“This year the money envisaged for municipalities in the state budget is the lowest amount in the past 25 years,” said Dora Yankova, MP with the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Leftist Bulgaria, speaking at a press conference held after the BSP’s seminar in the resort of Borovets this weekend.
The seminar was attended by members of the BSP’s Executive Bureau and representatives of the local authorities.
In her words, increase in the funding for local activities is BGN 20 million only.
In the lawmaker’s view, 2 billion for the government comes in sharp contrast to 20 million for municipalities.
Yankova stated her parliamentary group had attempted to table regulations on the municipal administration, municipal roads, the countervailable subsidy, and the financial resources for natural and manmade disaster prevention through the state budget act.
According to her, they were not heard.
The MP noted there had been pressure for the budget relations with municipalities to change.
Yankova informed they would exert pressure these 2 billion in question were again provided to the municipalities.
“In January, we will invite Minister [of Interior] Bachvarova, the Minister of Finance, and the Minister of Environment [and Water] to say these 2 billion for prevention are important for the country,” the socialist MP pointed out.
In her words, this funding should be result-oriented.
“The mayors requested they are not pressured upon receiving the money from the budget as countervailable subsidy resources. It is now planned they will receive it four times in a year,” Yankova added.