site.btaDeputy PM Hristov Comments on High Salaries in State-run Companies, Closure of Police Files Committee, BOTAS Agreement

Salaries at state-owned companies should be adjusted downward, Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov said in an interview with Bulgarian National Television on Saturday. According to him, remuneration at some state enterprises is unrealistically high.

He argued that current pay levels are based on flawed methodologies adopted in the past, which often use the average national wage as a benchmark. Hristov said that high salaries are justified in companies such as Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant and Bulgaria's Air Traffic Services Authority because of the level of responsibility involved. Asked about a monthly salary of EUR 14,000 at the National Palace of Culture (NDK), he said it was an inherited salary that would be reduced.

Commenting on the Government plans to dissolve the Committee for the Disclosure of Documents and Announcing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens with the State Security and Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian People's Army, commonly known as the secret police files committee or dossiers committee, Hristov said the current rules governing access to the archives would remain in place. At the same time, the archives would be digitized so that, following amendments to the legislation, everyone would be able to access the documents they wish to read.

Speaking about Bulgaria's gas supply agreement with the Turkish state energy company BOTAS, Hristov said the contract had been concluded under force majeure circumstances to secure gas supplies for Bulgaria, preventing an energy crisis. He argued that the agreement could have been highly profitable but that successive coalition governments had deliberately failed to utilize the pipeline's full capacity. According to Hristov, there is now an opportunity for the contract to become profitable. "The right-wing often creates a mess and then takes pleasure in watching us try to clean it up," he said. 

The deal with BOTAS was signed on January 3, 2023 between state-owned natural gas supplier Bulgargaz with Turkish energy company BOTAS. The agreement was signed at a ceremony in the presence of caretaker Minister of Energy Rossen Hristov, who was appointed by Rumen Radev in his capacity as Bulgaria’s head of State back then, and Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez. Under the contract, the Bulgarian side booked capacity of 106.4GWh/day on the Turkish LNG regasification terminals and agreed to pay for this BGN 1 million (EUR 512,000) daily for a period ending in 2035. At present, Bulgargaz does not import gas under the agreement with BOTAS, and in early May its arrears to the Turkish company approximated BGN 300 million. If the 13-year take-or-pay agreement is rescinded, the Bulgarian company will be liable for close to BGN 3 billion in damages.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Rumen Radev was in Ankara for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Later in the day, Bulgaria's Bulgargaz and Turkiye's BOTAS signed a protocol suspending their gas supply agreement for 15 months. 

On Bulgaria's position regarding the European Union's 21st package of sanctions against Russia, Hristov said the government, and Prime Minister Rumen Radev in particular, had insisted on targeted amendments to three specific provisions, which were accepted.

"For the first time, Bulgaria has shaped European policy on a highly sensitive issue, because introducing a religious element into the context of an armed conflict could have unpredictable consequences," the Deputy Prime Minister said. He was referring to Rumen Radev’s reservations about the EU sanctions package, which allege that adding Russian Patriarch Kirill to the EU sanctions list would have no economic or financial impact on Russia and would not contribute to ending the war.

Asked whether he expected protests over the 2026 state budget, Hristov replied: "What would be the grounds for protests?" He said that recent demonstrations had been marginal and that even the participants had been unable to clearly articulate their demands. He also stressed that social spending had been preserved.

Hristov added that the government has an interest in reducing the budget deficit and intends to do so.