Bulgaria’s government has officially launched preparations for the 2026 state budget, with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev confirming that hosting Eurovision in 2027 will receive its own dedicated funding line following DARA’s victory in Vienna.
During a briefing at the Council of Ministers, Donev openly celebrated Bulgaria’s success at Eurovision, saying the state budget next year would include “another item” specifically linked to organizing the contest. He praised DARA’s achievement while outlining what he described as a difficult financial situation inherited from previous administrations.
According to Donev, state finances currently resemble those of “the average Bulgarian family,” where expenses exceed income, unpaid bills continue to pile up, and borrowing has become routine. He pointed to a budget deficit of 1.75 billion euros by the end of April, alongside another 2.554 billion euros in unpaid expenditures and more than 1.1 billion euros in unsettled municipal projects for 2026 alone.
The Finance Minister also criticized earlier financial decisions, including a 363-million-euro advance bank loan taken in 2025, which he said was now negatively affecting the 2026 fiscal framework. Donev argued that governments in recent years had relied on temporary fixes and accounting maneuvers, declaring that “the fashion for patchwork budgets is ending.”
