February 10 (BTA) - On Thursday, Parliament adopted at first reading the State Budget Bill of the Republic of Bulgaria for 2022 with 127 votes in favor, 99 against and no abstentions.

GERB-UDF, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and Vazrazhdane voted against the draft budget.

MEPs debated the 2022 budget for more than seven hours without interruption. The meeting was also attended by Cabinet members, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Aсsen Vassilev and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Korneliya Ninova. The ruling coallition defended their vision that the budget is focused on social policy and economic growth. However, the opposition criticized it for not seeing to reforms and long-term policies.

In the hall, Vassilev repeatedly said that a new model of budgeting is being introduced and the emphasis is on investment. According to Ninova, the budget for 2022 returns the active role of the state. Until now, the philosophy of withdrawing the state from key sectors and full liberalization of the market was professed, the crises have shown that this is the wrong model, Ninova said.

Lyubomir Karimanski, Chairman of Parliament's Budget Committee and MP (There Is Such a People), expressed support for the draft budget.

Martin Dimitrov of Democratic Bulgaria said there is potential to develop production and investment and that 4.7 per cent economic growth is possible.

GERB-UDF, MRF and Vazrazhdane criticized the budget. GERB-UDF does not expect the set parameters to be met. They criticized sectoral policies. Krassimir Valchev (GERB-UDF) raised the issue of inflation. According to him, at least three per cent of inflation is due to delayed measures by the state to compensate for businesses.

Bayram Bayram from the MRF described the budget as a "political lie" and "pre-election". ''This proposed budget cannot take us out of the crisis,'' he was adamant, adding: ''We from the MRF characterize it as pre-election, pro-inflation''. He summed up: "Most likely the government has a short vision of governing and plans to throw in the towel this year."

Deputy National Assembly Chair and Vazrazhdane MP Tsoncho Ganev expressed the opinion that the draft budget lacks reforms. According to him, it was not clear what the new foreign debt would be for. RY/DT

Source: Sofia