site.btaRuling Party Denies Having Plans to Slash Paid Maternity Leave, Benefits

The Bulgarian ruling party, Progressive Bulgaria, Monday denied having plans to slash paid maternity leave. "Neither the conditions [of paid maternity leave], nor its duration, nor the amount of maternity benefits will be changed," Konstantin Prodanov, chair of the temporary parliamentary committee on budget and finance, told reporters at the National Assembly on Monday.

He was commenting on remarks made by Vladimir Nikolov, an MP from the Progressive Bulgaria parliamentary group, during an interview on bTV, who was widely reported as saying that the ruling party planned reducing paid maternity leave and maternity benefits.

According to Prodanov, Nikolov's words had been misinterpreted and taken out of context.

"The focus was on the state's failure to address the pressing shortage of childcare facilities, and on the need for the government to fulfill its responsibilities by creating sufficient capacity so that every child can have a place in a kindergarten or nursery," Prodanov said.

He added that at a later stage, his party will propose additional incentives for mothers who wish to return to work before the end of their maternity leave, making the conditions even more favorable than those currently in place.