BULGARIA'S FISCAL TRANSPARENCY

UNCLAS SOFIA 000138 DEPT FOR EEB/IFD/OMA JJACOBY, EUR/PRA NYOUNG, EUR/CE TYEAGER SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON PREL PGOV BU SUBJECT: BULGARIA'S FISCAL TRANSPARENCY REF: State 28885 ¶1. (SBU) Per reftel, the following is post's assessment of Bulgaria's fiscal transparency. Bulgaria's budget reporting standards conform to EU and international standards. Relevant budget documents can be found on the websites of the Ministry of Finance and Parliament (the Finance and Budget Committee) during parliamentary hearings. After the budget is approved, all documents remain posted on the Internet. The final budget can be found in official publications such as the State Gazette. The Bulgarian Parliament and Ministry of Finance publish detailed reports explaining each year's budget draft on their web sites. The protocols of open sessions held by the Budget and Finance Committee during the fiscal year are also available on the Internet. Data on budget performance, including revenues and expenditures, is published monthly, both in hard copy and on the Internet. Fiscal statistics are a generally reliable reflection of government incomes and expenditures. KARAGIANNIS