Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP from “Progressive Bulgaria” Ivan Angelov did not rule out the possibility that an idea to redirect part of the pension contributions from private pension funds to the National Social Security Institute (NSSI) had been discussed. However, he stressed that no such proposal is included in the budget documents presented.
He made the comment to bTV after MP Bozhidar Bozhanov of “Democratic Bulgaria” pointed to a letter dated November 2 addressed to the European Commission. According to Bozhanov, the document indicates that the idea had been seriously discussed.
“It is entirely possible that all kinds of discussions on different points of view took place,” Angelov said.The Deputy Speaker of Parliament drew a distinction between working discussions and final decisions by the government. In his words, presenting unofficial materials as evidence of a decision already made is misleading. Angelov did not say whether the proposal would have been included in the budget if the opposition had not disclosed it, noting that the financial framework is prepared by experts at the Ministry of Finance.
Compensation for businesses and households using gas is being prepared
Angelov announced that a new package of compensation measures for businesses is being prepared because of high electricity prices. Support is also planned for households that heat their homes with natural gas, after the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission raised the price of gas for November by 32.52%.
One of the possibilities under discussion is to use funds from the Electricity System Security Fund. The financial resources, the amount of compensation for individual companies and the timeframe for starting the payments have not yet been announced.
“Additional measures will be taken for businesses, as well as for citizens who heat their homes with gas,” Angelov said.He also assured that electricity and heating prices for household consumers would not be changed during the upcoming heating season.
Controversial provisions on the Bulgarian language are to be discussed
During the interview, Angelov also commented on the Bulgarian Language Act, which passed its first reading. In his words, similar bills have been introduced in Parliament repeatedly over the past approximately 15 years.
The current bill received the support of all parliamentary groups, with no votes “against” or “abstained.” Angelov clarified that this does not automatically mean approval of all its provisions. The controversial texts will be discussed between the first and second readings, including the rules for transliterating Bulgarian names, and representatives of various organizations are expected to be heard.
Sources: news.bg, btvnovinite.bg