Bulgarian Government Shifts Funds: A Shakeup in Budget Allocations
The Bulgarian government has sparked controversy with its latest budgetary moves, redistributing funds earmarked for culture, science, education, innovation, and healthcare towards agricultural subsidies, particularly benefiting cereal producers. These shifts are part of the state’s 2025 budget projection, which includes colossal allocations for the security sector and a stark deficit of 20 billion levs.
The Parliament is set to deliberate on various supplemental budget expenditures, introduced by Prime Minister Kiril Petkov. Some of the main proposals include:
- Additional budget allotments for the Public Oversight Committee for Registered Auditors in 2024.
- Increased funds for the Ministry of Energy in 2024.
- More resources for the Ministry of Education and Science in 2024.
- Approval for supplementary payments from the central budget for the Ministry of Transport and Communications in 2024, financing investment projects like the "Modernization of Railway Line Sofia – Dragoman – Serbian Border" and "Modernization of Railway Line Sofia – Plovdiv" under the 2021-2027 Transport Connectivity Program.
- An increase in the maximum limits for expenditures that can be incurred by the Ministry of Justice in 2024.
Moreover, the government plans to divest state properties, benefiting several municipalities, a trade union, and Sofia University. These moves involve:
- Granting the syndicate "Podkrepa" a free-of-charge usufruct right over state properties.
- Transferring state properties to the municipalities of Kostinbrod, Banya, and Chernivtsi without compensation.
- Gifting Sofia University a state property in Sofia for the use of its Faculty of Law.
Critics argue that these decisions reflect a worrying trend of shifting funds away from crucial sectors such as education, healthcare, and science towards politically connected interests. As the government continues to justify these allocations, the public awaits further details on the rationale behind these significant budgetary changes.
