Bulgarian Finance Ministry Requests Urgent Budget Data for 2025 Draft

The Bulgarian Ministry of Finance has urgently requested key financial data from authorizing officers to prepare the 2025 State Budget draft and accurately estimate the 2024 deficit on an accrued basis. The request was announced on Sunday, CE Report quotes BTA

Primary budget authorizing officers, including ministries, departments, the National Social Security Institute, the National Health Insurance Fund, and municipalities, must submit details on accrued liabilities to both domestic and foreign suppliers. The reports must also outline capital and current expenditures, outstanding debts, interest payments, and unclaimed tax credits as of December 31, 2023, March 31, 2024, and December 31, 2024.

The Finance Ministry emphasized that this data is crucial for drafting the 2025 State Budget Act and ensuring compliance with Maastricht criteria for Bulgaria’s euro area accession. Addressing speculation, the ministry clarified that the financial bulletin published on January 31, 2025, reflects the 2024 budget performance on an accrual basis, independent of euro area membership assessments.

Meanwhile, GERB leader Boyko Borissov called on the Finance Ministry to clarify which 2024 expenditures have been deferred to 2025 before the upcoming Joint Governance Council meeting. In a Facebook post, he stated that while a regular government is essential, he would not allow misinformation about Bulgaria’s financial state to be presented to European partners.