Bulgaria
Parliament adopts first reading of provisional budget law
MPs unanimously adopted at first reading the caretaker government's proposed law on revenues and expenditures in 2025, pending the adoption of the state budget."The main objective is to ensure financial stability and the normal functioning of the sta
MPs unanimously adopted at first reading the caretaker government's proposed law on revenues and expenditures in 2025, pending the adoption of the state budget.
"The main objective is to ensure financial stability and the normal functioning of the state," said Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova. According to her, priority will be given to spending on pensions, social benefits, salaries, tax breaks for children, food vouchers and the reduced VAT rate for agriculture. The document also regulates payments from the budgets of municipalities, the state social insurance fund and the health insurance fund.
The We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition said that it would table proposals affecting the government before the second reading "to introduce restrictions on what the Council of Ministers can spend money on and up to what value, so that on the one hand all these policies are continued and clearly secured, and on the other hand the Council of Ministers cannot spend money at its discretion on whatever it decides," said MP Assen Vassilev, who is also a former finance minister.