site.btaPresident Radev Urges Parliament "to Rein In Finance Minister", Threatens to Veto 2024 State Budget

President Rumen Radev Monday urged Parliament "to rein in the Finance Minister" and threatened to veto the 2024 state budget bill, if it fails to do so. "No President has vetoed the state budget act but if Parliament fails to rein in the Finance Minister, it could happen. We are witnessing a series of experiments in the finance sector," Radev told the press in the Black Sea city of Burgas.

He also warned of a worsening financial shape of the state-owned gas transmission company Bulgartransgaz and said that it made a debt of BGN 260 million in a month and paid nothing to the public purse. "I clearly warned that the whim about the new fee will decapitalize Bulgartransgaz," said Radev.

Last month, the government set in place a new fee of BGN 20/MWh for Russian gas import. The President has been against it throughout, saying that it would sent the Bulgarian operator in a crisis and sour relations with the European countries relying on Russian gas via Bulgaria. He has already challenged the constitutionality of the fee before the Constitutional Court.

Radev went on to slam the Finance Minister for his plans to sell 70,000 ha of state-owned arable land for BGN 340 million, part of it payable non-cash (in compensation vouchers). He said that this plan is "inadmissible", that this land is "a strategic resource that cannot be squandered for meeting current fiscal needs or compensate one's failure to run the public finances". He also said that it opens the door to foul play. "I call on the wise politicians of all parties to stop this risky venture," said the President. 

Radev also grabbed the opportunity to criticize the government for how it is handling the crisis caused by harsh winter conditions. As he was asked to comment the matter, he said "My thanks go to all teams from various organizations and the units of the Armed Forces for acting without waiting for instructions from a government in stupor".