BULGARIA's PRESIDENT ADDRESSES THE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

In an address to the National Assembly on 25^th of July, Bulgaria’s President Rosen Plevneliev called for an update of the state budget and the National Health Insurance Fund budget. The President demanded these amendments to be accepted in order to protect the country from possible financial crises until the new National Assembly is elected.

The emphasis of the address was on the eroded public confidence in politicians as a result of constant political battles and the deepening feeling of institutional crisis. The President called for the MPs to reach an agreement on some urgent issues. As regards the state budget and the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund, Plevneliev remarked that objective rather than political decisions had to be made and that the decision should be to the benefit of the people.

The President said that the Parliament needed to enable the interim government to sign agreements with international organisations and financial institutions in relation to foreign loans. He requested the MPs to contribute an additional dose of stability to the banking system and Bulgarian National Bank (BNB).

The President also required all files about loans in Corporate Commercial Bank (CCB) to be opened in order to avoid them being used for political blackmail in future. He called for BNB, the Financial Supervision Commission, the National Revenue Agency, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Commission for Prevention and Ascertainment of Conflict of Interest and the Commission for Forfeiture of Illegal Assets to coordinate their activities and complete their work.