site.btaParliament Starts Autumn Session

Parliament Starts Autumn  Session

Sofia, September 2 (BTA) - The National Assembly opened its
autumn session Wednesday amid expectations for passions to run
high in the debating chamber with local elections less than two
months away.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Chair Dimiter Glavchev expressed
hope that the MPs will be efficient in their work of legislating
 to the best of the public interest.

On GERB's proposal, the agenda of the first sitting is topped by
 second-reading debates on a bill on pre-school and school
education. Next is a Socialist proposal for revisions in the
Natural Persons' Taxation Act.

The week's programme also includes first-reading debates on a
bill on the prevention of corruption of persons holding senior
public positions and a bill on the enforcement of the Cluster
Munitions and the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

Following are the highlights in the declarations that the
parties in Parliament read out during the opening session:

GERB

The upcoming political season will see momentous political steps
 and reforms. The new season will show how efficient the
government formula is and who works for the reforms and who
works against them.

The Number 1 task is to carry through constitutional changes
which are part of the judicial reform and which were agreed upon
 before summer recess.

GERB will support the introduction of a mandatory health map and
 measures to financially stabilize the health care system.

Among GERB's priorities is also to ensure high level of national
 security.
   
GERB will put forward a package of initiatives to end the
carnage on the roads caused by reckless driving.

Bulgarian Socialist Party - Left Bulgaria

The tomato-throwing at the Parliament building [by a notorious
poet protesting the establishment] at the onset on the new
season shows the public attitude that the legislature brought
upon itself in only a year.

In the past political season, the declared reforms in the
judiciary, the pension system, health care and energy sector
were superficial and failed to achieve their goals.

The government has overlooked the demographic crisis and the new
 season will hopefully see a debate on measures to fight the
adverse demographic trends followed by medium and short-term
measures in this field as the budget for next year is considered
 in November.
 
The power-holders have kept silent on a number of issues of
importance for Bulgaria, including the sanctions against Russia
and compensations for the Bulgarian economy, ethnic tensions and
 the commitment made by the Bulgarian President to make sure
that defence spending is increased to 2 per cent of GDP.

Also, Bulgaria suffers adverse image consequences due to its
silence on the migrants crisis.

Reformist Bloc

The gravest challenge form this Parliament has been to achieve a
 policy of compromise and a policy of decency, and sufficient
levels of political ethics, because this Parliament was brought
about by a deep political crisis and snap general elections.

The priorities for the Reformist Bloc during the new session
will be fast adoption of constitutional changes. Other
legislation of priority includes a bill against corruption and
the health reform.

The local elections should not delay the legislative work of
Parliament.

Patriotic Front

Removing the Movement for Rights and Freedoms from all power
positions remains the top priority for the Patriotic Front (PF)
as it is aware that dividing and inspiring opposition in the
Bulgarian society along ethnic and religious lines is the
biggest threat for statehood.

Among the top priorities on PF's agenda are the challenges
caused by the migrant wave overwhelming Europe. The PF will
insist that, as the budget is being updated,  additional outlays
 go to the Interior Ministry for dealing with the migration wave
 and conventional crimes, and to the Defence Ministry for
restoring the combat readiness of the armed forces.

Another task for the PF is adoption by Parliament of measures to
 encourage economic development.

The PF will back proposed changes in the judiciary, health care,
 education and ridding the welfare system of excessive social
assistance leading to the emergence of welfare claimants as a
class of their own. 

Movement for Rights and Freedoms

Bulgaria needs pro-development governance which calls for a new
formula of power.

The policy of the incumbents towards the Roma is weak because it
 is forceful. Instead, a powerful policy is needed underpinned
by democratic and humane decisions.

The refugee crisis showed that the EU enlargement into Southeast
 and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans has no alternative.
The MRF will push for a new strategy for the EU integration of
Bulgaria's neighbours.

ABV

The political forces should return to the only productive and
successful mode of work: dialogue.

The most important item on the agenda of Parliament should be
the reform of the legal system and healthcare. Tackling the
problems in such complex systems requires a systemic approach,
and not piecemeal solutions.

Bulgarian Democratic Centre

Many of the so called "reforms" have started but we have not yet
 seen tangible changes and nothing really has been completed.
Even where the vision for a certain reform looks complete, the
real actions are chaotic, like shooting in the dark.

The Bulgarian Democratic Centre believe that a clear vision is
lacking for the judicial reform; that the pension reform has
reached nowwhere and that the health reform boild down to
chaotic merger of hospitals and emergency centres with no clear
comprehensive strategy.

The summer tourist season is a failure, tourists are avoiding
Bulgarian resorts and local businesses do not feel that Bulgaria
 has a centre-right government to help - not stand in its way.

Ataka

Bulgaria should reclaim its sovereignty by breaking free of the
colonial oppression. The lack of sovereignty results in not
having own economy, having huge unemployment, losing the young
generation to migration and total poverty of senior citizens.

Not a single word of criticism was heard from any of the other
parties in Parliament about the 11 years of Bulgaria's NATO
membership or the membership of the EU.