site.btaState Budget Delay Leaves Municipalities Unable to Fulfill Their Obligations, Says Svishtov Mayor

The delay in the State Budget leaves municipalities unable to fulfill their obligations, said Svishtov Mayor Gencho Genchev on Tuesday.

He stated that the political crisis that has arisen and has been ongoing for several years has put Bulgarian municipalities in a situation where they have to fight for their survival. "The last regular governments, which claimed expertise, put the State and local self-government into financial collapse", he stressed.

The most terrible thing is that today payments to the most vulnerable groups are being put to the test - the elderly, people with disabilities, large families, Genchev pointed out, adding that the situation is even more alarming, as major repair works that have already begun are also at risk. "We are talking about projects that are of crucial importance for the development of our municipalities - infrastructure, improving the living environment, creating jobs. We have already invested time, effort and money in these projects, and now it may turn out that all this was in vain," he emphasized.

"We are working to restructure the administration, to cut unnecessary expenses, we are looking for reserves, but even this is not enough. We cannot endlessly cut and redistribute when there is nothing to cut," the Mayor stated. He demanded clear answers from the new Government on which projects municipalities should stop implementing, what priorities they should follow and when funding will be provided for their main activities.

"In addition to answers, we expect clear policies and decisions. We also need more clarity about European programmes and the Recovery and Resilience Plan. These funds are of vital importance for the development of our municipalities," Genchev said. He made an appeal to stop the political struggles, to stop the political blaming and to take urgent measures to deal with the crisis.