Having taken the necessary legal action, nearly BGN 50 million has now been returned to the state by the contractor of the unrealised Government Complex. Several years ago, the project was awarded without a tender and without financial justification. This was stated by the outgoing Minister for Economy Bogdan Bogdanov in the programme ‘Face to Face’ on BTV.
‘We are also appealing in court against the prosecutor’s decision not to initiate proceedings for the 600 million spent on dams over the years’, he said.
Bogdanov said that inflation was falling and the trend was expected to continue. ‘Average annual inflation for February fell to around 3.3%. Savings in Bulgaria are growing. Significant efforts have been made in recent years to raise average wages’, the economy minister added.
The Minister pointed out that when there is more consumption, it drives the economy. ‘It is crucial to continue to increase the incomes of the most vulnerable in society, such as pensioners, and not to rely on benefits only around major holidays’, he added.
In his words, foreign investment in Bulgaria is there, but there is still much to be desired. ‘Investments also depend on the reform of the judiciary and the regulators – this is the fundamental condition to move forward’, he believes.
Bogdanov commented that there are real economic benefits from our country’s accession to the Schengen area by air and water. ‘We have absolutely all the arguments that Bulgaria and Romania should become part of the land Schengen. If the active dialogue with Austria continues, I am optimistic that things will happen. We hope reason will prevail and we will become full members of Schengen by the end of the year.’
When this happens, then the benefits for the state would be BGN 1.1 billion per year, Bogdanov said.