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PM Eager to Show EU Bulgaria Financially 'Better' Than Most

Thursday, Jun 17, 2010

Finance Minister Simeon Djankov will be going to Brussels in person in order to present to the EC Bulgaria’s budget deficit data, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has announced.

Djankov will head for Brussel on Monday to meet with EU Commissioner for the Economy Olli Rehn in order to clarify to him the situation with Bulgarian finances.

“Djankov’s meeting with Rehn will demonstrate that Bulgaria has no problems with its budget deficit which is much lower than the deficits in the majority of the EU member states,” stated Borisov in the Belgian capital late Wednesday night as cited by the BNR.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister is in Brussels for Thursday’s EU Council meeting but he arrived a day earlier to take part in a meeting of the European People’s Party.

With respect to the expected Eurostat mission to Bulgaria, which was announced recently by the EC as a way to examine the country’s financial data gathering, Borisov declared that he was eager to have the mission as soon as possible.

“We need this Eurostat mission in order to show that we are right about our finances. What is more, after that Commissioner Rehn will check the finances of other EU member states and will see how much better we are than anyone else. There will only be a problem if no other states undergo inspections. Even with the revision of the 2010 state budget, Bulgaria’s deficit will be smaller than that of most other EU countries. That is why I think there should be inspections in the other states as well,” declared the Bulgarian PM.

He further said he refused to “argue” with Olli Rehn about the fact that Bulgaria violated EU treaties by failing to notify the Commission about its revised budget forecasts.

“I am not going to argue with Mr. Rehn, with all due respect. Our agreement is to have our Finance Minister come to Brussels on Monday and present our data, and I am sure that Mr. Rehn’s opinion will be completely different after that. Because I know that currently Bulgaria has a very tight fiscal discipline – tighter than ever,” the PM explained.

After receiving additional financial information from Bulgaria, the EC is supposed to decide on whether and when it would set the country under the excessive deficit procedure of the Stability and Growth Pact.

Thursday’s meeting of the EU Council of the government leaders is expected to approve the EU 2020 Strategy for development, and to discuss the complex financial situation of Spain.

Source: novinite.com