Bulgarian agrees joining EU budget pact with conditions

Parliament in non-eurozone Bulgaria voted Friday to join an EU budget pact for tighter discipline but with conditions regarding tax policy and exemption from certain financial obligations.

“Bulgaria’s parliament supports joining the treaty on stability, coordination and governance in the economic and monetary union… without financial obligations and engagements to harmonise its tax policy with its other signatories until joining the eurozone,” the parliamentary decision read.

Another “key issue” for Sofia was for all non-member countries who join the treaty, like Bulgaria, to obtain observer status in eurozone talks, Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov told lawmakers.

However, this was not listed as a condition in the parliamentary decision.