site.btaPM Glavchev: Cooperation Agreement with Ukraine Raises No Concerns Except for Its Ten-Year Duration

The Security Cooperation Agreement with Ukraine does not raise any concerns in general, except for the fact that it spans over a ten-year period, said caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev. He was speaking to journalists on Monday during his visit to the Chaira Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant (Southwestern Bulgaria) alongside caretaker Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov.

“There is a 1992 ruling by the Constitutional Court that defines the authority of a caretaker government within its limited mandate. For this reason, I asked the National Assembly to take a position on the agreement with Ukraine," said Glavchev.

National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova declined to include the Ukraine Security Cooperation Agreement in the parliamentary agenda.

Glavchev also addressed the topic of the state budget for the coming year: "Initially, we were assured that the National Assembly would work until December 23 to pass the budget. After significant difficulties, a Parliament Chair was finally elected. The first announcement was that the budget would be approved by the New Year. Later, criticism followed- justified or not. Let’s assume it was justified. The MPs could have rejected the proposed budget so that the Government could table a new bill to extend the old budget. None of this happened, and we cannot submit a law to extend the old budget because that would be a legal violation."

The Prime Minister said that he is confident about the expenditure side of the budget. Regarding revenues, he noted that it is normal to seek sources to meet expenditure requirements without falling into excessive deficit. Glavchev explained that the Government has aimed to preserve all income levels achieved over the years and to find revenue sources to cover promises made by others, not the caretaker Government. He expressed his belief that such sources have been identified.