Eurozone Accession: Economic Gains for Bulgaria, Not a Loss of Sovereignty - MEP Tsvetelina Penkova
MEP Tsvetelina Penkova emphasized that Bulgaria's potential accession to the Eurozone is rooted in economic pragmatism rather than ideology
The Bulgarian parliament will discuss the draft government budget for next year at an extraordinary plenary sitting on Tuesday.
Prior to the draft government budget, the MPs will first discuss and adopt at second reading the budgets of the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK) and the National Social Security Institute (NOI).
Among the foreseen changes are increase of child benefits paid for first child by BGN 2, increase of the minimum working wage from BGN 380 to BGN 420 and increase of retirement age by two months.
The 2016 budget foresees a deficit of 2 %, economic growth of 2.1 %, maximum amount of new government debt not exceeding BGN 5.3 B.
The parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee approved the draft government budget as well as the budgets of the State Social Insurance and NZOK on Monday.
NOI foresees indexation of pensions by 2.5 % from the middle of next year.
More families will be entitled to child benefits, with the monthly payment for first child rising from BGN 35 to BGN 37.
Child benefits for two children will be BGN 85 per month, those for three will be BGN 130, while the payments for four will be BGN 140.
The proposed budget of NZOK amounts to BGN 3.2 B, which is an increase of BGN 129 M compared to this year's one.
The MPs fulfilled their promise and dropped the proposed cuts to the social benefits of police officers, which had been the cause of large-scale police protests across the country in November.
The protest of museum, gallery and library workers led to the allocation of additional BGN 10 M to their salaries.
More funds will be allocated to healthcare, education and security, with BGN 3.1 B going to education and BGN 3.3 B to defence and security.
In April 2025, Bulgaria's inflation rate reached 2.8% year-on-year, marking an increase of 0.3% compared to the same month in 2024, when it was 2.5%
The Bulgarian capital welcomed senior representatives of the Australian Business in Europe (ABIE) network for a two-day high-level programme
According to the European Commission's Spring 2025 Economic Forecast, Bulgaria’s economy is projected to grow at a slower pace
Economist Georgi Stoev has launched a personal awareness campaign on social media to address concerns about the euro introduction in Bulgaria
Ukrainian Railways (Укрзалізниця), the state-owned railway company of Ukraine, has secured a deal to acquire 10 battery-powered locomotives from the Bulgarian manufacturer Express Service
Bulgaria’s transition to the euro raises many questions about how loans and payments will be handled
Google Street View Cars Return to Bulgaria for Major Mapping Update
Housing Prices Soar in Bulgaria’s Major Cities as Demand and Supply Strain Increase