site.btaBSP-Left Bulgaria Voices Concern to President about Lack of Measures for Economic Growth, Job Creation

122 POLITICS - PRESIDENT - BSP - CONSULTATIONS

BSP-Left Bulgaria Voices Concern to President
about Lack of Measures for Economic Growth,
Job Creation


Sofia, March 5 (BTA) - Meeting with President Rosen Plevneliev
as part of his consultations with the parliamentary forces, the
Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) - Left Bulgaria group expressed
concern that the government is not talking about measures for
economic growth and job creation. The parliamentary group's
Secretary Kristian Vigenin said such policies were missing both
in word and in deed.

The BSP-Left Bulgaria raised the issues of the eight billion
euro external loan recently approved by Parliament and of the
economic sanctions against Russia and their negative impact on
the Bulgarian economy. The parliamentary group reiterated its
position that the loan posed a risk of dragging Bulgaria into a
debt spiral with disastrous consequences. The MPs voiced concern
that the ratification of the agreements with the international
banks had been perfunctory and involved bargaining among the
political forces.

Vigenin said that Economy Ministry data show Bulgaria's direct
losses from the sanctions against Russia topped 50 million
dollars in 2014. The direct consequences hit a small group of
companies and manufacturers, but the indirect impact was felt by
a much larger circle of companies, he said.

The BSP-Left Bulgaria is concerned that no steps are being taken
to create compensatory mechanisms for the companies and
producers hit by the sanctions. The Left argued that towards
Ukraine, Bulgaria should conduct a policy free of complexes.
Vigenin suggested that Bulgaria, along with other EU Member
States, could mull launching a joint initiative to phase out the
sanctions and give the Bulgarian economy a breather. LI/DD