Bulgaria Needs Government at All Costs, Interim PM Bliznashki Says

Politics | November 1, 2014, Saturday // 15:50|  views

Bulgaria's caretaker PM Georgi Bliznashki. Photo BGNES

Bulgaria needs to have a parliament-backed government at all costs to address key challenges, interim Prime Minister Georgi Bliznashki said on Saturday.

“I strongly hope that in the next few days – particularly after a mandate is handed – talks will become calmer and a government will be formed,” Blizhashki told reporters in the town of Kotel where he was for celebrations marking the National Enlighteners Day.

According to Bliznashki, the next government will have a hard time over the next few months as it has to take urgent and “not very popular measures” but an improvement will come later, aided by EU funding under Bulgaria’s partnership agreement with the European Commssion for the period 2014-2020.

The agreement adopted in August paves the way for investing EUR 7.6Bin total Cohesion Policy funding until 2020.Bulgaria will also receive EUR 2.3B for rural development and EUR 88M for fisheries and the maritime sector.

“The big issue is to bring calm and create normal conditions for absorbing those funds,” said Bliznashki.

He called on lawmakers who have already started discussing a 2014 budget update proposed by the caretaker cabinet to adopt it as soon as possible to ensure that all ministries and other government institutions will be able to function properly in the remaining months of the year.

The budget update calls for an increase in 2014 fiscal deficit target to 4% of GDP from 1.8% and the potential issuance of BGN 4.5B in new debt to finance the shortfall and provide liquidity to banks.

Centre-right GERB party, which won most votes in October 5 early elections but remained short of outright majority, has held consultations over forming of a government coalition with other parties represented in Parliament but no clear-cut agreement has been reached so far. 

GERB leader Boyko Borisov on Friday said he might return a mandate to form a government next Wednesday, if no agreement is reached.

President Rosen Plevneliev on Friday met with leaders of left-wing ABV party, kicking off separate consultations with each of the eight parties and coalitions represented in Parliament before asking the biggest among them to form a cabinet.

Bulgarians pay tribute to the founders of their education and culture on the National  Enlighteners Day celebrated on November 1.

 

 

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Tags: Bliznashki, budget, government, Plevneliev, consultations, parliament, early elections, Borisov, deficit, National  Enlighteners Day

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