Fiscal policy

"Bulgaria has had a history of low deficit, low debt to GDP. So that part of the system has worked very well. We can say that the monetary and fiscal situation has worked well since July 1997, when we installed the currency board in Bulgaria. So, it's a big success. Now, the failure side was obvious to me when I was an advisor to President Stoyanov in 1997. And that is corruption.

Protesting farmers with their tractors take part in a rally outside an agricultural fair in the port city of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, Thursday. Greek farmers - hit by rising costs and crop damage caused by recent floods and wildfires - are threatening to block highways to press demands for tax relief and higher subsidy payments. [Giannis Papanikos/AP]

Greece attracted record demand on Tuesday for its first new bond since regaining investment grade.

It raised 4 billion euros from the 10-year bond with investor orders exceeding 35 billion euros.

Bulgaria's economic landscape saw the gross external debt ascend to EUR 44,402.6 million by the end of November 2023, marking a 1% increase from the previous year and constituting 46.5% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Greek government on Tuesday presented a draft law to integrate a European directive on implementing a minimum tax rate on mutinational enterprises and large-scale domestic groups which could lead to a supplementary tax of up to 15% on profits.

Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan are scheduled to travel to the United States later this week to meet investors.

As part of the "Investor Day" event to be held on Jan. 11, Erkan will make a presentation to foreign investors on monetary policy and inflation.

Furious farmers opposed to German government plans to cut tax breaks for agriculture used tractors to block roads across the country on Monday in an escalating dispute.

The coordinated nationwide demonstration targeted motorway access ramps in particular, snarling traffic, and followed a smaller ill-tempered demonstration in Berlin last month.

Bulgaria has embarked on a digitization journey by replacing traditional paper food vouchers with a plastic card, akin to a bank card, initiating this transformative move at the start of the year. This transition will involve a grace period until July, allowing issuance of both paper and electronic vouchers.

As of January 1, significant alterations have been implemented in the retirement age and mandatory service duration, impacting pension entitlements for both men and women.

Greece plans to raise up to €10 billion from debt markets via short- and long-term bond issues next year, its debt agency PDMA said on Friday.

Outlining its 2024 strategy, PDMA said Greece plans to repay ahead of schedule more bailout loans and reduce the amount of T-bills in circulation.