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File photo, BGNES
The Bulgarian cabinet has approved the central budget and health and social insurance expenditure for next year in an emergency cabinet meeting.
Government sessions are usually held on Wednesday, but ministers have to submit the budget drafts to Parliament by Monday, October 31.
Bulgaria's 2017 budget, as drafted by the Finance Ministry, foresees an increase in overall expenditures, notably in education, where teachers' salaries will go up, defense and healthcare. It includes a deficit of BGN 1.3 B, or 1.4% of GDP.
Funding has been set aside on a long-pending deal to acquire new multirole fighter aircraft to overhaul the military's capabilities. The judiciary will also benefit from a nearly double increase, with BGN 21 M, up from BGN 12 M this year, allocated to the Supreme Judicial Council.
In addition, an increase in the minimum monthly wage - at BGN 460, up from BGN 420 - is to be enforced as of January 01.
Pension installments are to go up 1%. The pension ceiling remains BGN 910.
More than 26 000 children will receive financial assistance from which children with severe disabilities (of over 90%) will benefit the most (BGN 930 each), while those with a disability of 50-70% will be handed out BGN 350 monthly.
Tax deductions for cashless payment has also been foreseen in the budget, but it will go hand in hand with a permanent monitoring on debtors.
The government, unions and employer organizations confirmed that they have reached a shared position on the key elements of the revised Budget 2026
Economist Dimitar Chobanov has warned that the current policies are pushing Bulgaria’s budget toward a structural deficit that is already becoming apparent
Bulgarian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to pull back the draft state budget for 2026, along with the financial plans for the National Health Insurance Fund and the State Social Insurance system
Former Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov stated that the recent nationwide protest in Bulgaria was not primarily calling for the government’s resignation but aimed at opposing the 2026 state budget
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Nikolay Vassilev criticized the government’s handling of the 2026 budget
The ruling coalition in Bulgaria has officially proposed to remove several contentious measures from the draft 2026 budget
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The current patient fee for a medical consultation has lost its purpose and no longer serves its intended functions, according to Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) chairman Dr.
Brussels has unofficially warned Bulgaria’s Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova that the country’s euro adoption process could be suspended, according to BGNES, citing Nova TV.
"Everyone wants positions – in regulatory bodies and ministries," he emphasized.
Bulgaria’s toll system now has the technical capability to track average vehicle speeds, as announced by the National Toll Management following a meeting with Regional Development Minister Violeta Koritarova.
The income required to cover living expenses for a working individual and a three-member family with a child under 14 has remained almost unchanged compared to June, according to an analysis by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CI
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