Speaking during a Q&A session on Facebook with journalists and citizens here on Monday, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov discussed Bulgaria’s Schengen and eurozone entry, Cabinet’s priorities and upcoming rotation, among others.
Schengen
Schengen is an achievement of the Government and Parliament, which have been working for seven months now. The benefits are for the tens of thousands of Bulgarian citizens travelling in Europe, as well as for tourism, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said Wednesday morning, when he answered nearly an hour of questions from citizens and media on Facebook, the Government's information service reported.
The Prime Minister pointed out that after tough negotiations and with the help of the European Commission, it was agreed to hold negotiations and seek a solution this year on Bulgaria's accession to Schengen for land borders.
The Prime Minister described as "fabrications" all claims that this country has agreed to accept additional refugees. In his words, these suggestions are an attempt to scare Bulgarian citizens and to belittle the achievements of the Cabinet. Disinformation threatens national security when people are scared with non-existent dangers, Denkov pointed out. He was adamant that this country respects the Dublin Regulation and interacts with other member states on border security.
Eurozone
The Prime Minister confirmed that the Government is actively working on the other key priority for Bulgaria - the eurozone. "We are discussing with the Minister of Finance what more we can do to bring inflation down quickly," he said, adding that part of the inflation is related to the increase in incomes and higher economic growth, which is also among the highest in Europe.
The only thing holding Bulgaria back for the eurozone is higher inflation, said Denkov.
"A few days ago, I had the opportunity to meet with the European Central Bank President and she told me that inflation is the only thing we need to work on. We are discussing with the Finance Minister what more we could do to bring inflation down faster. Part of our inflation comes from higher incomes in recent years, which are higher than inflation, but also because of the catch-up we have experienced and the higher growth, which was one of the highest in the EU last year," Denkov explained.
"This year alone, the 20% increase in the minimum wage inevitably raises other wages. When we raise the minimum wage, we reduce inequality, and this is one of the biggest problems in the country," the Prime Minister noted.
"We are no longer the country with the lowest labour costs, as with the rise in incomes we have overtaken Hungary and Bulgaria is now second to last," Denkov pointed out.
The Prime Minister also recalled that for 2023 investments are 50% more than the previous year.
It is important to attract investors who offer well-paid jobs, added Denkov.
Cabinet rotation
In his words, in the forthcoming rotation in the executive, maximum continuity should be sought so as not to hamper the work of the Government.
The Government will not compromise with the composition of the Council of Ministers because of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) during the March rotation in the cabinet, Denkov commented on the occasion of his Cabinet's seventh month in office.
"If we want MRF to vote for this Government, we must also go through talks with the MRF leadership," Denkov noted and added that "the broader the support for the Government in Parliament, the better."
The Prime Minister said that ministers will be replaced during the rotation only if both he and Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel agree to it. "The ministers should continue their work to try to carry through what they have started. They will be replaced only if it is really necessary, the replacements will be few," Denkov pointed out.
He said that it was important that every minister be evaluated according to the work they have done. One or another media appearance cannot be the basis for changing a minister, Denkov stressed. He noted that he had already gathered the information, had an idea of how each minister was doing and in the coming days this information would be shared with Mariya Gabriel and the party leaders. "When Mariya Gabriel and I clarify what the modified composition of the Council of Ministers should look like, we will go to the party leaders to ask for their support," Denkov said.
He underscored that there was no change in the agreement which envisages him and Gabriel to swap seats as Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. "In the beginning we proposed that the second Deputy Prime Minister should be Assen Vassilev. Then GERB did not agree, now we see that they are making such a proposal," Denkov pointed out. “If they insist on it, there is nothing wrong with Vassilev being the second Deputy Prime Minister,” Denkov noted.
Asked whether (Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria MPs) Nikola Minchev or Atanas Atanassov should elected to the office of National Assembly Chair, the Prime Minister said that he had no doubt that both of them could handle this role. Minchev has already been National Assembly Chair, Atanassov has vast parliamentary experience, he stressed.
The Prime Minister said that the State should continue to look for more experts than political figures for such positions as a Constitutional Court judge. “It is much better for them to have a broader experience in the judiciary and not to appear to be strongly politically coloured, because that is what is expected of these experts - to be politically independent and with a very broad professional experience,” Denkov stressed.
In response to a question about President Rumen Radev, the Prime Minister said that the head of State referred the constitutional amendments to the Constitutional Court for evaluation and there is nothing wrong with that, it is normal. "He is attacking not so much the justice system reform, but the restriction of his rights in the part about the caretaker government, because these changes were made to avoid the possibility of having a one-man rule for a long period of time," Denkov said. He described as "scandalous" the way Radev is doing this and the language he is using because under the Constitution, the President is supposed to embody the unity of the nation. "He behaves like an opposition leader. If he wants to use this language, he should form a party, win elections and amend the Constitution," Denkov said.
Cabinet's priorities
"Health, education and demographic policy remain a priority for the future. "My plan for this year, as we approach the end of the government programme for 2024, is to prepare a government programme for the coming years, until the end of the term in office, which will be exclusively focused on demographic problems, health, education," he added.
Children’s hospital
Regarding the National Children's Hospital, the Prime Minister said that the procedure for the architectural and technical implementation of the hospital is still pending. An external consultant - the European Investment Bank - has been invited, which is an additional guarantee that the best will be provided regarding the activities in the hospital. "Our aim is to build a hospital that is really useful and will not reflect lobby interests," said Denkov.
/MY/
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