Deputy Mayor for Finance of the capital Georgi Klisurski expressed deep concern about the lack of financial support for Sofia in the draft state budget for 2026, which puts strategic national sites and the security of citizens at risk.
In addition to the complete absence of funds for the National Children's Hospital, the budget framework ignores the financing of the Sofia Ring Road, creates prerequisites for administrative arbitrariness through changes in the investment program for the municipalities and does not address the delayed payments to Sofia amounting to nearly 30 million euros. He said this in an interview for the program “EvroDikov“ Klisurski.
The National Children's Hospital: “Priority only on paper“
Although the construction of the hospital is set as a strategic goal in the management program, the budget forecast for the next three years lacks any funding for the site.
“We as a municipality are already expropriating properties for the terrains, for the construction of the municipal road from the Ring Road to the children's hospital and for the terrain of the hospital itself. We are already paying compensation to the owners so that this project can be implemented. At the same time, we see how the state does not allocate any funds for the children's hospital not only in 2026, but also in 2027 and 2028. They clearly do not foresee a single euro for the children's hospital until 2028.“
Sofia Ring Road: Lack of connection to the hospital
Klisurski drew attention to the fact that the lack of funds for the southwestern arc of the Ring Road (from Boyana to Lyulin) directly affects access to the future medical facility.
„This is a national site that affects the traffic of half a million Sofia residents, including traffic to the children's hospital. There are still no funds planned for 2026, 2027, or 2028, even though the state made a commitment.“
The Investment Program (Art. 113): Risk of subjective selection
The Deputy Mayor warns of a change in the financing model, which eliminates transparency and the National Assembly's control over municipal projects.
„Until now, the state budget had a clear list for each project of each municipality and the National Assembly approved it. Now they have crossed out this entire list and provide that the Minister of Regional Development will assess at his own discretion which projects to finance. There is no way that a minister can select projects for all municipalities without any objective criteria. Sofia is set to receive between 20 and 30 million euros in unpaid funds and it is now unclear which of them will be approved.“
Unpaid funds to the Sofia Municipality
Klisurski stressed that Sofia is set to receive significant amounts for already implemented or launched projects, the future of which is unclear under the new rules.
“Sofia is set to receive tens of millions, perhaps between 20 and 30 million euros in unpaid funds. And now it is not clear which of these projects will be approved.“
Vitosha: Possibility for rapid renovation of the lifts
At the end of the interview, Georgi Klisurski also commented on the condition of the lifts on Vitosha, emphasizing that there is no need to wait a decade for new plans if the state and the private owner make clear commitments.
“In my opinion, there is a way for the private owner and the state to develop such a project for a new lift, for example the Simeonovski lift, that it can really be approved within the next year and the replacement can begin. It is entirely possible, there is no need to wait 10 years for a new management plan. If the owner says that he has the money and foresees ecological cabins, literally next fall the replacement of the Simeonovski lift can begin, and then the Dragalevski lift“.