05.05.2017

"This is not a classical delivery and assumption of office as caretaker minister Ananiev and I have been working as a team for years now". This is what the minister of finance Vladislav Goranov said at the ceremony held at the Ministry of Finance. Vladislav Goranov congratulated Kiril Ananiev on being able to preserve the face of the Ministry of Finance and on resisting any attempts for retailoring of the state's financial framework that are not typical of a caretaker government.

Minister Goranov mentioned that the Ministry of Finance would continue working on the update to the Three-Year Budget Forecast which should accommodate the priorities set in the governance programme of the new government. "The 2017 - 2021 paper keeps taxes unchanged, does not assume any further tax relief, aims at a balanced budget and will continue the joint efforts with the BNB for further integration in the EU financial structures, i.e. the Euro Area and the Banking Union. Of course we will continue making efforts in this direction in the way we consider appropriate, i.e. by using silent diplomacy to convince our partners that we are ready to join the European financial infrastructure", he added. 

The minister of finance pointed out that his team and himself faced the ordinary schedule of operation of MoF with a number of new tasks such as playing an active part in enhancing administrative regulation and cutting red tape. "The initiative we will freshly work upon is targeted at reduction of cash payments and focusing on non-cash payments by the administration", he explained. "The conservative attitude and the financial stability will continue being constant goals of the finance minister. Over the past couple of years we have proven that this team is capable of maintaining the country's financial and fiscal stability", Mr. Goranov added.

Asked about any possible changes in the deficit in connection to the commitments for an increase in the minimum pension and in the teachers' salaries, the finance minister clarified that according to the report delivered by the caretaker minister of finance, the 2017 deficit target was not threatened and the measures planned would not entail any adjustments. "I am a moderate optimist that if the revenue and law-enforcement bodies continue working well, we will manage to achieve a deficit that would be lower than planned. The economic growth is something we should be trying to accelerate, and with our conservative 2016 autumn forecasts I expect an even higher growth", he announced. As to the debt policy, the minister vowed his hopes that he would continue maintaining balanced budgets in order for the state to have sufficient liquidity buffers and to avoid assuming new debt as an end in itself, but if taking new debt becomes necessary, this new debt would be used to fund any deficits which the government had set the task to diminish every year.

Minister Goranov confirmed that he would continue counting on the expertise of Mr. Kiril Ananiev and Ms. Marinella Petrova as his deputies by making clear that his third deputy was yet to be appointed.

On his part Mr. Kiril Ananiev wished the new minister a full, successful and effective term of office. He briefly outlined the results of the activity and the initiatives of the MoF ensuring continuity in the day-to-day operation and the fulfilment of the tasks assigned by the caretaker government.