The Budget Committee in the National Assembly approved the revised draft budget for 2026, as well as the NHIF and DOO accounts. Despite the adjustments made, the financial framework remains subject to serious criticism. The topic was commented on by former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Nikolay Vassilev in the studio of “The Day Live” on NOVA NEWS.
Vassilev recalled that he was among the harshest critics of the initial draft, submitted late in November. He described it as the “sixth consecutive monkey budget”, characterized by high costs and hidden deficits. “Everything was bad in it. The real deficit, according to my calculations, was about 8%, and spending from GDP - nearly 50 percent. This is not the Bulgaria we know. There were no reforms”, commented the former minister. In his words, the new version of the budget is “less monkey”, but only in comparison to the previous one. He pointed out some positives, but also a number of serious shortcomings.
In his words, after the tension between the social partners, the government accepted proposals from both business and unions. According to Vassilev, however, these decisions lead to an additional increase in the budget deficit.
The former Minister of Economy emphasized that of all possible changes, the government has undertaken only “one micro-reform”. He also commented on the state's refusal to acquire “Lukoil”, defining such a step as “a major catastrophe”. Vassilev was also critical of the idea of concessioning the lottery. “I don't know who they had prepared as a concessionaire. If this is “monkey” deal - not a good idea”, he said.
The former deputy prime minister made the most serious criticism of the budget deficit. Although the government officially indicates a level of 3%, according to him, the real situation is different. “I don't believe it. The revenues are artificially inflated, and the expenses hide a lot of things. The capitalization of state-owned companies is huge, several billion euros. In my opinion, the real deficit is again going towards 8%”, he said.
Vassilev predicts that both this year and next year the budget will not be able to reach the set 3% in an accounting sense.