Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DB) has criticised the government's stance in talks on the EU's long-term budget. A smaller EU budget means less money for Bulgaria, DSB leader and DB MEP Radan Kanev told reporters in the corridors of parliament.
The cabinet backs a smaller EU budget because it also cuts Bulgaria's national contribution. Kanev called this position absurd, dangerous and inexplicable.
Bulgaria has traditionally been the biggest net beneficiary of the EU budget, with the widest gap between what it pays in and what it gets out, Kanev reminded reporters. He also called the other part of the position bad: keeping cohesion and farm funds while sharply cutting money for competitiveness and innovation.
DB MP Martin Dimitrov turned to the 2027 budget. The government talks of a deficit of around 3%, but it has proposed 4.3% to Brussels. Without one-off revenue, such as the windfall profit tax, next year's deficit is 5%, Dimitrov said. He said a deficit like that is leading Bulgaria to disaster.
"There is no pilot in the plane," he said.
Dimitrov recalled DB's proposal to compensate drivers 20 euro cents a litre of fuel. The party wants the money to come from a windfall profit tax on the whole oil sector and from extra VAT revenue. Dimitrov said people would then see a concrete result.
The only positive point in the report sent to the European Commission, and only a partial one, is the higher VAT registration threshold, Dimitrov said. DB wanted €85,000, which would have eased the burden on 200,000 firms. The government proposes €75,000. "This is half a step, but good news, and a DB policy," he said.
The biggest danger to the budget is the lack of buffers in case of crises, said DB MP Vladislav Panev. He said events in the Black Sea could hit Bulgarian exports and imports, and with them budget revenue.
A regional crisis, which already seems to be taking shape, would sober up public finances, Panev said. "We will see who has been swimming without trunks in the sea in recent years," he added. The MP was referring to the last two regular governments.