Democratic Bulgaria (DB) co-leader Ivaylo Mirchev said in the parliament lobby that the organised crime directorate GDBOP found an illegal cigarette factory in the village of Rilci, in Blagoevgrad region, but a briefing on the case was cancelled. He said the property belongs to a sponsor of Progressive Bulgaria (PB). There is no information that charges have been brought against the owner.

"We have a new 'Colleagues, go home' case," Mirchev said. He said the case has been covered up since the briefing was cancelled, and it is worrying that a PB sponsor has so much influence over the interior ministry.

DB will release its information on the factory after minister Ivan Demerdzhiev holds a briefing, Mirchev said.

He also spoke about the second pillar of the pension system. He said that in October the finance ministry proposed to the European Commission that 3% of the second pillar go to the National Social Security Institute (NOI). The Commission is against it, called the proposal a bad one and asked the government to consider whether it should go into the budget, he said.

Earlier, PB's Konstantin Prodanov said part of the second-pillar contribution would not be moved to the NOI and that no such move had been planned. Mirchev replied: "Yesterday everyone saw the ruling party lie that it had not planned to get its hands on people's pensions to cover the budget deficit."

Mirchev said prime minister Rumen Radev spoke of a tough fight in Brussels over social rights, payments and pensions, while in fact he was looking for a way to dip into pensions because of the budget deficit. He believes the European Commission has defended the interests of Bulgarians. Mirchev asked finance minister Galab Donev to apologise and PB to admit it lied.

DB has sent letters to the finance ministry and the Commission asking for all correspondence on the proposal. Brussels has not yet replied. Mirchev said DB already has the correspondence between the ministry and the Commission, and expects Donev to present it by Friday.

Radev said today that electricity and heating prices for consumers will not rise. Mirchev claims the government is stopping compensation for business on the grounds that it is keeping power prices down for households. He said dearer power for small firms, such as a hair salon or a small shop, will push up prices for their customers.

Mirchev said the compensation is not being paid because hundreds of millions of euros are going to Kovachki's power plants. If that money is returned to business under the law, prices for households will not rise, the DB co-leader said. He called on the government to put the money into the fund for the electricity system. That way, Mirchev said, business will not suffer from high prices, and the state will not be drained by one energy oligarch.

DB MP Yordan Ivanov presented a proposal for a "Future" account. He said the state would pay €1,000 for every newborn, and the money would be invested on world markets. After the row over the second pillar, the idea is worth even more, Ivanov said, because the finance minister cannot touch this money.

DB will start talks on the "Future" account with the parliamentary groups concerned on Monday, and will meet all of them.