The Medium-Term Fiscal Framework for 2010 to 2013 approved by Bulgaria’s Cabinet on August 26 2009 does not include European Union funds because these are still subject to negotiation, Prime Minister Boiko Borissov told a post-Cabinet news conference.
 
"We cannot include the money in the Budget before having negotiated it," Borissov said. "We are prepared for the worst and if something better happens, then we will make people happy.
 
A Cabinet media statement, quoted by Bulgarian news agency BTA, said that the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework 2010-2013 and the basic allowances for 2010-2013, for the first time covered covered the entire term of office of the Government and set the policies and priorities for various sectors.
 
The document outlines four major goals of Bulgaria’s economic and fiscal policy: improvement of the wealth of the people of Bulgaria; keeping the stability of the Currency Board at the current fixed exchange rate of the Bulgarian lev against the euro; directing public spending towards stimulation of economic growth in line with the Lisbon Treaty; and improvement of the investment climate in the country.
 
Borissov hit out at the now-defunct tripartite coalition government headed by Socialist leader Sergei Stanishev for increasing pensions at the close of its term of office. Borissov said that this had been done as an election stunt while the outgoing government knew that Bulgaria was facing a serious deficit.

Borissov's party defeated Stanishev's Bulgarian Socialist Party at the July 2009 elections, and after taking office on July 27 2009, disclosed that the Budget was in deficit to a degree much worse than had been portrayed by the former government.
 
"For July, the first month of our tenure, pensions were increased by nine per cent, which makes 48 million leva monthly or 288 million leva extra until the end of the year, which we are setting aside in crisis conditions and despite an expected end-of-the-year deficit of 2500 million leva," Borissov said, quoted by BTA.
 
Borissov said that he would refer the 250 million leva loan contracted by the National Electricity Company (NEK) to the Prosecutor-General’s Office.
 
"Because of the incompetence of the minister of economy (at the time, Petar Dimitrov) and respectively of those authorities which have allowed it – which Sergei Stanishev called valuable experts, this 500 million leva loan has immediately become callable and the banks have renegotiated it at 20 million leva higher annual interest.
 
"Thus, because of their incompetence, we will pay extra BGN 20 million, unless we manage to renegotiate it," Borissov said.
 
"The political appointments of some duffers cost money to taxpayers. Thus, pensioners and the socially disadvantaged should know that this 20 million leva, which we could have been spent on pensions and salaries, has gone for a loan because of the incompetence of the former minister of economy and energy (Dimitrov) and next time they go to cast their vote, they should know how much such incompetence costs," Borissov said.
 
Borissov said that "theft" on such a scale deserved jail.