Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

IMF approves Bulgaria's higher spending due to pandemic

Photo: EPA/BGNES

The International Monetary Fund has approved higher spending by the Bulgarian government in response to the Covid-19 crisis, BNR reports. At the end of its regular mission, the IMF experts also noted that the transparency of extraordinary expenses could be improved by publishing a subsequent evaluation of anti-crisis policies and the funds spent on them.
According to the current IMF forecasts, the Bulgarian economy will shrink more than the expected 4% according to the report on the World Economic Outlook from October 2020.
Unemployment is expected to rise, but, thanks to support with various measures, it will not be very sharp. According to the fund, there will be an increase in non-performing loans in Bulgaria, whose level before the crisis was higher than the European average.
Income inequality is still a very serious problem for the country, the IMF said. According to the fund, the higher spending in the social sphere for 2021 may be beneficial, but a comprehensive reform in the social sphere is needed. More funds need to be invested in education, the IMF said.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Premier Zhelyazkov: EU should remain united and predictable in its overall support for Ukraine

The European Union must remain united and predictable in its overall support for Ukraine, Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said in his speech at the second emergency meeting on Ukraine, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, announced..

published on 2/20/25 8:32 AM

Second day of boycotting big grocery chains announced on February 20

Public organizations in Bulgaria have announced a second day of boycott of grocery chains for February 20 , after reporting the success of the first such initiative in our country.  On the first day of the boycott, according to data from the..

published on 2/20/25 7:35 AM

Bulgarian Parliament to hear cabinet ministers on US "questionnaire" related to Ukraine peacekeeping operation

The Bulgaria Parliament will hear today the Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev about a "questionnaire" prepared by the US on topics related to Bulgaria's readiness to participate in a special military..

published on 2/20/25 6:05 AM