Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov participated in a quick question time in the National Assembly on Friday.
Denkov took a question from Korneliya Ninova of BSP for Bulgaria on the Government’s consumer protection policy and the measures it will take to curb the abuse of monopoly power by mobile operators. "We will hold talks with mobile operators’ management and indicate that this is a bad economic practice, which causes tension, and it is not in their best interest to maintain it," he said.
The Prime Minister noted that in a state governed by the rule of law, when contracts are concluded, they must be observed. The control bodies are the ones that have to ensure that there are rules on how these contracts are concluded. "These institutions are the Commission for Consumer Protection, the Ombudsman, the lawmakers,” he added. “The Government has no right to directly interfere with contracts between the relevant economic entities and the people,” Denkov added. He said that the members of the Commission for Consumer Protection had not been chosen by the current government but were appointed by the caretaker cabinet.
Asked by There Is Such a People about the farmer protests across Europe and whether the Government has secured the funding farmers demand, Denkov said that the main complaints have to do with the unstable economic environment due to the increase in the prices of fuel, fertilizers, and pesticides. He added that there are complaints about increased imports from third countries, including Ukraine. The Prime Minister pointed out that the imports from Ukraine do not exceed or only slightly exceed the imports from previous years. “Ways are sought at the European level for some of the environmental requirements to be lifted, and there is a solution, so this is an important relief for farmers,” he noted, adding that in the meantime, each country is looking for ways to support farmers according to their capacity.
A review of the State Fund Agriculture budget is being conducted in the Agriculture Ministry to determine the type of additional funding that could be provided, Denkov said. He also noted that there will be another meeting with agricultural producers on Sunday when the measures that can be provided in 2024 will be presented.
The Vazrazhdane party asked Denkov about the purpose of his upcoming visit to the US next week, which they referred to as a "holiday trip". The Prime Minister said that it was the first time he had heard a government leader's visit to a partner country being called "a holiday trip", which he said is an obvious attempt at manipulation. He noted that among the duties of a prime minister are to seek support, and to adequately present his priorities and the results of the implementation of the governance programme. He added that he would report on his meetings and expenditures after the end of his visit.
