Projects for the modernization of the electricity transmission network were set under the PVU, but at the moment these funds have not been requested by Bulgaria. They are waiting for us, but there is no time for implementation. Bulgaria will lose 9 billion euros under the PVU and other projects. This was said by the former Deputy Prime Minister for the Management of European Funds in the official cabinet “Galub Donev“ Atanas Pekanov on the air of “Your Day” on NovaNews.
“If there is an official cabinet, it will not do the necessary work – adoption of reforms in parliament. The government also has a passive attitude towards the Recovery and Resilience Plan. During the talks about a regular cabinet, I also did not see enough desire. The liberalization of the electricity market for household consumers will not happen”, believes Pekanov.
According to him, against the backdrop of major turbulences worldwide, we receive news such as this one that after a month and a half of waiting, a government will still not be formed. „The situation is catastrophic. We must realize that elections are held so that something can come of them. The excessive hyperbolization of the political conflict between the parties has led to the fact that an agreement cannot be reached and all voters are disappointed”, believes Pekanov.
The former deputy prime minister believes that the budget is unacceptable. "Bulgaria is not currently facing a fiscal crisis, but the deficit is a problem, as it is structural – it will be repeated every year", he stressed. And he added that this is precisely what will sooner or later lead to fiscal problems.
Pekanov pointed out that in the short term there is no risk to social payments, as the state has buffers, but they are thinning over time.
On the topic of entering the eurozone, he believes that Bulgaria should request a second convergence report. "But will the European institutions be willing to say 'yes' when they don't know who will be the finance minister in six months, who will be the prime minister, what the parliamentary majority will be?" he commented. According to him, Bulgaria will adopt the euro in 2026 at the earliest.