Bulgaria is not in an excessive deficit procedure and still has all the tools to avoid such a scenario. This was stated on bTV by former acting Finance Minister Georgi Klisurski.
According to him, the deficit officially confirmed by Eurostat for 2024 is 3%, which allows the country to fulfill one of the main criteria for membership in the eurozone.
„For 2025, the deficit is 3.5%, but if the exception for defense spending is applied, Bulgaria will again fit into the permissible 3%“, Klisurski explained.
The forecasts for 2026 and 2027 are alarming
According to him, the European Commission's concerns are not related to the current year, but to the forecasts for 2026 and 2027.
„The Commission forecasts a deficit of about 4% in both years, if no measures are taken and the current policy“, said Klisurski.
He stressed that these forecasts are not based on a future budget, but on the assumption that there will be no changes in fiscal policy.
“The government has all the tools to make a budget with which this procedure would not even begin“, he added.
“The data is not manipulated“
The former finance minister also commented on the criticism of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who accused previous administrations of financial manipulations and leaving a heavy legacy.
“It is not correct to suggest that the deficit data has been manipulated. They have been checked and verified by Eurostat and the European Commission“, Klisurski said.
According to him, such claims undermine trust in both Bulgarian institutions and the country's European partners.
Over 6.8 billion euros in the fiscal reserve
Klisurski pointed out that as of the end of April, the state had over 6.8 billion euros in the fiscal reserve.
He admitted that the current deficit is higher than in previous years, but according to him, it remains completely manageable.
“Revenues increase by nearly 3 billion leva compared to the same period last year. The pressure comes mainly from higher personnel costs and investments under the Recovery and Resilience Plan,“ he explained.
For Sofia: There will be no shortage of places in the first kindergarten group within a year
In his capacity as Deputy Mayor for Finance of the Sofia Municipality, Klisurski also commented on the situation in Sofia.
According to him, the shortage of places for the first kindergarten group in kindergartens is expected to be overcome next year.
“This year the shortage is about 300 places for three-year-old children. With the new kindergartens being built, this problem should be solved next year,“ he said.
The problem with nurseries remains more serious, where the shortage is about 5,000 places.
According to Klisurski, one of the main reasons is the lack of nurses.
“Even if we build more nurseries, there is not enough staff to work in them. This is a national problem, also related to the low pay in the sector“, he commented.
On the parting with “We continue the change“
Georgi Klisurski also stated that he does not regret his decision to leave “We continue the change“.
“I do not regret it. I shared my criticisms and motives with the party leadership. We parted ways with respect“, he said.
According to him, he remains ready to work with representatives of the democratic community on topics such as the country's economic development and reforms in the judicial system.