site.btaDeputy PM Zafirov Hosts Roundtable on Volunteer Work

Volunteer work is not just a mission or a cause, but an opportunity to unite the efforts of institutions and the civil sector, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov said Monday at a round table organized on his initiative at the Council of Ministers, on volunteer work in Bulgaria and state support for volunteers.

The forum is important, urgent, and timely, said the Deputy Prime Minister. He recalled that one of the bills to promote volunteer work was submitted by him and a group of MPs on November 13, 2024. On April 17 of last year, the National Assembly considered the proposal at first reading, along with two other bills submitted by two other parliamentary groups – GERB-UDF and Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria.

The three bills shared one common goal - to create a clear, stable, and fair legal framework for volunteer work in Bulgaria, Zafirov said. He noted that afterwards, a working group was supposed to be formed to prepare a unified draft law to be considered at the second reading in Parliament.

Zafirov outlined as a positive fact that even at the very first meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society, a decision was made to hold a joint meeting. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, this is a clear sign that the topic of volunteering has been recognized as a priority by the civil sector.

The discussion is important, he said, because it will help structure the different perspectives and proposals included in the draft law. Moreover, it will provide a foundation for a broader and more sustainable public dialogue on the subject.

“The Bulgarian public has been waiting for this bill for more than 15 years,” said Zafirov.