site.btaPro-government Parties Have Joint Proposals for Changes to 2024 Draft Budget

The pro-government parties (GERB-UDF, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms) have joint proposals for changes to the 2024 draft budget, National Assembly Committee on Budget and Finance Chair Yordan Tsonev said on Sunday. The Committee is having a second reading of the draft budget.

The Deputy Chair of the Committee, Venko Sabrutev, presented some of the main proposals for changes. They include the set-up of a BGN 5 million Stefan Stambolov fund, which will give distinguished Bulgarian students the opportunity to study at elite universities abroad and return to work in this country after their graduation; an increase in the salaries of teaching staff in kindergartens and nurseries and an additional levelling of the childrens’ maintenance costs by some BGN 16.6 million; the creation of a programme that will bring schools, kindergartens, and temples on the regulated electricity market, Sabrutev added.

"Priority is proposed to be given to the project for building a national children's hospital, which has currently no fiscal effect, but this is a clear commitment that it will be built in a short time. We propose the allocation of additional BGN 500,000 for a children's cancer center, BGN 4 million for youth centers, additional BGN 5 million for medical equipment for people with disabilities, BGN 10 million for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, additional BGN 2.7 million for the cadets at the Interior Ministry, BGN 37 million for the construction of a cybersecurity center in the State Agency for National Security, BGN 2 million for salaries in the Archives [State] Agency, BGN 200,000 for the Dobrudzha and Thracian institutes, BGN 2.6 million for the Foreign Ministry, BGN 10 million for the Innovation Ministry," Sabrutev added.

An additional BGN 68 million of the 2024 budget will be allocated to the culture sector, representatives of the Budget Committee said.

"As part of the revenue section of the budget, we propose an increase in gambling fees," Sabrutev noted. Tsonev further added that these fees have not been raised for more than ten years.

The Committee Chair said that the pro-government parties will support the allocation of an additional BGN 11.6 million for National Security Service salaries and funding for archaeological excavations in the country. Funding will be disbursed for the renovation of the Constitutional Court’s building. BGN 2 million will be allocated for the BTA regional press clubs, BGN 4 million for the Bulgarian National Audit Office, and further BGN 20 million for running repairs of the Interior Ministry buildings.

"For the first time, the draft budget shows projects with their costs. This is a good step towards full transparency. Next year, parliamentary committees should be involved in prioritizing projects," Finance Minister Assen Vassilev said. "I agree that the preparation of the next budget should start earlier. We moved all municipal projects to Parliament late on Saturday," he added.