Bulgaria’s outgoing Premier Boyko Borissov handed in the resignation of his cabinet, because in his view a new majority, which would hamper the work of the government, was formed at the Bulgarian National Assembly, Sega daily writes on Thursday. The resignation of the former cabinet was approved with a vast majority in plenary hall. Even if we had won the latest Presidential elections, we would not be able to adopt the 2017 state budget in Parliament and the cabinet would step down anyway, because we can’t form a majority. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, the Alternative for Bulgarian Revival and the Patriotic Front are in opposition. We are not able to form a majority, in order to continue governing that country and make reforms, Sega quotes outgoing Premier Borissov.

The 2017 draft budget has not earned enough support yet, because nearly all political parties represented at the National Assembly have been trying to put their policies through, Trud daily informs. The state budget would lose nearly EUR 1.5 billion, if the ultimatums of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Patriotic Front are satisfied, Standart daily informs. The socialists are insisting that the flat tax rate should be abolished and that it should be substituted with a progressive income tax. The nationalistic parties would support next year’s state budget, if the minimum monthly pension reaches EUR 150, Bulgaria’s outgoing Minister of Finance Vladislav Goranov explained after the cabinet’s sitting.

Bulgarian experts and representatives of the European Atomic Energy Community Euratom are to pay a visit to Russia, in order to inspect the nuclear equipment produced for the second NPP in Belene, outgoing Minister of Energy Temenuzhka Petkova announced on Wednesday. The experts must make sure that the Russian company Atomstroyexport has fulfilled its obligations in line with the contract agreement. The Russian company is expected to receive over EUR 620 million by December 15 for the manufactured equipment, the newspaper reminds.

Bulgaria’s former Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov is expected to be handed an indictment in relation to the Belene nuclear power plant project, Monitor daily informs on Thursday. The prosecution has started to investigate the involvement of former state officials in transactions carried out under the Belene project. Another former Energy Minister Petar Dimitrov was handed an indictment in October. The former CEOs of the National Electric Company Lubomir Velkov and Mardik Papazyan were handed an indictment for sealing a disadvantageous deal which caused financial damages to state to the tune of over EUR 77 million when Petar Dimitrov was in charge of the Energy Ministry. However, they were appointed CEOs of the National Electric Company in 2005 when Rumen Ovcharov served as Minister of Energy in Bulgaria, Monitor daily specifies.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov