site.btaYes, Bulgaria Party Sees EC's Warnings as Confirmation of Their Own View on National Budgetary Policy

The Yes, Bulgaria party said on Wednesday the European Commission has confirmed their view that the country's draft budget for 2026 would undermine financial discipline. They called the proposed budget scheme "scandalous." Yes, Bulgaria, is a member of the Democratic Bulgaria alliance, which is part of the opposition Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) coalition.

On Tuesday, the European Commission warned that Bulgaria's planned budgetary policy for 2026 may not fully meet the EU's fiscal requirements. It transpired that Bulgaria is among nine member states that will undergo an in-depth review in spring 2026.

Martin Dimitrov of Yes, Bulgaria, told journalists in the National Assembly on Wednesday: "The European Commission has confirmed our position that the draft budget for 2026 exceeds the limits and risks permanently undermining financial discipline."

Dimitrov believes that now is "the last moment for reforms." he stressed. According to him, the bill will be paid by all Bulgarian citizens, especially the middle class – through direct increases in taxes and social security contributions, through loans that will later have to be repaid with even higher taxes, and through inflation caused by large state expenditures.

Dimitrov said that between the first and second readings of the 2026 State Budget Bill, the most urgent measures should be abandoning tax and social security increases, including the pension contribution and dividend tax, and postponing the introduction of the SUPTO system (designed to introduce computer software for sales management in retail outlets), so as "not to hit the middle class and businesses".

"They don't have a single reform for more efficient spending. They spend, spend, and spend even more. But no one can sustain a budget made this way," Dimitrov commented.

Yes, Bulgaria, co-leader Bozhidar Bozhanov recalled that the party has proposed limiting bonuses in the public sector.

Among the other measures that the CC-DB parliamentary group expects to be adopted are mandatory tenders for medicines in private hospitals. "Between BGN 700 million and 800 million leak from the Health Insurance Fund annually through medicines," said Bozhanov. He insisted that patients should be informed about any hospitalization arrangements for them, to limit fictitious hospital admissions. According to him, the Bulgarian Development Bank should not be used as a "cashbox" but should finance only small and medium enterprises.

Bozhidar Bozhanov called on citizens to join a protest in front of the National Assembly later on Wednesday, stating that the demonstration is against "the scandalous budget."

According to another Yes, Bulgaria, member, Ivaylo Mirchev, the proposed budget looks this way because "the state has been captured." Mirchev recalled that CC–DB filed a no-confidence motion on the topic of "state capture." He said that MPs Boyko Borissov and Delyan Peevski, who lead two of the pro-government parties, "have declared war on the middle class," with Borissov being "the pawn in Peevski's war against the middle class."