site.btaCoalition Agreement Provides for Restructuring Certain Government Agencies and Directorates

Sofia, December 11 (BTA) - Continue the Change officially published on its website late on Friday the coalition government agreement it signed earlier in the day with the other three political formations - There Is Such a People (TISP), BSP for Bulgaria and Democratic Bulgaria. Certain agencies will be restructured, according to the agreement.

The new cabinet will have five deputy prime ministers: a deputy prime minister in charge of EU funds and minister of finance; a deputy prime minister in charge of effective governance; a deputy prime minister and minister of economy and industry; a deputy prime minister and minister of environment and water; a deputy prime minister and minister of regional development and public works. According to the agreement certain government agencies will be restructured. For example, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and the Executive Forest Agency will be transferred from the Agriculture Ministry to the Council of Ministers.

Cabinet Breakdown

Continue the Change are nominating a prime minister, a deputy prime minister in charge of EU funds and finance minister and a deputy prime minister in charge of effective governance. They will also nominate the ministers of education and science, of health, of interior, of defence, of transport and communications, of innovations and growth and of culture.

BSP for Bulgaria will have a deputy prime minister and minister of economy and industry, as well as ministers of labour and social policy, of agriculture and of tourism.

TISP will participate in the new cabinet with a deputy prime minister and minister of regional development and public works, minister of foreign affairs, minister of energy and minister of sport.

Democratic Bulgaria will nominate a deputy prime minister and minister of environment and water, minister of justice and minister of e-governance.

The deputy ministers will be appointed by the prime minister on the relevant minister's proposal, the agreement says. The ministers will appoint their own political cabinets. Each of the coalition partners will have the right to nominate one advisor per ministry.

Restructuring

The Central Coordination Unit will be transferred from the Council of Ministers to the Finance Ministry, as well as the Executive Agency Certification Audit of Agriculture Funds. The deputy prime minister in charge of effective governance will be in charge of the Good Governance directorate at the Council of Ministers, as well as Bulgarian Posts EAD, which is currently under the Transport Ministry, the Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Agency, which is under the Regional Development Ministry. They will also be in charge of the Registry Agency, which is under the Justice Ministry.

According to the coalition agreement, the State Petroleum Company EAD will be shut down and the deputy prime minister and minister of economy and industry will be in charge of Transport Construction and Recovery EAD, which is under the current Transport Ministry.

The State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad will be transferred from the Council of Ministers to the Foreign Ministry, while all State-owned hospitals will be transferred to the Health Ministry.

Among the entities which will be subordinated to the minister for innovations and growth are the Bulgarian Development Bank and the InvestBulgaria Agency.

The total number of staff in the Council of Ministers' structure will not be increased, according to the agreement.

The coalition partners will be responsible for the implementation of the measures and policies set out in the agreement. They will be obliged to provide the necessary cooperation and assist for the prompt adoption of new by-laws or amend existing ones so that the agreement's policies and objectives can be met and the pressing problems facing the country can be addressed as soon as possible, the agreement reads.

The members of the proposed cabinet will be announced on Saturday at 1:00 pm in Parliament. MY