After the government adopted the draft state budget for 2014, on October 30 in the evening, Finance Minister Peter Tchobanov submitted it to the National Assembly. The ceremony itself was carried out urgently and slightly undercover, so that no protesters outside the Cabinet and the National Assembly nor the students occupying the University of Sofia may learn and organize a blockade of the Parliament.
The Council of Ministers had not announced a date and time when it would do it and initially a rumor circulated that the budget will be sent to the National Assembly by email. Which was completely contrary to the established tradition in the last fifteen years of finance ministers personally submitting the budget bill – on paper or electronically, but personally to the Chairman of the National Assembly. Employees of the press service of the Ministry of Finance pretended they did not know when and how the budget will be submitted. Representatives of the National Assembly also had not announced preliminary date and time, however, parliamentary photographers through personal channels revealed that this would happen on October 30 at 17:00. To limit the influx of journalists, the booth, which issues temporary passes for the National Assembly, was shut down. This is how the quiet and smooth flow of the modest ceremony was secured.
Finance Minister Peter Tchobanov handed in the budget proposal on paper to the parliament chair Mihail Mikov. Then the two statesmen engaged themselves in a small talk.
The Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Finance after extremely strenuous work managed to submitted, within the legal time framework, the draft state budget for 2014 to the National Assembly. Yet this evening I will sign the orders the document to be distributed to the respective committees. The leading committee responsible for it will be that the Budget and Finances. I think in short time it will be discussed and will be viewed at a first reading in a plenary session, said Mihov.
Peter Tchobanov announced that he was honoured to introduce his first state budget in the National Assembly.
Unlike one of my predecessors, who argued that budgets he submitted, were the only possible ones, I am not so pompous and arrogant. Yet I believe that this budget is possible, given the legacy we received from that same predecessor – Mr. Dyankov. This legacy is a difficult one, but with a concerted effort we can overcome the difficulties. The present draft budget is one that tries to defreeze the economic growth and regional development with our commitment to education and public investment, said Tchobanov.
Mihail Mihov said that because of the difficult situation the National Assembly will save 12 million levs of its expenses and give it to the government to cover some urgent payments. The Finance Minister said the ministries and agencies will make the same gesture as the National Assembly by the end of this year. This will allow us to fulfill some of our priorities: Christmas bonuses, financing of hospitals, providing the resources to welcome refugees. You see, there is always on what to spend the money saved from departments and institutions, explained Minister Tchobanov.
The BANKER
