“A budget update will only be necessary if the pandemic situation worsens,” outgoing finance minister Kiril Ananiev stated in parliament.

The government has given 2.6 billion euro for the fight against Covid-19 in the period from the start of the crisis until 31 March, 2021. 920 million euro was spent to support households, 1.13 billion euro - for businesses, and 560 million for the people directly involved in the fight to check the pandemic.

There are fiscal reserves amounting to 4.35 billion euro, 1.8 billion of which is the money from the “silver” retirement fund. During the first quarter of 2021 the treasury had a deficit of 0.5% of the GDP. The national plan for the introduction of the euro is at an advanced stage so as to keep the 30 June, 2021 deadline for its completion, Kiril Ananiev said, and added that the indicative date for membership of the monetary union remains 1 January, 2024.