MPs are discussing and considering changes to the so-called extension law on the state budget, BTA reports. In the plenary hall, the acting Minister of Finance Georgi Klisurski presented the parameters of the extension law: "Municipalities should have the opportunity to incur more expenses than at present, up to the amount of their own revenues collected. I would like to highlight the opportunity that is provided for the Council of Ministers to conclude an agreement with the European Commission to sign the contract under the "SAFE" mechanism to increase Bulgaria's defense capabilities in the full amount approved by the European Commission, up to 3 billion 261 million euros".
Yesterday, the amendments were supported by the parliamentary committee on budget and finance. They extend the validity of the Law on the Collection of Revenues and the Execution of Expenditures in 2026 until the adoption of the Law on the State Budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for 2026, the Law on the State Social Security Budget for 2026 and the Law on the Budget of the National Health Insurance Fund for 2026 in implementation of Art. 87, para. 4 of the Public Finance Act. In the current version, the extension budget was valid until the end of March.
At the end of last week, the chairman of the parliamentary budget committee Delyan Dobrev (GERB-SDF) commented that the possible approach he proposed is to consider the bill in a budget committee on Thursday and have a parliamentary procedure on Friday, with which it is possible to adopt it in two readings. And from the end of next week, a few days before the official start of the election campaign, we will have extended the State Budget Law, we will have given the caretaker cabinet the opportunity to function, Dobrev said then.
Yesterday, during the meeting of the budget committee, Yordan Tsonev from “DPS-New Beginning“ stated that the parliamentary group will support the proposed bill, but stressed that proposals will be submitted between the first and second readings, which envisage reflecting the demands of the municipalities and other measures. According to him, therefore, the bill should not be considered two readings in one session, but should be given the opportunity to submit proposals between the two readings. Assen Vassilev from PP-DB stated that the parliamentary group will support the proposals. Tsoncho Ganev from “Vazrazhdane“ indicated that his parliamentary group will not support the bill. Atanas Atanasov from “BSP-United Left“ indicated that his parliamentary group would support the bill, but expressed concern that it lacks measures for the most vulnerable groups in society