Is this the balanced budget? In our opinion, it is not. Expenditures can still change, and the shadow economy is not as affected as we would like. This was stated by Plamen Dimitrov, CITUB, about the draft budget 2026.
Let's not touch the minimum wage until we come to an agreement with the employers. Let autumn come, and not do things piecemeal now, he urged.
In 2026, nothing will change in terms of wages, there is no effect for this year, commented Maria Mincheva from the BIA on the wage freeze.
We see things that we don't like - the size of the budget deficit and the raised debt ceiling. We agreed to think about a smaller deficit and less debt, to have careful planning of debt repayment, because we all pay the interest, she added.
The effect of raising the maximum social security threshold is 90 million, commented Mincheva.
Dimitrov drew attention to the capital program: "3.5 billion euros more, but how will they be utilized. There is something like a buffer, but how it will be used is not clear – supposedly there are old, unpaid expenses. We do not see 700 million in personnel expenses – there is a "fictitious" limitation on expenses, only 85 million for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the army are being saved, that is why people are on the streets."
Mincheva said that with seasonality came lower prices for fruits and vegetables in the store.