Bulgarian President Welcomes Updates to State Budget, Health Fund

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has welcomed the adoption of the budget update and the update of the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for 2014.

The updates were approved By Parliament at first reading on Tuesday with the support of liberal party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and center-right party GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria), while the Bulgarian Socialist Party voted against.

BSP vowed to refer the budget updates to the Constitutional Court, according to reports of Sega daily.

In his Wednesday statement, Plevneliev emphasized that tough times made true politicians and responsible parties stand out due to their ability to put national priorities above partisan interests.

Bulgaria's President described the update of the state budget as a step in the right direction, adding that it was not going to solve the country's problems, given the existing unpredictable environment.

He said that the update of the NHIF budget was crucial because it would give the sector a breath of fresh air at a time of crisis.

Plevneliev underscored that the need for quality reform in the healthcare sector was still unquestionable.

He said that the budget update would provide Bulgarian municipalities with sufficient funding for the financial corrections which would help unblock EU funding and give the country a chance to absorb around BGN 3 B by end-2015.

Plevneliev claimed that the budget update would spare Bulgarian citizens a part of the heavy burden of the crisis.

He called on MPs to back the updates at the second reading, stressing that it was an appropriate step towards the stabilization of the country through a smooth transition period.