Sofia, December 5 (BTA) - In a bTV interview on Sunday, Continue the Change (CC) co-chair Assen Vassilev said that CC and their coalition partners have an understanding to reduce state administration by 15 per cent by the end of 2022. He explained that this should be included in the budget for next year and that the central administration will be reduced by about 30 thousand people out of a total of 250 thousand. Each minister will have to look at inefficient structures and propose a step-by-step plan on how to optimize them.

Vassilev noted that the coalition negotiations are over, the agreement is currently being formed and that hopefully on Monday it will pass a final review by the leaders of the four negotiating formations (CC, BSP for Bulgaria, There Is Such People, Democratic Bulgaria (DB)). If that happens, the formal process of approving the document will begin on Tuesday.

CC hopes to form a government by the end of next week.

Most likely, the Council of Ministers will have a different structure plus policies that are not in place now and that is why the draft budget of the caretaker cabinet cannot be adopted as is, explained Vassilev, admitting that he has not yet gotten aquatinted with it.

The negotiating formations, apart from DB, have agreed to keep the coefficient 2.3 on the average salary in the country when determining the maximum insurance income, which will help raise the salary ceiling, Vassilev explained.

He acknowledged that talks with other formations have not been easy, and each side has had to compromise. CC backed down on the subject of social payments in favour of BSP and TISP, while DB backed down on the reduction in tax rates, and settled for a decrease in weekend tax on interest rates. Many increased fines were agreed upon, including the criminalization of under-the-counter payments and banks will submit information to the National Revenue Agency for withdrawals of over 10,000 leva in order to combat the gray economy, added Vassilev.

Vassilev is aware that a large part of the measures in the individual sectors are unpopular, but are necessary ''if we want Bulgaria to start fresh''. Vassilev clarified that these measures are written in the agreement document and the parties have agreed with them. DT//