The second budget from December 2025, which did not see the light of day, must be put on the table again, people did not understand what it contains. It reflects the growth of pensions by 8.6% from July 1, as well as an increase in salaries by an average of 10%, as well as the elimination of automatics. And the extended budget is a restraining vest with which the state functions very heavily and with difficulty. This was stated by the President of the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions Plamen Dimitrov in the program “Offensive with Lyubo Ognyanov“.
According to him, due to higher oil prices, the treasury received 1 billion euros more revenue in the first quarter compared to last year. “Yes, it is true that we are spending more, but is it for capital expenditures or for social payments? The deficit for the first quarter - about 1.5 billion euros - went to advance payments under the PVU, which represents invested money,“ said the unionist.
The program of “Progressive Bulgaria“ was discussed at a meeting of the union with Rumen Radev and his team. Several issues, key for Bulgaria, were highlighted within its framework.
“An industrial strategy has been missing for years. There should be a special geological service that would present possible technological solutions for the subsoil of Bulgaria. We have enough opportunities and they are unsuspected. They should be opened up to investors. Secondly, in the extraction and processing of non-ferrous metals, state incentives for added value of investments should be introduced. It would be good to create an AI gigafactory. In energy, things are very difficult, the PVU raises the question of what is happening with BEH. The state must buy at least one unit of the Galabovo NPP, because 350 people have already been laid off, the president of the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions (CITUB) noted.
According to Dimitrov, it is not guaranteed that the price of electricity for households will remain the same as of July 1. "Will there be enough money to pay the EDPs that maintain this price of electricity?" he asked. He specified that the CITUB's proposal for tax restructuring remains on the agenda.
Plamen Dimitrov also pointed out that the reduction of the sectoral value added tax will not cause the prices of specific goods to fall, but this could happen if the basic VAT is reduced. Commenting on other major sectors, he noted that the health card should become mandatory and the pension contribution should increase from next year.
The President of the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions believes that the new Social Minister will be a “good professional from the system“.