The rituals and ceremonies of the transition of power on July 27 left the new Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Boiko Borissov barely enough time to sit down at their desks.

Borissov did paint the broad brushstrokes of what he expects of his ministers, and some were able to sketch in some details of how they would be fulfilling his vision. He has let it be known that any under-performing ministers will soon say farewell to their desks, after all.

In Parliament, Borissov mapped out seven major commitments that will be the centerpieces of his programme, including increasing personal income, growth and modernisation of the economy.

His party, GERB, pledged to guarantee the country’s fiscal stability, rein in expenditure and dissipation of government money, preserving and creating jobs. Tourism will also stand high on the to-do list of the new Cabinet. Together with agriculture, an accelerated development of transport infrastructure and the implementation of new technologies in all sectors will form the basis of the economic overhaul.

The other key priority of the Borisov Cabinet will be restoring social justice by guaranteeing law and order, efforts to stamp out corruption and reform of the judiciary, Dnevnik daily said.

Simeon Dyankov, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, told journalists that he was aiming for a balanced Budget, perhaps even with a small surplus, and that work on the 2010 Budget and in speeding up reimbursement of VAT was already underway.

Dyankov is on record as questioning the worth of the Belene nuclear project and has been quoted as saying that the project should not get any guarantees or public funding. He has hit out at the now-defunct Stanishev administration for leaving behind a two billion leva hole in the Budget, a hole expected to worsen as the books are checked, and one that is the result of irresponsible spending under Stanishev in the past three to four years.

Traicho Traichkov, who heads the Economy, Energy and Tourism "mega-ministry" was quoted by Dnevnik as saying that the ministry would be launching an investigation into large-scale energy projects such as Belene and the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline.

However, Traichkov said, no project would be put on standby until its worth had been assessed. He gave no timeframe for completing the investigation, saying that he had been in office too short a time to work this out.

The National Road Infrastructure Agency, hit by scandals under the former government, is set for staff changes. This was made clear by Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rossen Plevneliev.

Drawing on European models of project management, Plevneliev promised that three highways – Trakiya, Lyulin and Maritsa – would be completed during the four-year term of the current Government.

Transport Minister Alexander Tsvetkov said that his three main priorities would be recovering the European Union’s full trust in Bulgaria, streamlining the implementation of EU programmes, and giving business a helping hand through the economic crisis, Dnevnik said.

Bulgarian news agency Focus reported Justice Minister Margarita Popova as saying that a council of magistrates would be set up to work on reforming the judicial system. The council would include members of the Supreme Judicial Council, prosecutors, judges and investigators.

Popova said that her ministry’s priorities would include amendments to penal legislation and simplification of procedures.