site.btaParliamentary Regional Policy Committee Adopts at First Reading State Budget Bill

The parliamentary committee on regional policy, public works and local self-government on Tuesday adopted at first reading the state budget bill for 2025 with 14 votes in favour, 5 against and no abstentions.

Regional Development Minister Ivan Ivanov said that the draft budget for the ministry envisages revenues of BGN 1,170,737,000, which is BGN 211,248 more than in 2024. The envisaged expenditures amount to BGN 2,070,448,700, which is an increase of BGN 960,353,200 compared with 2024.

The bulk of expenses will go towards the following priority areas:

• major repair and construction of the national road network (BGN 991,613,800);
• ongoing repair and maintenance of the national road network (BGN 680,680,000);
• energy renovation of 52 residential buildings (BGN 97,500,000)
• capital transfers to municipalities (BGN 14,364,800);
• protective facilities and activities (BGN 14,253,000);
• projects related to the improvement of water supply and drinking water quality (BGN 9,175,100);
• cadastral and surveying activities (BGN 7,787,500);
• structural survey and removal of illegal constructions (BGN 2,250,000).

Under the central budget for 2025, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works (MRDP) is allocated BGN 1.65 billion for the implementation of the municipal capital programme for 2025; BGN 444, 793, 300 for payments under contracts already concluded for road repairs, as well as for the production of cadastral maps; BGN 50 million for a national programme for energy efficiency of multi-family residential buildings.

Zheni Nacheva, Director of the Directorate of Municipal Finance at the Ministry of Finance, said that the overall parameters of the budget in relation to municipalities for 2025 envisage expenditures of BGN 11,828,700,000, which as a relative share reaches 2.5% of GDP, and 12.2% in relation to the overall expenditure structure of GDP.

For the period 2025-2027, the municipal investment programme is also to be continued, with a set resource for financing the projects for 2025 of BGN 1.65 billion - BGN 750 million to be provided from the central budget through the budget of the Ministry of Regional Development and up to BGN 900 million through payments from the Bulgarian Development Bank.

She added that the second stage of the national programme for energy efficiency of multi-family residential buildings is also planned to be launched, with the envisaged resource for the period 2025-2029 amounting to BGN 2.5 billion.

Nacheva said that the budget of the Regional Development Ministry envisaged total expenditures of BGN 2.07 billion, including capital expenditures of BGN 1.09 billion.