The budget adopted at first reading does not contain real reforms and retains the structure that caused dissatisfaction among citizens. This was stated by the PG MP of “Continue the Change“ Radoslav Ribarski in an interview for the program “From the Day“ on BNT, quoted by novini.bg.
According to him, the only reform in the current budget is the closure of the Commission on Files, while the remaining parameters represent a repetition of the previous financial policy.
“We see a budget that literally repeats the budget from the end of 2025. A number of questions remain unanswered – we continue to hear general talk about old obligations and invoices from drawers, but we do not get clarity on where over 9 billion leva of capital expenditures are going“, said Ribarski.
He defined the set deficit of 5.7% as “record“ and stated that the government had not provided convincing arguments for the costs. According to him, it is possible that the actual deficit could be lower, but the question remains why the forecasts differ from the final result.
Regarding the capital program, Ribarski questioned the need for its increase to 9.3 billion leva, given that about 6 billion leva were sufficient in the previous year. “Why are they overstocking with such a huge capital program and why are funds being provided at this very moment that can be distributed non-transparently at the end of the year?“, the MP asked.
He admitted that some of the criticism of “We Continue the Change“ for the increase in social spending is justified, but stressed that this does not explain the entire size of the deficit. “We are ready to bear responsibility for this, but this does not exhaust the reasons for this huge deficit“, said Ribarski.
On the topic of the investment of the German arms manufacturer “Rheinmetall“ in Bulgaria, the MP commented that the lack of funds for the project sends a negative signal to potential investors. “This investment is a serious acquisition for the Bulgarian defense industry. The question remains why, with a deficit of 5.7%, it suddenly turns out that there are no funds for this plant“, he said.
Ribarski pointed out that the project could also be supported through the SAFE mechanism by awarding production orders that would help finance the investment.
He also commented on Bulgaria's position on the defense of Europe and aid to Ukraine. According to him, our country is lagging behind the processes that are developing at the European level. “Europe looks at its defense collectively. The countries that actively participate in these processes will be the leaders in future defense supplies and investments in new technologies“, said the MP.
According to him, Bulgaria should be part of the talks on the future European defense architecture, instead of remaining on the sidelines. “We cannot be catching up and at one point find ourselves left out of the table where decisions are made“, warned Radoslav Ribarski.
The policy of hesitation and lack of a clear strategy in the field of energy and defense is not a sustainable approach, the politician explained.
According to him, the topic of the attitude towards Ukraine should not be reduced to a division “for“ or “against“, as this further polarizes society. “We are for the development of defense in Bulgaria, as well as for energy. Energy security is also extremely important“, he pointed out Ribarski.
He also commented on the possibility of resuming the Belene NPP project with the participation of Ukraine, stating that such a large-scale investment project cannot be implemented without a clear strategy. “I don't know exactly how they intend to resume the Belene project with Ukraine. We will see what exactly was discussed at this meeting, but this approach does not seem sustainable to me. With such a huge project, there will be an additional burden on the budget and expenses“, said the MP.
On the topic of the contract with the Turkish company Botas“, Ribarski stated that its freezing confirms the criticisms of “We Continue the Change“ that the agreement is unprofitable for Bulgaria. “Botas is an unprofitable contract for Bulgaria. We have repeatedly stated it over the past three years“, said the MP.
He recalled that the contract was signed after the disputes over gas supplies in 2022, and according to him, the allegations of a lack of gas were used as an argument for its conclusion. “The connection with Azerbaijan was put into operation literally after a few months“, Ribarski pointed out.
According to him, the deputies from the Energy Committee did not receive additional information about the future of the contract with “Botaş“. “What we see in the Turkish media is that there is talk of an upgrade. The question is what exactly this upgrade means. If the contract is now unprofitable and we are not satisfied with it, what can we expect in 15 months?“, he asked.
Ribarski also raised the question of what will happen to the approximately 367 million leva costs accumulated under the contract and whether any possible changes will not again be at Bulgaria's expense.
The MP also commented on the case of the former director of the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) Stoyan Mavrodiev, who was detained and released on bail.
According to Ribarski, this is another example of a model in which investigations drag on for years. “When the clouds thicken over the heads of such individuals, it turns out that they have fled. A search begins, and in the end the cases drag on for years“, he said.
According to him, the facts surrounding the funds allocated by the BDB must be clarified. “Hopefully more facts will be revealed about these millions, even a billion, that went to BDB for purposes other than their intended purpose – to small and medium-sized enterprises, which is the role of the bank“, said Radoslav Ribarski.