Mass protests like those in France are unlikely in Bulgaria because there is no social basis for such anger, deputy prime minister Ivo Hristov says. He defended the government's 2027 budget in a morning show on BNT.
Hristov says the results of this year's two votes show people back a course of normalisation and stability. He said "Progressive Bulgaria" removed the most visible oligarchs from power and stopped the country from sliding towards war, and these were "two strategic choices".
Political parties and media are trying to stir up tension, he says.
Tax breaks for children will go up. For one child, the break rises from €3,000 to €5,000. For two children it goes from €6,000 to €10,000, and for three or more from €9,000 to €15,000.
The budget also adds a new €2,000 break for families with children. It is meant for child development, such as sport and lessons, and is deducted from the tax base. Hristov says the breaks encourage people to have children and support their development, and that the budget is better than the last one because it contains concrete social and economic policies.
The deputy prime minister rejected claims that the budget lacks reforms. He said the deficit is shrinking to acceptable levels and the trend will continue next year. State spending, which rose sharply in recent years, is also being limited.
No administrative reform like this has been carried out before, Hristov says. The aim is to spend less and have a more efficient administration. At the interior ministry, the cuts affect nearly 2,000 people.
The budget was presented at the University of National and World Economy (UNWE), and some of the criticism is about the choice of venue. The prime minister is accused of seeking applause with a public presentation. Hristov says non-governmental organisations are behind the criticism because they want economic thinking to stay within neoliberal dogma. "Where should it be presented – at a nail-extension institute?" he asked. It is normal for a government to explain its policies to people and seek their support, he added.
Hristov denied that the government plans to touch the second pillar of the pension system and called such claims speculation. What matters is where public money goes, not talk, he said.
Citizens should choose for themselves whether their contributions go to the National Social Security Institute (NOI) or to a private fund, and which one, Hristov says. Now contributions are assigned automatically, almost nobody knows where the money goes, and the system has heavy deficits.
On the drones spotted near the Bulgarian coast, Hristov said outside pressure will not change the government's position, which will follow the conclusions of experts. A position is not built on guesses, and reckless action could drag the country into a military conflict, he says.
Hristov also commented on relations with "Vazrazhdane", the closure of the Dossier Commission and Bulgaria's position on the war in Ukraine.
No date has been given for the coming visit of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. "We do not see von der Leyen as an authority to which we must confess," the deputy prime minister said.