2026 budget does not reflect cabinet policies but aligns with its principles

The draft state budget for 2026 does not include the policies of Prime Minister Rumen Radev's cabinet, but it has been prepared in line with its principles of realism, accountability, and the stabilization of public finances, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Galab Donev said at the opening of a meeting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation.

• Galab Donev: Deficit reduction measures must be long-term

• Bulgaria’s Fiscal Council calls for tighter spending in 2026budget

The budget projects a deficit of 5.7% of GDP, or nearly EUR 7.2 billion. According to the medium-term budget forecast, the deficit is expected to be reduced to 3% of GDP by 2028, in line with the Maastricht criteria. At the same time, public debt is projected to increase from 30.1% of GDP this year to more than 35% by 2028.

During the tripartite talks, public sector employees from various institutions gathered outside the Council of Ministers building to protest the planned spending restrictions in the state budget and the absence of any planned wage increases.

Edited by Miglena Ivanova

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov