site.btaHot Lunch Programme Funding Secured for 2026 - Outgoing Social Policy Minister

At a briefing here on Tuesday, the outgoing Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Borislav Gutsanov, announced that the government is providing nearly BGN 25 million for the Hot Lunch programme for 67,000 people.

"We have just decided on the funds needed for the so-called "Hot Lunch", which is provided under European programmes that ended on September 30 this year", the Minister said. He stressed that funds had been reallocated within the Ministry of Social Policy to enable the programme to continue until September 30, 2026.

The outgoing Minister said that regardless of which government is in power, the funds for the programme have been secured for some of the most vulnerable people. He added that hot lunches are a necessity, not a luxury, for people in need, and thanked the outgoing prime minister and ministers for finding the money. Gutsanov recalled that the outgoing government had also found funds for the Care at Home programme, which amounted to around BGN 150 million

In response to a question, the outgoing minister said that all systems at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy are ready for payments in euros after January 1.