site.btaFinance Minister Hopes Budget Will Pass by Year’s End

Speaking on the sidelines of the international forum "Private-Public Partnerships in Bulgaria" on Friday, Finance Minister Assen Vassilev said he cannot be responsible for the parliamentary behaviour of the parties, but purely professionally, there is good communication between the members of the budget committee. He expressed hope that a budget will be adopted within this year. The organizer of the round table is the Delphi Economic Forum.

Vassilev assured that intensive talks are being held with the parties in Parliament to ensure sufficient support for the draft budget.

"What we see at the moment is that there are a lot of movements in Parliament that are not related to the budget procedure," Vassilev commented on what is happening in the National Assembly and the "signs" that MRF floor leader Delyan Peevski is talking about.

On the subject of Lukoil Neftohim Burgas, Vassilev sees more intrigue than real allegations.

"The Customs Agency made it clear yesterday that there are approved quotas from the European Commission and they are strictly monitored. Every week a report is sent to the Commission on what has left Bulgarian ports and for which countries. We are looking for intrigue here rather than something real," the Finance Minister concluded.