I do not rule out minor amendments to the budget before the second reading – for current and capital expenditures. This was predicted in an interview with Nova News by the president of the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions Plamen Dimitrov.
„The big question is whether we will fulfill the conditions for the fifth payment under the PVP. 56 reforms, many of them legislative”, commented Dimitrov.
„I expect some movement so that we can reduce the deficit from 5.7% to 4.1%, as the European Commission said it would be. This is a difference of 2 billion euros. I repeat – 2 billion euros difference between the submitted budget and what the Commission forecasts as a deficit”, said Plamen Dimitrov.
About the DOO budget
„In its revenue part, we see measures that can lead to additional revenues in the system - the growth of the maximum social security income, of the minimum thresholds. The bad news is that social payments or benefits remain the same”, said Dimitrov.
„The minimum and maximum unemployment benefits are frozen, the maternity benefit in the second year is frozen. This is not good, people there have been expecting change for a long time,” the president of the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions (CITUB) also said.
He believes that in the case of maternity benefits, the second year should be tied as a percentage to the contribution, as in the first year, even if the percentage is lower.
„For 2027, we will continue to propose a similar measure", said Dimitrov.
The trade unionist once again emphasized that if civil servants pay their own insurance, the Civil Servant Act should be repealed.
„If there is a public attitude that we should all be equal, then we should be equal", said Dimitrov.
About the NHIF budget
„The distribution of funds is not in the best way - there are the least funds for prevention. For the remaining two items - hospital care and medicines - they are growing significantly," commented Plamen Dimitrov.