Bulgaria's parliament on Thursday endorsed in first reading the 2011 budget bill, setting the budget gap at 1.963 billion levs ($1.382 billion/1.004 billion euro) or 2.5% of the projected gross domestic product.
The budget framework is based on a projection for a 0.7% growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) at end-2010 and a 3.6% economic growth target for next year, Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov told the MPs ahead of the budget bill debates.
Economic growth will be driven mainly by exports and improved domestic consumption next year, Dyankov added.