site.btaBSP Proposes Price Ceilings for Certain Products

The BSP will propose a ceiling on the prices of some products to its coalition partners Continue the Change (CC), There Is Such a People (TISP) and Democratic Bulgaria (DB) as a measure in updating the budget, said BSP leader Korneliya Ninova at a press conference after a meeting of the party's National Council to assess the first 100 days of the government’s term in office.

Ninova said the National Council praised the results of the government's first 100 days and reported two successes, one weakness, three pending tasks and three problems awaiting resolution.

The two successes that Ninova noted were that the government managed in a very difficult situation of several crises to lead the country through the worst winter months via the moratorium on energy prices for household consumers, and the compensation in support of businesses. The government also fought against profiteering attempts by providing social support for the socially disadvantaged and the energy poor, she said. The second indisputable success is the adoption of the budget for 2022, Ninova went on to say, noting that for the BSP as a left-wing party it is very important that one-third of the state's expenditures were directed to social services.

We have a weakness and that is the broken coordination and poor communication between us, said Ninova, referring to the array of decision-making structures: the leadership council, the parliamentary council, etc.

This weakness needs to be corrected because it is a sign of insecurity, she said.

Korneliya Ninova said that the BSP wants stability in the coalition and pointed out that they have three important tasks ahead of them - to complete the governance programme, to back it with legislative actions and to update the budget.

The BSP leader noted that there are three problematic topics: weapons for Ukraine, North Macedonia’s accession to the EU and the election of a governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB).

"The BSP is strongly opposed to arms exports," Ninova said. According to her, apart from the fact that for us this means Bulgaria's involvement in the war, it is also a matter of values. There is no higher value than peace and we cannot ask for peace when we supply any of the countries with weapons, she added. 

She pointed out that the National Council has reaffirmed its position on North Macedonia. Ninova was adamant that she would not compromise with the national interest and said that the start of the process of North Macedonia's accession to the EU could begin only after the implementation of the bilateral agreement between the two neighbouring countries.

Regarding the election of BNB governor, Ninova reiterated the position of the Left that the BNB governor should not be a person nominated by political parties. According to her, he should be an expert respected by all, with indisputable international experience. We have made efforts to persuade both parties disputing the matter to withdraw both candidacies in order to proceed with a unified proposal on behalf of the coalition, the BSP leader said.

Korneliya Ninova confirmed once again that the BSP is against the proposal of DB regarding the Russian ambassador to Bulgaria. The expulsion is a severance of diplomatic relations, which is unacceptable to us, she said. According to her, no EU country has taken such a measure.