site.btaPresident Plevneliev Satisfied with Increased Defence and Security Spending in 2017 Budget Bill

President Plevneliev  Satisfied with Increased Defence and Security Spending in 2017 Budget Bill

Plovdiv, November 1 (BTA) - President Rosen Plevneliev thanked the government for drafting the 2017 Budget Bill so as to meet the commitments for a worthy NATO membership and the expectations of the Bulgarian Armed Forces for accelerated modernization.

"The budget procedure is going according to schedule and we all have access to the planning of state finances for 2017. As Supreme Commander-in-Chief, I follow with special interest what has been planned for the security sector, more specifically for the Bulgarian Armed Forces," Plevneliev told journalists after opening a conference on "Doing Business in Bulgaria: Join the Success of Plovdiv and Explore More Destinations".

Plevneliev urged Parliament to show during the upcoming debate on the Budget Bill that defence and security are a strategic priority. "I can see that defence spending is planned at about 1.6 per cent of GDP in 2017, while the programme and the plan for the Armed Forces' development until 2020 set it at 1.35 per cent of GDP [as called for by the Wales NATO Summit]. This is a tangible and deserved increase," he said.

The defence budget includes about 200 million leva for a new fighter aircraft, enough financing for the Navy and for new patrol boats, as well as for MiG-29 maintenance, Plevneliev said, deploring that servicemen's salaries fell short of the level he would want to see. He expressed a hope that this would be addressed during the debate in Parliament.

Plevneliev said: "I do not want to see a zero deficit in 2017 because the Bulgarian regions and the economy as a whole will not benefit from a sharp contraction of the deficit." He added that the deficit projected at 1.4-1.7 per cent of GDP was reasonable. He is optimistic that next year Bulgaria "can have a budget of stability and development."

Asked to comment on conjectures that he may succeed Kristalina Georgieva as Bulgaria's European Commission member, Plevneliev said: "I hope the last year and a half has made it clear to everyone who I am and what I do." He also said he did not become minister and president for the large salary or the representative function and the high position.