Hardly anyone realizes what was done under the PSU. I wrote the framework for the reimbursement mechanism in the EP. The request for the fifth payment is 1.8 billion euros. If 90% is done, we have to throw caps, said in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio Petar Vitanov, chairman of the PG of "Progressive Bulgaria".
When asked how the 2.8% deficit so far will become 5.7% by the end of the year and that another 450 million euros are needed, Vitanov said:
"What we did was to break this budget curve. The MPZ will be around the upper limit, its untying was supported by all political parties. What was done was to drop the deficit from a 7.4% projection to 5.7%. If we have a deficit of nearly 3% for 8 months, it is normal for it to increase for the last 2 months, because the revenues, most of which come from taxes, are at the beginning of the year, and at the end of the year they are spent."
The chairman of the PG of "Progressive Bulgaria" said that the Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Galab Donev was holding her head because "uncertified projects were coming out under the RIA".
He also said that only a small part of the measures have been published and they are for a shield for socially vulnerable people and there will be a solid social thawing, and of things "that were frozen, including during the time of Asen Vassilev":
"It was never said that prices would be lowered. There was talk of controlling the rise in prices for some of the food products in the basket. From day 1 of the election campaign, there was talk of controlling the rise in prices. Regarding food products, if you believe the NSI, the big increase in price was in February 2025. According to the NSI, prices have not increased in the last 4 months. Services are also rising, as are transport prices. But food products with administrative control and agreements with retail chains are giving the result, which is not what we want and we are continuing with the measures."
Vitanov pointed out that there will be changes to the CPC law and it will be authorized to sanction.
"We will also prepare a new methodology for sanctions on chains, some chains acted responsibly, others did not. Inflation is a record 5.6%, it is supposed to reach 5.9% by the end of the year. In a number of countries there are protests due to high fuel prices, here we still maintain the lowest levels. The Strait of Hormuz is closed, the Black Sea is unusable for oil transportation, which drastically increases prices. What we are trying to do is with measures to reduce the price of propane butane, we have removed the excise tax, the EU has been notified, and 170 million euros are for agricultural producers. The goal is to reach 15,000 producers and limit prices," explained Petar Vitanov.
He said that "I understand the criticism, but let's take stock of what has been done, and it is a lot":
"With the 2027 budget, we are entering the Maastricht criteria, Galab Donev also announced it, and without military spending, we should get closer to a 3% deficit. The main priorities are a social shield for the poor and vulnerable due to huge inflation and support for investments and businesses."
As a success for the government, Vitanov reported that in her annual speech, Ursula von der Leyen pointed to Bulgaria:
"We made sure that the EU recognized Bulgaria's key priority as a European one in terms of exports and trade. In the last 2 weeks, unprecedented measures have been taken against gambling, which led to a pandemic, the fall of all advertisements, an increase in fees and tying it to the National Revenue Agency. The eco-taxes that went to the most shady businesses - will no longer be like that. We have gone where no one has dared to do so."