site.bta2026 Budget Should Be Adopted Within Two Months, Says CITUB President

The 2026 state budget should be adopted within two months, said on Monday Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) President Plamen Dimitrov. He was speaking at a press conference where the union presented data on the cost-of-living wage for the first quarter of 2026.

Dimitrov said that work on the regular budget has already begun. He noted that there is an unofficial draft from the caretaker Cabinet, which will be left for the regular government. “When there is a clear parliamentary majority, the budget can be adopted in no more than six weeks,” Dimitrov added.

He said that CITUB insists on adopting the second version of the budget presented at the end of 2025, which “never saw the light of day”. According to Dimitrov, the draft envisaged a 3% deficit, a 10% increase in personnel spending and an 8.6% rise in pensions from July 1, alongside a substantial capital programme.

Support for public transport is also among the union’s expectations for the new budget, together with targeted measures for vulnerable groups. CITUB further proposes keeping public transport fares unchanged and introducing free travel for pensioners, socially vulnerable people and persons with disabilities for certain months until prices stabilize.

On March 18, the National Assembly adopted amendments on second reading to the 2025 Budget Extension Act. The 2025 Budget Extension Act as amended and supplemented will remain in effect until the adoption of a regular 2026 State Budget Act. 

On April 1, caretaker Finance Minister Georgi Klisurski said that the caretaker Cabinet is ready to submit a regular budget if no governing majority is formed in the next parliament.