Borissov: Bulgarians Are Becoming Poorer Due to Radev's BOTAS Deal, Not Eurozone Entry

GERB leader Boyko Borissov warned that anyone trying to exploit the situation around price fluctuations linked to the Eurozone entry would be stopped by the law, emphasizing the significant authority of the newly appointed Commission for the Protection of Competition (CPC), BGNES reported.

Commenting on President Rumen Radev’s recent remarks about the risk of social divides and the possibility of rising prices after the convergence report for the Eurozone is released, Borissov acknowledged that Radev was correct about the worsening living standards of Bulgarians. According to Borissov, the contract signed by Radev’s caretaker government with BOTAS leads to daily losses of 1,050,000 leva, resulting in a total shortfall of 6 billion leva and thus driving Bulgarians into deeper poverty.

Turning to the resignation of Dzhevdet Chakarov from DPS-Dogan and the meeting with Delyan Peevski, Borissov dismissed the drama with a curt “I generally do not watch Turkish series.” He downplayed the political consequences of the DPS turmoil, arguing that a single vote here or there would not impact the parliamentary balance. He also stressed that politicians should focus on their own parties rather than meddle in others’ affairs.

Borissov criticized the National Assembly for focusing on unrealistic proposals instead of dealing with major challenges, including the new tariffs imposed by the US. He highlighted President Trump’s decision to introduce a 50% tariff on goods from Bulgaria  an EU member state - pointing out the serious implications for Bulgarian exporters. Such tariffs, he warned, could trigger job losses and even factory closures, urging the Bulgarian government to react decisively to protect national interests. Annoyed by reporters’ questions about Chakarov, Borissov retorted that the real issue was the US tariffs, not the internal politics of DPS.

On the controversy surrounding the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ decision to order religious icons, Borissov commented that nothing could surpass human folly. He noted that while he would not oppose the icons themselves, the overall decision was misguided.

Speaking to journalists, Borissov said that populism was escalating dangerously in Bulgaria. He referenced the Constitutional Court’s pending review of President Radev’s request for a referendum on adopting the euro, and reminded the media of Radev’s Decree 200 from August 19, 2024, which formalized the euro adoption law.

Borissov argued that in countries that had already switched to the euro, prices initially rose but later dropped, citing Croatia’s experience as a clear example. He noted that Croatia had seen a short-lived period of speculation after joining the euro, but that firm state action had quickly stabilized the situation.

In addition, government and opposition alike have voiced strong criticism of President Rumen Radev following his warnings about inflation and rising prices after the euro convergence report was published.

Delyan Peevski, leader of "DPS-New Beginning," labeled the president's actions as "populism" and accused him of preparing for a future political campaign. Peevski called for strengthening institutional powers, stating:
"The Commission on Protecting Competition and related bodies must intensify price controls because charlatans - and especially their leader - are trying to manipulate the public. He already pushed one project for these charlatans and appears to be planning another for himself. This won’t happen. I urge the ruling coalition to empower the CPC with more staff and authority to effectively manage price control and address citizens' problems."

Bozhidar Bozhanov, co-chair of "Yes, Bulgaria," responded by accusing the president of spreading unnecessary fear:
"Inflation is a Europe-wide issue, unrelated to eurozone membership. The president should stop scaring the public with baseless claims."

Meanwhile, the other co-chair, Ivaylo Mirchev, criticized Radev for what he called hypocrisy:
"If the president is so worried about prices, he should not have signed the contract with 'BOTAS' that binds Bulgaria to nearly 6 billion leva in expenses over the next 13 years. It’s contradictory to both commit Bulgaria financially on such a scale and claim concern for the impoverished."

Also today, Dzhevdet Chakarov officially became an independent MP. This was announced by the Speaker of the National Assembly Natalia Kiselova.

Chakarov has submitted his resignation as chairman and member of the Dogan parliamentary group. This happened after the news of the unification with "DPS-New Beginning" (DPS-Peevski).

Dzhevdet Chakarov is the first independent MP in the 51st National Assembly. He loses his seats in the standing parliamentary committees in which he was a member, namely - the Committee on Environment and Water and the Committee on Health.

The National Assembly included in its weekly program the election of a chairman, deputy chairman, secretary and members of the Committee for the disclosure of documents and for the declaration of affiliation of Bulgarian citizens to the State Security and the intelligence services of the Bulgarian People's Army. The item was included in the parliament's agenda as the first in the weekly program after a revote at the request of "Revival" with 119 votes "in favor", 77 "against", 15 "abstains". The deputies voted on the draft for their weekly program with 155 votes "for", 47 "against" and two abstentions.