Revival leader Kostadin Kostadinov commented on the latest assessment of Bulgaria by international rating agency Standard & Poor’s on Facebook. He linked the country’s financial prospects to its accession to the eurozone, while criticizing the way the process was carried out.
“The rating agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded Bulgaria’s credit rating today. Nothing surprising – just another of the thousands of benefits of eurozone membership that have befallen us after we were forcibly and illegally brought into it,” Kostadinov wrote on the social network.
Earlier, the Ministry of Finance presented data from Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings’ analysis. According to the published information, the agency has raised its forecast for Bulgaria’s budget deficit this year to 5.1% of gross domestic product. A gradual improvement is expected, with the deficit projected to reach 3% in 2029.
The assessment also identifies other challenges facing the Bulgarian economy. Weaker exports have contributed to a larger-than-expected deterioration in the current account deficit, while strong domestic demand continues to drive up imports.
The agency also draws attention to tensions in the labor market, which are sustaining the high growth in private-sector wages. In the first half of 2026, nominal wage growth stood at 11.7% – a level that has remained approximately unchanged since 2023.
Another factor is the continued rapid expansion of lending. Among households, growth has reached 21%, with mortgages accounting for the bulk of the loans. Against this backdrop, residential property prices have also continued to rise significantly – by 15.5% in the period through June 2026.
Former finance minister and current GERB MP Temenuzhka Petkova also expressed her position on the matter. She called on the government to take the international agency’s assessment into account.
“I hope that Rumen Radev’s government will not display its usual arrogance, will familiarize itself with Standard and Poor's assessment, and will not drag our country into crises and problems,” Petkova said.