GERB has sent a formal alert to the European Commission, saying the finance ministry is shifting road spending from 2026 to 2025. The party says the ministry is using the Road Infrastructure Agency (API) to cut the 2026 deficit and raise the 2025 one. MPs Temenuzhka Petkova and Nikolay Nankov announced the alert in parliament yesterday.
This article follows our earlier report that GERB-SDS plans to alert Eurostat, the European Commission and other bodies over an alleged attempt to manipulate the audit of API.
The alert is linked to the special audit of API, which parliament ordered the Court of Audit to carry out. The draft report is ready. It has been handed to the agency's current management and to all former heads whose work was checked.
Petkova says GERB received information almost a month ago about manipulation of data and documents during the audit. She says API is drawing up documents and certificates for work that should be accepted and booked in 2026, after verbal instructions from the finance ministry. As a result, the work falls into the closed 2025 budget year, though it belongs in the 2026 accounts. The 2026 budget deficit is 5.7% of GDP.
Petkova says the Court of Audit's draft report disproves the claim by the ruling Progressive Bulgaria party about "invoices in drawers", because no such invoices were found. She says this backs GERB's claim of manipulated data. "No such invoices have been issued, and no certificates for completed work have been accepted by the management board and approved, but certificates have been found," Petkova said.
The MP believes the ruling party wants to justify its election campaign claims about the "heavy legacy" and the invoices in drawers. "The standing of the country and of our national and European institutions cannot be sacrificed for narrow party goals," she said.
GERB says minister Shishkov had the information before the draft report was ready. The party says he was told on 9 September during a snap check in the regional development committee.
GERB expects the European Commission to take appropriate action.