The signals are more than alarming, said Vice President Iliana Yotova to journalists, commenting on the parameters of the state budget for next year, which will be the first for the country in euros. Her reaction comes against the backdrop of details of the project that have not yet been presented.
"We must give ourselves a harsh assessment when we see the overall parameters of the budget. The project is still not a fact. There are different explanations as to why it was delayed so much. We all expected that since we are making the country's first budget in euros, it should have been ready a long time ago. To be presented, to have a wider public discussion, not just that it be closed within the ruling coalition", noted the vice president.
"A few months later, this budget and the comments around it show how right President Radev was when he asked and wanted to assess, through a referendum, how ready we are for the introduction of the euro. Since yesterday we have an admission from the fiscal council that the figures were manipulated when we requested the convergence reports, that our deficit is much higher than the one officially presented. We ask ourselves the question - who are we lying to? All these consequences are falling on us, the Bulgarians. I hope that in the coming days we will also hear more about what kind of economy Bulgaria will have, because until now we only have accounting tables, nothing else", she added.
Yotova emphasized: "When a ruling majority and government do not comply with the laws, this is an element and a signal of a severe crisis. If they do not comply with the laws, how would we want Bulgarian citizens to comply with them".
The Vice President described as a maneuver the decision on the minimum wage, which the ruling party announced would be in the amount of 620 euros. According to her, "It was theater, from the very beginning they knew they had to comply with the law, but they preferred to appear before Bulgarian society as particularly generous".
To a question from journalists regarding a possible increase in social security contributions, and whether this would worry the citizens, the Vice President replied: "Of course it would worry them. It is obvious that our treasury needs new funds because the hole is getting bigger". Yotova continued: "Okay, you will collect additional social security contributions, but what will you do with these funds? I am not far from the thought that we will make a budget in an election year, in which we will all have to be satisfied, but the state will be blocked and we will be standing still".
The event at which Iliana Yotova made these comments was the opening of the XXIII National Scientific Conference "The Knowledge Society and Humanism of the 21st Century" at the National Library "St. St. Cyril and Methodius".