site.btaContinue the Change's Assen Vassilev Slams Draft Health and Social Security Budgets as “Outrageous”

The leader of the opposition party Continue the Change (CC), Assen Vassilev, slammed the draft budgets for Bulgaria’s National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and State Social Security (SSS), calling them “outrageous.” Speaking to reporters in Parliament, Vassilev said he hoped the proposals were “just a bad joke” by the ruling coalition.

The government has not yet yet made public the 2026 draft budgets of the state, NHIF and SSS but is expected to do that soon.

Vassilev argued that despite nearly EUR 1 billion in additional revenues in the NHIF budget, there was “not a single cent” allocated for young doctors. “Yesterday the government swore up and down the 2026 this budget would solve the problems of [low wages for] young doctors, nurses, and all health workers — yet there’s nothing for them,” he said. He also accused the government of “reaching into the pockets” of minimum wage earners, claiming the plan would effectively take BGN 30 per month from them and raise annual pension contributions for workers and companies by around BGN 600.

According to Vassilev, maternity and social payments are frozen, while the government increases taxes and contributions. “They’re taking an extra BGN 2 billion from pension contributions, adding new funds from the NHIF, raising taxes, freezing social programs — all because with the old level of theft, they can’t make the 3% deficit target work,” he said, adding that the most outrageous part is that it comes “with the signature of a Socialist party minister.”

Commenting on the Lukoil situation, MP Nikolay Denkov (Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria) said the opposition has repeatedly sought to see the government’s plan following recent US sanctions against the Russian oil giant but has yet to receive answers. He warned that unless action has already begun, “there may be no fuel available by January 1 — perhaps even earlier.” Denkov stressed that the opposition will try to help the government, as “the last thing Bulgaria needs is fuel shortages at gas stations.”

When asked about the timing of the parliamentary speaker’s replacement, Denkov added: “After Borisov’s theatrical performance, something had to happen — this was simply the safest option.”