"We Continue the Change" (WCC) has announced that Bulgaria will start the new year without an approved state budget. This follows the Ministry of Finance’s decision not to submit an extension for the 2024 budget, leaving the country in a difficult financial position for 2025.

A request was made by one-third of the members of the newly formed parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance to hold a meeting with the acting Minister of Finance. The aim was to discuss the ministry's plans in light of the absence of a passed budget and an extension law. However, the meeting was not scheduled due to Lyudmila Petkova's prior commitments. The Speaker of the National Assembly is expected to arrange a meeting once the parliamentary recess concludes.

WCC co-chair Assen Vassilev emphasized the urgent need for the Council of Ministers to introduce an extension law for the state budget, which would take effect on January 1, 2025. Without this law, Vassilev warned, there would be significant consequences, including the inability to collect health contributions starting January 1, which would result in a daily loss of 30 million leva in government revenue. Additionally, businesses would face higher electricity costs, as the compensation scheme for energy costs would be disrupted.

Vassilev further explained that the failure to pass the extension law would also lead to the suspension of minimum pension payments, with the maximum pension potentially decreasing from 3,400 to 2,250 leva. The payment of pensions scheduled for January 7 would be jeopardized, as the National Social Security Institute (NSI) would lack the legal authority to pay minimum pensions at the required amount.