From January 2026: Minimum Wage in Bulgaria to Rise by 12.6%, Reaching 620 Euros
The Bulgarian government has finalized the minimum wage for 2026, setting it at 1,213 leva (620.20 euros) per month, effective January 1
Bulgaria's Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, (R) and Labor Minister, Totyu Mladenov, (L) are both firm on their opposite opinions on upping minimum monthly wages. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria's Labor Minister Totyu Mladenov should find the money if he insist on increasing the minimum monthly wage, said Finance Minister Simeon Djankov.
"If he wants an increase of the minimum monthly wage, he should find the necessary money. The state budget does not have spare money for this," Djankov said on Tuesday, confirming once again his position on the proposal by Mladenov to up the minimum monthly wages by BGN 30 as of July 1, 2011.
The finance minister suggested that Mladenov could make cuts in his ministry in order to provide the necessary money.
"If he really thinks the minimum monthly wage should go up, he should make an administrative reform in his ministry, for example. In my opinion, this would be a good idea. If he has the money, we can then talk about the measure," Djankov said.
He expressed his irritation that the finance ministry is constantly asked to provide money from the state budget for different things.
"People constantly want the state budget to cover expenses, but they never think of where does the money come from. It is not something the finance ministry does," he said.
Djankov announced that people who have reached the retirement age will be released from their positions in the state administration.
In his words, at the Wednesday's meeting, the cabinet will agree on an ordinance for sending one-month notices to people who have reached the retirement age.
"Some of the ministries have apparently forgotten what the law states and we will remind them with an ordinance that a month before people turn the required retirement age, they should receive a one-month notice," Djankov said.
Bulgaria has effectively completed the transition period for adopting the euro, though formal legal adoption remains pending
Bulgarian National Bank Governor Dimitar Radev took part in a meeting of EU Heads of Mission held under the European Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus
As of February 27, 2026, the withdrawal of leva banknotes and coins and their replacement with euro cash is proceeding under the established legal framework and operational plans, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) reported.
Bulgaria’s external debt reached just over €25.37 billion at the end of 2025, Acting Finance Minister Georgi Klisurski reported
At a session of the Council of Ministers, the government approved a draft law amending and supplementing the existing budget extension legislation, the acting Minister of Finance Georgi Klisurski announced.
The Coordination Center for the Euro Adoption Mechanism held its regular briefing yesterday, highlighting that the process of adopting the euro in Bulgaria is progressing smoothly. One of the central points of discussion was the current inflation situatio
Novinite 2025 in Review: A Year That Tested Bulgaria and the World
A Disgraceful Betrayal: Bulgaria's Shameful Entry into Trump's Board of Peace