The sustainability of the government is more than imperative, especially at a time when we are facing the most difficult budget in recent decades. This was commented to journalists in Pernik by the President of the CITUB, Plamen Dimitrov.
„How this will be achieved - let those who bear responsibility show“, he emphasized. „If there is going to be a cabinet renovation, this must happen as soon as possible so that we can move forward. For me, the key question is what will happen to the budget, to the financing of the wage and pension systems, which people expect to hear“, he pointed out.
According to him, it is obvious that changes are taking place in the political layers. “I don't know if this will be for the good - we will see in the end. But if it leads to early elections, this will certainly not be positive“, believes Dimitrov.
The President of the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions expressed approval of the work of the Consumer Protection Commission.
“I think it was high time for the state to show that there is a state. I expect the next move of the Competition Protection Commission regarding the announced data - that from the delivery to the final price in stores, the markups of the chains reach between 50 and 90 percent. This is not malicious information, as some claim. I expect sanctions because such behavior is not market-oriented“, he commented.
Regarding the introduction of the euro, Dimitrov expressed optimism that we will all benefit from this process.
“The euro does not bring anything new, but it catalyzes the process of income clarification – something that is already noticeable. It enhances transparency in the financial sector and creates prerequisites for more efficient resource management. For us as unions, it is important that this will accelerate income growth - as the experience of the Baltic states and Croatia has shown. Yes, there is some inflation, but it is an inevitable process. The real problem is that incomes grow much more slowly than prices. Therefore, there is no alternative to increasing them“, stressed Dimitrov.
The Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions will continue to insist on accelerated income growth. "When we have a 20 percentage point difference between wage growth and food price growth, it is obvious that over the next five years, incomes must grow at double-digit rates to come close to store prices," he added.
Regarding the draft budget for 2026, Dimitrov warned of a serious deficit.
"Given the severe deficit that is emerging - around 17-18 billion leva, it is clear that such a budget cannot be adopted in this form. It is possible to make some spending cuts, but in my opinion this will be difficult to happen, especially in the area of pensions and salaries. We will not allow these funds to be cut - on the contrary, there must be growth there. Therefore, more tax revenues will be needed. How will they be collected - that is the question we are asking. There are different ways - "and if someone manages to do it without changing tax rates, that would be the best. But I am skeptical because we are talking about huge resources that simply do not exist," Dimitrov added.