Denitsa Sacheva from GERB commented on the air of “Wake up“ on NOVA on the election of Rumen Spetsov as special commercial manager of “Lukoil Neftochim“, the budget for 2026 and the criticism of the opposition.
Denitsa Sacheva rejected the claims of “We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria” that Spetsov does not have the necessary experience for his new position. According to her, his biography shows a long-standing professional path related to control of the fuel sector, risk analysis and the fight against smuggling: “I am surprised that his biography is unknown to PP–DB. Since 2001, he has been involved in controlling the supply chain for oil, gas and petroleum products products.“
Sacheva emphasized that Spetsov was a candidate agreed upon between the coalition partners, and that international institutions have confidence in him – proof of this was the quickly obtained derogations from the UK and the US. According to her, the special manager will not act alone, but with a team: “He will not make decisions alone. He will work with experts.“ Sacheva also stated that the issues of the refinery's future – sales, supplies, operational activities – are beyond the manager's competence and will be decided at the government level.
As for the change in the NRA, she assured that the agency has a sufficiently strong internal capacity to undertake the transition without risks to the control of the introduction of the euro.
However, she refrained from making predictions about a possible future buyer of the refinery, but emphasized that the competence of the potential owner is most important for Bulgaria. When asked whether a new request for derogation after April, she said: “I am convinced that Spetsov will cope.“
Sacheva defined the draft Budget 2026 as the only realistic option in the current economic and political situation. She categorically rejected the claims of the PP–DB that the government “spends indiscriminately“.
According to her, the leading controversy recently – the increase in social security contributions – has been exaggerated: “It is not true that it is about 10%. The contribution increases by 2%, distributed between the employee and the employer. For a salary of 2,500 leva, the employee will pay 20 leva more.“ She recalled that according to experts from business and trade unions, the increase in contributions was planned for 2027-2028, but it needs to be withdrawn earlier due to the state of the National Social Security Institute.
Sacheva said that the budget difficulties are a result of the “legacy of Asen Vassilev“: “He turned a 3% deficit into a standard, and the norm is 0%. Someone has to cover this deficit.“
She admitted that the topic of high bonuses in the state administration is sensitive and a serious restructuring is ahead: “Remunerations in the administration need to be reviewed.“
However, Sacheva is categorical that the already presented Budget 2026 is the final version. She added that Christmas bonuses for pensioners are not planned due to limited opportunities.
Regarding a new vote of no confidence, she said: “We are not afraid. There can be no successful vote of no confidence.“