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The plenary chamber of the Bulgarian Nationa Assembly. Photo: BGNES
The Budget and Finance Committee of the Bulgarian parliament approved on Monday the draft government budget for next year.
The chairperson of the committee, Menda Stoyanova, proposed the planned cuts to the social benefits of police officers, which had been the cause of large-scale protests across the country earlier in November, to be dropped.
In order for the proposed cuts to be finally withdrawn, the MPs will have to reject them at their plenary sitting on Tuesday.
Apart from the 2016 draft government budget, the committee also adopted the draft budgets of the State Social Insurance and the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK).
The three draft budgets are expected to be discussed in the plenary chamber on Tuesday, daily Dnevnik informs.
The committee voted in favour of the increase of pensions by 2.5 % starting from 1 July 2016.
The unemployment and maternity benefits will retain their 2015 levels, respectively BGN 7 per day and BGN 340 per month during the second year of maternity.
The committee also approved to increase the salaries of officials of the National Social Security Institute (NOI) by a total of BGN 2 M next year.
The committee also decided to increase the funding allocated to culture by BGN 10 M, with the funds to be split between the culture ministry and the municipalities.
Just two weeks after Bulgaria officially adopted the euro, the Consumer Protection Commission (CPCo) is handling an unprecedented volume of consumer reports.
The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has updated its GDP growth forecast for Bulgaria for the 2025–2027 period, showing a more optimistic outlook than its June 2025 projections.
The Ministry of Interior has strengthened its technical fleet with the delivery of 30 new light-duty vehicles, commonly referred to as “banicharki,” intended for the maintenance and servicing of siren systems across regional and municipal structures
Health experts in Bulgaria are advocating for the introduction of a tax on sweetened soft drinks as part of a broader effort to curb non-communicable diseases.
Bulgaria has finalized a contract to acquire seven minehunter ships, marking a significant step in modernizing the country’s naval capabilities. The announcement came after a government meeting, with outgoing Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov confirming t
Bulgaria’s National Assembly on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have removed National Security Service (NSS) security from members of parliament.
The process surrounding Bulgaria’s transition to the euro is unfolding smoothly and compares favorably with similar experiences in other countries
The process of converting Bulgarian levs to euros continues smoothly, with 48.3% of the national currency already withdrawn from circulation
As Bulgaria phases out the lev at the end of January, the numismatic market is already responding to the change, though not all coins are attracting attention.
The shift to the euro in Bulgaria is proceeding more smoothly than many anticipated, according to Petar Ganev, senior economist at the Institute for Market Economics
Twelve days into Bulgaria’s adoption of the euro, the transition is showing signs of strain, particularly in the exchange of levs for euros
The Bulgarian National Bank reported that as of January 9, cash in circulation denominated in Bulgarian leva stood at 16.1 billion leva, equivalent to roughly 8.23 billion euros
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