Next year's budget will be presented on Friday, Petar Vitanov, head of the Progressive Bulgaria (PB) group in parliament, told BNT. The government sent it to the European Commission (EC) on 15 October, within the legal deadline, and talks with the commission continue.

Vitanov insisted the election campaign is not delaying the budget. He said the talks with the EC have taken longer than expected.

The commission has objections to the plan to raise the VAT registration threshold from 50 to 70, because the budget would get less money, Vitanov said. He said the EC wants spending cut as far as possible, including social spending. The budget must help people without adding to debt, he said, and the focus is on a smaller deficit.

Bulgaria has been in an excessive deficit procedure since June this year, but the real budget deficit for 2025 is 4.2%, Vitanov says.

Prices for heating and electricity will not go up. Gas is getting more expensive, and reserves are being sought through various instruments to cover the rise. Vitanov said the increase is a trend across Europe.

PB has put forward 12 names for the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS). The party is open to compromise and will look at any candidate, including those from other political groups. Vitanov said it is normal for most of PB's picks to end up on the new council.

Vitanov congratulated Iliana Yotova, the first female president. Few countries in Europe have reached such equality, he said. "She is a woman with a vision and a professional with her own opinion, and she still said she would not have succeeded without Rumen Radev, which is quite natural," he said. PB has openly backed Yotova and does not want a party president. "What we are trying to do is give everyone the freedom and the chance to work professionally," Vitanov said.

The result of the first round of the presidential election has not alarmed him. Vitanov said things were going well until Boyko Borisov and Ivan Kostov entered the race. For him and for others, he said, their entry is a sign of extra trust and extra momentum, especially between the two rounds. After the two joined, the gap fell from 20% to three.