Bulgaria: Borissov Restarts Dialogue with Employers as Peevski Issues Stark Warning After Budget Protests

GERB leader Boyko Borissov said the channel of communication between employers and trade unions has been reopened, announcing that talks will resume on Friday at the Ministry of Finance to work through all outstanding issues. His statement followed a meeting earlier in the day at GERB headquarters, where he gathered Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, Deputy Prime Minister and Innovation Minister Tomislav Donchev, Budget Committee chair Delyan Dobrev, former finance minister Vladislav Goranov, and representatives of the major employer organisations KRIB and BIA, including Kiril Domuschiev and Dobri Mitrev. The two national unions, "Podkrepa" and CITUB, took part as well through Dimitar Manolov and Lyuboslav Kostov. Borissov added that the working groups and the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation will resume their activities. He also confirmed that representatives of all four parties backing the government will be involved in the upcoming discussions on the 2026 budget, which the cabinet has already decided to withdraw and rework.

Further reading: Borissov Blinks First: The Bulgarian Government Pulls Controversial 2026 Budget After Night of Protests

DPS-New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski commented separately on the previous night’s large demonstration against the budget. Speaking in parliament, he warned that no political change would be achieved “through the streets” and sharply criticised what he described as "violence against police officers". Peevski recalled a fatality among police during a protest years ago and accused organisers and political groups of escalating tensions. He argued that lawmakers being confronted in their offices and urged to “come down” resembled attempts to revive practices from the era of the communist People’s Court, insisting that such things would not be allowed to happen. Peevski said he could easily mobilise supporters if needed, but stressed that political parties had no right to storm offices or intimidate officials. He underlined that despite the tensions, the recalculation of next year’s budget would safeguard all key social commitments.