Bulgaria's cabinet wants parliament to officially kill the 2026 budget after massive street protests forced them to hit pause, but they can't actually pull it themselves since lawmakers already passed the first reading. Parliamentary rules say only a full assembly vote can withdraw legislation once it clears initial approval, and the fiscal framework plus health insurance pieces already made it through committee at second reading.
The government planned to restart everything with fresh revenue targets and spending plans before the January eurozone switchover, but that timeline is cooked since they need to draft completely new documents. The original proposal had a 3 percent deficit with higher pension contributions and doubled dividend taxes, which sparked protests when deputies rushed it through by cutting amendment deadlines from a week down to three days.
The government planned to restart everything with fresh revenue targets and spending plans before the January eurozone switchover, but that timeline is cooked since they need to draft completely new documents. The original proposal had a 3 percent deficit with higher pension contributions and doubled dividend taxes, which sparked protests when deputies rushed it through by cutting amendment deadlines from a week down to three days.
