Bulgarian Cabinet formally asks to withdraw 2026 Budget package
Bulgaria’s government approved a decision to ask Parliament to consent to the withdrawal of the 2026 Budget package, the Cabinet’s media office said on December 2.
The Cabinet’s request comes after tens of thousands of Bulgarians turned out on the night of December 1 in capital city Sofia and several other cities in Bulgaria in a mass protest against the draft Budget.
Following an earlier large protest against the draft Budget held outside Parliament, Prime Minister Rossen Zhelyazkov said on November 27 that the Cabinet would withdraw the Budget package, which was approved at first reading by Parliament on November 21.
But in the days that followed, the government appeared focused on talks with trade unions and employer groups to reach an agreement on proposals to modify the current draft, rather than withdrawing it and restarting the Budget procedure.
The Cabinet media office said that the request to approve the withdrawal of the 2026 Budget package, which includes the state budget and separate social security and health insurance budgets, has been formally submitted in Parliament.
“After the Parliament’s decision, a new Budget procedure will begin,” the media statement said.
Bulgaria’s law on public finances allows Parliament to extend the duration of the provisions of this year’s Budget by three months if there is no Budget package approved for 2026.
Under this framework, central and local government could continue to spend within the limits set in 2025 Budget, but not higher than the revenue collected in 2026. Given Bulgaria’s adoption of the euro starting January 1, these limits and revenue (denominated in leva), will have to be converted to euro.
This framework was used in 2023 and 2022, when Budget approval was delayed by political instability that resulted in a series of short-lived Parliaments failed to elect a government.
(Photo: parliament.bg)
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