“NMSP [National Movement for Stability and Progress] was suffering the negative sequences for governing with BSP [Bulgarian Socialist Party], BSP was suffering negative sequences for governing with MRF [Movement for Rights and Freedoms], only MRF does not complain,” MRF deputy leader Iordan Tsonev told the morning talk show on private broadcaster bTV.

“Our policies, despite all defects, is good for Bulgaria,” Tsonev said.

"We have granted minister Plougchieva the power to dismiss whoever she wants,” he commented on the role of the new deputy prime minister without portfolio in charge of European Union funds spending Meglena Plougchieva.

“The European Commission’s criticism is fair and I want to say that the criticism of the opposition is fair too.” Still, he said, “the opposition is working against Bulgaria in Brussels. It wants punishments against Bulgaria. We have categoric proof of behind-the-scene actions of the opposition in Brussels,” Tsonev told bTV. “This does not free the [ruling] coalition from guilt, we made mistakes.”

Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria deputy leader Vesselin Metodiev told Bulgarian National Television that “the Cabinet would provoke [a new no-confidence motion] with its behaviour by June 16.” The date is the deadline given to Bulgarian authorities to clean up their act and improve communication with the EC concerning the spending of EU funds.

Labour and Social Policy Minister Emilia Maslarova told Nova Television private channel that the money for the future Silver Fund, which the Cabinet will use to finance social projects, “will come from privatisation - before it was 10 per cent [of privatisation revenue], but why not make it 50 per cent and 50 per cent of the budget surplus, revenue from concessions and donations, among others.”

“We should allocate an additional more than 1.4 billion leva for 2009 to carry out the decisions taken in Katarino”, during the ruling coalition summit on May 10-11, Maslarova said. “We cannot want to do a lot for the society without considering what everyone can give.”

The average increase in the pensions after the re-calculation agreed in Katarino, near Bansko, would be 33 leva, she said.

Union of Democratic Forces leader Plamen Yuroukov told bTV that the ruling coalition again showed that it lacked any idea how to govern. “They did not propose anything significant after their spa meeting in Katarino,” he said. The EU and Bulgarian citizens were dissatisfied with the current Government. “It became clear to the citizens of the country that the hypocritical measures, taken at the end of the mandate of the tripartite coalition will not contribute to a better quality of living,” Yuroukov said.

Yanka Takeva, head of the teachers’ labour union, said that the teachers strike in the autumn of 2007 “was the most efficient one” ever seen in Bulgaria. “There was no other strike that intelligent. If it looked ugly to anyone, well, we all see things differently,” she said during bTV's morning talk show.