site.btaSocialist Leader Sees Growing Closeness with TISP on Some Policies

Sofia, July 28 (BTA) - The parliamentary forces which could
support a government proposed by There Is Such a People (TISP)
have been assured that TISP will offer their take on the future
Council of Ministers after ending the intra-party consultations
on the policies and the priorities. "We will express our final
opinion after we see the list of ministers," BSP for Bulgaria
Floor Leader Kornelia Ninova told a briefing in the National
Assembly here on Wednesday.

BSP for Bulgaria see growing closeness with TISP in terms of
policies. Ninova said that the policies proposed by her
parliamentary group concerning older people, children and young
families are accepted and the parties to the talks are rallying
around these priorities.

The negotiations on the policies will end on Monday, after which
 the future ministers will be discussed, the Socialist leader
said.

So far, the sides have discussed healthcare, education and
social affairs. Bilateral expert talks are to be held on matters
 related to the economy, counter-corruption, the judicial reform
 and foreign policy, including the position on the Republic of
North Macedonia.

BSP for Bulgaria have invited Democratic Bulgaria and Rise
Up.BG! Here We Come! for talks on Friday and Monday,
respectively.

Ninova sees growing closeness between BSP for Bulgaria and TISP
on six priorities in healthcare and five in education. These
include the understanding that hospitals should not be
commercial corporations, there need to be protected hospitals,
and every Bulgarian should have an electronic health dossier.

The points of concord in the field of education include the need
 to rethink the principle "Money follows the student," revise
the content of textbooks to lay particular emphasis on
patriotism, and raise teachers' wages further.

"The recalculating of pensions has finally become a topical
issue for all political formations," Ninova said. "We have come
closer together on the need to recalculate pensions, but we want
 it to take effect on October 1, 2021, while TISP plan it for
January 1, 2022." Both parliamentary groups favour free
textbooks and free medicines for children.

However, some differences remain tangible. "The demonopolization
 of the National Health Insurance Fund is still an open issue.
We are opposed to it, [while] their programme is in favour of
it," Ninova noted.
 
Later on Wednesday, BSP for Bulgaria's expert group held
consultations with TISP on economic and financial matters.

Prof. Rumen Gechev of BSP noted that the meeting was
constructive. "We found a common language," he said, explaining
that both programmes were drafted in accordance with the
policies of EU Member States.

Gechev said that both sides are ready to support all solutions
that make sense for Bulgaria and lead to using as much as
possible European approaches to address issues at home.

Commenting the privatization of the Bulgarian Development Bank,
Gechev said that their colleagues from TISP have told them that
this was Nikolay Vassilev's idea and not theirs.

Vassilev was initially proposed by TISP to head the future
cabinet but later withdrawn.

Foreign policy, the fight against corruption and the judicial
reform remain to be discussed with the Socialists on Thursday.
RI, NV/VE, MY