Sofia - The Bulgarian parliament passed its budget for 2010 late Wednesday night, hoping the belt-tightening measures would help the EU's poorest country break out of recession next year. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's cabinet has predicted that the country will hit the deepest point of recession in 2010 and then begin recovering.
The budget is based on an inflation rate of 2.2 per cent.
The balanced budget was designed to help Bulgaria break out of the recession and marks another step toward its membership in the eurozone, Finance Minister Simeon Djankov told the assembly.
Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007, but is the bloc's poorest nation.
