Parliament returns to regular sittings today after a 10-day break for the presidential election, the draft programme shows. The week opens with opposition bills and draft resolutions.
During the break, MPs failed to gather a quorum at three extraordinary sittings, on 13, 21 and 28 October. In April's parliamentary election, they had no break.
First on the agenda is the Bulgarian Language Act from Vazrazhdane, which Kostadin Kostadinov and a group of MPs are tabling for a first reading. The authors say more than 100 laws require the use of Bulgarian, but there are no single rules, no coordination and no clear responsibility for failing to comply.
Under the bill, standard Bulgarian would be required in education, state and municipal administration, the media and electronic communication. A Bulgarian Language Advisory Council would be set up under the Council of Ministers. It would coordinate the institutions, help protect and develop the language, and report each year on the language environment. The council would be an expert and advisory body only, with no new administration and no powers of oversight. Private and unofficial use of other languages would not be affected.
GERB-SDS propose a draft resolution on urgent steps to cut and cap fuel prices for a time. The aim is to ease inflation pressure and bring lower final prices for people and firms.
The finance minister would have to ask the European Commission for permission to apply excise duties below the EU minimum for a time, and for an opinion on cutting VAT on fuel from 20% to 9%. The Council of Ministers would present an analysis and legislative proposals for a temporary cap on the prices of main fuels when international prices are extremely high.
Members of the parliamentary committee had doubts about the financial effect. Opinions presented to the committee said lower taxes could widen the budget deficit. A windfall tax on oil sector profits was suggested there as an alternative.
Progressive Bulgaria pointed out that measures worth €330m are already in place for vulnerable people, while the new proposals could cost the budget between €400m and €500m.
Democratic Bulgaria is tabling changes to the Health Insurance Act for a first reading, drawn up by Bozhidar Bozhanov and a group of MPs. The aim is to cut corruption and abuse: the draining of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) budget, fake hospital admissions, inefficient use of hospital beds and unlawful spending on medicines.
Before signing a contract for certain medical services, the NHIF would automatically check the employment register to see whether the hospital has the required employment contracts and specialists. The National Revenue Agency, the Customs Agency, the medicine verification systems and the fund would share data to track medicines and to catch double reporting and repeat dispensing of medicines that have already been used.
Every month the NHIF would publish open data on payments to its contract partners, including for specific medical services and medicines. The bill also sets a maximum price the fund pays for medicines, including those for rare diseases that are not sold on the Bulgarian market.
The committees that choose directors of state and municipal hospitals would have to include the professional bodies of doctors, pharmacists and healthcare specialists, as well as patient groups.