site.btaGovernment-Backing Parties Decide to Double up Control on Medicine Tenders; Culture Budget to Be Increased

At a joint briefing with GERB leader Boyko Borissov here on Wednesday, Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) co-leader Kiril Petkov presented an agreement reached at a working meeting between his parliamentary group, GERB-UDF, and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) regarding the state budget. The highlight was that control on the medicine tenders will be doubled up and that the budget for culture will be increased.

"We have decided that we will set in place a system for double control, by the Health Ministry and the National Health Insurance Fund, for tenders for medicines, to make sure that the money really goes for medicines and not for shoddy  public procurements," Petkov told reporters. 

He also said the budget for culture would be "increased by a record amount."

As regards security services, Petkov said they "will put their modernization on the agenda".

MRF floor leader Delyan Peevksi told reporters that all demands for budget increase in the culture sector will be met.  

The lawmaker said they the three political forces have ongoing talks about the contemplated revisions to the Constitution. According to him, all working groups are working in good coordination and will put out "a successful joint draft of what needs to change". Asked if there are any serious controversies, Peevski said there are none for now. Asked whether they will be able to adopt both a budget and the constitutional revisions before Christmas, Peevski said "one hundred percent sure".