Extraordinary Meeting of the NCTC: Budget 2026 and Protests in Front of the Council of Ministers

29.06.2026 | Finance

The National Council for Tripartite Cooperation is discussing the 2026 draft budgets against the backdrop of trade union protests against the budget update for the current year.

© BurgasMedia.com — Andrii Maslo

Extraordinary meeting of the NCTC on the 2026 budget

The National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC) is convening an extraordinary meeting today at 2:00 PM in the Granite Hall of the Council of Ministers. The main focus of the discussions is the draft budgets of the State Social Insurance, the National Health Insurance Fund, and the state budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for 2026.

Trade unions to hold a protest

In parallel with the meeting, the leading trade unions CITUB and CL "Podkrepa" are organizing a protest in front of the government building. Their dissatisfaction is provoked by the proposed changes in the draft budget for the current year. According to the union leaders, the planned measures will lead to:

The draft law on the state budget of Bulgaria for 2026 provides for an expected deficit of 5.7% of GDP, with the aim of reaching a 3% deficit by 2028.

The situation remains tense as the social partners seek a balance between fiscal discipline and social stability in the country.