The cost of the standard consumer basket has dropped by €1 over the past week to €57, according to the Coordination Centre for the Introduction of the Single European Currency.
Caretaker Finance Minister Georgi Klisurski said the interests of citizens would be protected by oversight bodies and confirmed that the government would shortly submit legislation to extend the operation of the 2025 budget to the National Assembly of Bulgaria.
He added that the planned 5% inflation-linked pay rise for public-sector employees would remain in place under the current law, noting that many ministries, agencies and municipalities have yet to implement the increase, despite it applying retroactively from 1 January. He urged institutional leaders to proceed with the rises without delay.
Photos by BTA
Klisurski stressed that the caretaker government remained firmly committed to ensuring the smooth introduction of the euro.
He also called on executive bodies — including the National Revenue Agency and the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency — to maintain effective and targeted inspections. Checks and penalties, he said, should be precise where problems exist, rather than burdensome where they do not.
Georgi Klisurski, caretaker Finance Minister:
“To colleagues in the executive authorities — including the National Revenue Agency, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and others — we will continue to expect actions from you, as before, that are effective and appropriate. We expect inspections to proceed at full strength, not only in terms of quantity but also of quality. Checks and penalties must be precise where problems exist, and not burdensome or unnecessary where they do not.
To colleagues in the independent regulators — the Bulgarian National Bank, the Consumer Protection Commission and the Commission for Protection of Competition — I cannot, of course, instruct you by law, but the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria expects from you the same high standard of work. In fact, it is not the government that expects it — citizens do.
The introduction of the euro is a process in which the state will protect citizens. The caretaker government will work tirelessly, together with the regulators, to ensure that the process of adopting the euro is successful and beneficial for all Bulgarian citizens.”
Meanwhile, Vladimir Ivanov, head of the Coordination Centre under the euro adoption mechanism, said the basket covering 27 basic food products now stood at €57, down from €58 a week earlier. A year ago at the same time, it had been €52.
Ivanov also reported that, as of 23 February, more than 86% of lev banknotes had been withdrawn from circulation, with roughly 4.4 billion leva still held by citizens.
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