Bulgaria faces fuel shortages and budget deficit disputes

Bulgarian political leaders are debating national energy security and fiscal stability. GERB deputy Toma Bikov warned that the country only has diesel supplies available until December, questioning what measures the government will take to prevent shortages in the coming months. Bikov linked the fuel situation to instability in the Black Sea and criticized the administration for failing to implement significant reforms or pass essential laws.

On the fiscal front, Progressive Bulgaria representatives are addressing budget concerns. Stefan Belchev stated the government aims to reduce the budget deficit to below 3% by 2028-2029 and promised full transparency for the upcoming budget. Meanwhile, Kostantin Prodanov noted that the 2026 budget is expected in Parliament by early November, following a Constitutional Court ruling that upheld the legality of certain budget figures.

Controversy remains regarding deficit reporting. Temenuzhka Petkova of GERB-SDS accused the current administration of attempting to inflate the 2025 deficit to mask financial failures, citing Eurostat's upward revision of the deficit to 4% of GDP. The opposition claims this revision stems from the previous government's failure to certify certain activities, while the ruling party maintains they are stabilizing public finances inherited from predecessors.