site.btaBill Seeks to Make Holiday Social Assistance Permanent State Budget Item

Outgoing Minister of Labour and Social Policy Borislav Gutsanov told a press conference here on Wednesday that he will sign a bill that his Ministry drafted to the National Assembly that is related to social assistance. The bill proposes that financial assistance to disadvantaged citizens ahead of Easter and Christmas be included in the state budget.

Gutsanov said: "There was a letter from the Chair of the parliamentary Committee on Labour and Social Policy Denitsa Sacheva asking how we could ensure that we did not have to give out aid every Christmas and Easter, without knowing who would receive it, whether there would be [sufficient] funds or not."

In her letter from November 18, 2025, Sacheva argued that a sustainable legislative solution is needed to support the most vulnerable members of society, and that solution should not be dependent on shifting political circumstances but grounded in consistent state policy.

Gutsanov specified that the vulnerable include not just pensioners but also people with many children, people with disabilities, single mothers. He added: "I hope that we will be able to ensure that this bill is passed by the end of this National Assembly, and [I hope that we] take a step in the right direction, so that not only pensioners, but all people in such a difficult situation know that there is someone to take care of them and someone supporting them and their families." The Minister said that the proposal provides for the funds to be disbursed in December and March.

When asked about estimates for the benefits, Gutsanov said that this will be determined by the state budget. He added: "Let the majority in the National Assembly, the representatives of the people, be the ones who know, with the adoption of the budget, what the possibilities are, what the inflation rate in the country is, what has happened during the year in terms of purchasing power, inflationary processes, as well as the capacity of the treasury, to determine the funds that these people will receive, not only for pensioners. At the same time, we want to take into account that some people do indeed receive the minimum pension but also have additional income that could come from leased farmland or from rented apartments. The goal is to ensure fairness when these funds are allocated from the state budget."

Gutsanov reported that anyone affected by the disasters in Kardzhali, Krumovgrad, Kirkovo, and the surrounding villages will receive EUR 1,550. The funds will come from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy budget. Commenting on the potential number of people who will be supported, the Minister said that it depends on how many of them submit applications for support. He added: "So far, there has not been a single family that has submitted its documents, which of course meet the necessary conditions, and has not received this support from our Ministry."