Parliament Discusses 2026 Budget and Other Important Issues

The Parliament will consider in its first reading the draft budget of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the state budget for 2026. The proposal to include the items in the agenda was discussed at consultations of the presiding council, announced the Speaker of the National Assembly, Raya Nazaryan.

The draft law on State Social Security (SSS) was approved in its first reading last week, before the "Zhelyazkov" cabinet resigned.

Also on the agenda for today is the first reading of the so-called extension budget for 2026, which was approved yesterday by the budget committee.

The Deputy Chairperson of the GERB-SDS parliamentary group, Denitsa Sacheva, explained yesterday that the regular budget has not been withdrawn, it has passed through committees and could actually be put to a first vote. She clarified that the issue will be discussed today at the presiding council.

On the agenda for tomorrow, at the request of Alexander Rachev and Toshko Yordanov from "There is Such a People", the second reading of amendments to the Family Code was included.

Several proposals from parliamentary opposition groups to supplement the program were rejected.

The majority did not accept the request of the chairman of the parliamentary group "Vazrazhdane" Kostadin Kostadinov, that the first item for today should be a hearing of Simeon Dyankov, chairman of the Fiscal Council.

The proposal of "Vazrazhdane" to hear the resigning ministers of regional development Ivan Ivanov, of the environment Manol Genov, and of agriculture Georgi Tahov on Friday, for the felling of 40 decares of forest in a district in Smolyan for the construction of photovoltaic power plants, was also not approved.

The request of Radoslav Ribarski from "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" to hear the resigning Minister of Energy, Zhecho Stankov, Valentin Nikolov, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Energy Holding, the executive director of Kozloduy NPP for the acquisition of real estate, a special territory of Kozloduy NPP and its contribution to the capital of "NPP-Kozloduy - New capacities" EAD, was not accepted.

The proposal of Ivaylo Mirchev from "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) for the National Assembly to consider today a draft decision to create a temporary commission to establish facts about the use of unregulated force by law enforcement agencies against media, citizens and businesses during the protests from the end of November and the beginning of December, was rejected.

The majority did not accept the proposal of Yavor Bozhankov from WCC-DB that the first item for today should be a draft decision to remove the immunity of Ivaylo Chorbov from "Vazrazhdane".