to decouple public sector payments from the average wage starting next year, aiming for a smarter approach to setting salaries.
On Monday, the 2026 National Health Insurance Fund Budget Bill was not backed by the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), while the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) abstained. The Public Social Insurance Budget Bill was approved unanimously. The State Budget Bill was backed by all NCTC partners, with BICA abstaining, said Donchev.
The initial version of the State Budget Bill for 2026, which was approved by the Council of Ministers and submitted to Parliament for consideration in November, was withdrawn on December 2 by a decision of the Council of Ministers, following large-scale protests across the country on December 1. Also withdrawn were the National Health Insurance Fund Budget Bill and the Public Social Insurance Budget Bill.
/VL/
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