Minister Karadimov: The Bulgarian Development Bank is a powerful market tool of the state in the key sphere
Currently, the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) is a powerful market tool for countries in key infrastructure sectors such as communications, communication, military-industrial complex, health and social infrastructure. With the new strategy of BDB adopted by the Council of Ministers and with the change in its Statute, guarantees and rules have been introduced that make it impossible to grant unsecured loans like the one from 2019. The bank in 2024 has nothing to do with 2019. This is what he said the Minister of Innovation and Growth Rosen Karadimov to BNT.
Mini Karadimov emphasized that as the chairman of the Supervisory Board of BDB since the end of 2022, he has taken several significant measures with the aim of changing the bank's entire appearance. An Advisory Council was established to the National Bank of BDB, which includes the national employers' organizations, the two trade unions and the Community Association as a public guarantor and public control over the bank's activities.
A memorandum was signed with the international anti-corruption organization Transparency International, which verified all internal rules and procedures. It was also emphasized that the EC has approved the bank as an implementing partner under the InvestEU program. "These measures ensure that by 2024 the bank will have nothing to do with the bank in 2019," commented Karadimov. According to him, as soon as he entered the BDB's Supervisory Board, the full picture of the large credit exposures was made. "Protocols were prepared for action on these credit exposures. I don't know why the state moved now, but even then we are contacting the prosecutor's office. The loan was granted in 2019. At the moment, theoretically, this cannot happen," Karadimov specified. The Minister stated that the BDB would seek to develop a financial market product that would enable public sector employees entitled to retirement benefits to be able to use part of their outstanding amounts early. "We are looking for this opportunity, whether in the form of a low-interest loan or another financial instrument. The main goal of the bank is intervention in the social infrastructure, which is to strengthen the inclusion and personnel potential in the key state sphere", he further commented and specified that it is about firefighters, policemen, teachers, military and others.
On the subject of the parliamentary elections, the Minister of Innovation and Growth, as designated coordinator by decision of the Council of Ministers, stated that a layered mistrust in machine voting must be overcome. "We propose, but the CEC can decide, improvement of two stages - authentication of machines, including the flash memories and software, and supporting the process of control of machines before their dispatch from the warehouses. "On Monday, there is no upcoming meeting at the CEC, where the six responsible ministers will go to discuss the proposals that they officially send to the CEC during the week. We are obliged to assist the CEC with everything we think is necessary to reduce the transparency of the election. Our proposals to the CEC provide additional guarantees for the transparency and fairness of the election process," concludes Karadimov.