Government proposes increase in minimum pension from 1 July

The National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC) (which includes trade unions, employers’ organisations and the government) on May 19 discussed a draft law amending and supplementing the Competition Protection Act and a draft amendment to the Consumer Protection Act, both submitted by Yavor Gechev and a group of MPs. The Council also considered a separate draft law on the collection of revenues and execution of expenditures in 2026 until the adoption of the state budget, the social security budget and the National Health Insurance Fund budget for 2026, introduced by Vladimir Radev and a group of MPs.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev told a briefing at the Council of Ministers after the meeting that consensus had not been reached on the first two items on the agenda.

“The employers’ organisations abstained from supporting the two draft laws, but will take a constructive approach and provide specific texts for amendments between the first and second readings. The trade unions in principle supported the proposed draft laws on items one and two. On item three, the members of the NCTC, with the exception of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria, reached unanimity on the proposed increase of the minimum pension for length of service and old age from €322.37 to €347.51, effective from 1 July 2026,” Minister Donev said.

He added that all four employers’ organisations had approached the content of the texts “with a high level of commitment and responsibility”, and that none of them had stated opposition to the proposals.

Rumen Radev, president of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria (AICB), said employers had chosen to abstain but remained open to improvements.

“In this form, as presented, the texts lead us to abstain from support, but we have submitted written opinions and proposals which, along with further refinements between the two readings, could ultimately lead to support for final texts, provided they do not distort the market,” he said.

CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov said the union supported both draft laws on competition and consumer protection, while also making a series of proposals.

“For us, the key question is whether these laws will give the Commission for Protection of Competition and the Consumer Protection Commission justified powers to influence the market within the framework provided by law and the Constitution,” he said.