Balgarianovinite.com As she presented her priorities on Wednesday, Labour and Social Policy Minister Nataliya Efremova said that social payments were secured. “Social payments are guaranteed – pensions, supplements and assistance for people with disabilities, as well as for families and children, will continue to be paid,” she said at a press conference.
A major portion of the budget of the M of Labour and Social Policy consists of social payments, which are most often linked to the poverty line or the minimum wage, she said.
Ensuring the sustainability of the pension system would be the main focus of her work, Efremova announced. She added that her work would also be based on several analyses outlining phased measures. Effective oversight of revenue collection and tackling the grey economy were also important, she said. According to Efremova, this would help improve not only social security contributions, but also demonstrate “zero tolerance for undeclared labour”. She added that the Ministry would propose removing certain social expenditures from the state social insurance system and incorporating them into the broader social welfare system.
Regarding the roadmap for pension reform, Efremova explained that the system would first be reviewed, after which proposals for measures concerning the social insurance system – which she described as “extremely conservative” – would be put forward.
“My personal goal for the 2027 budget will be to work on maternity-related policies,” Efremova said. Once the package of proposals has been prepared and discussed with the Finance Ministry, it will be presented publicly, she added.
The Ministry is continuing its work under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, with the largest investment aimed at social infrastructure in care homes for elderly people, Efremova said in response to a question from BTA regarding European funding. She said she expected reconstruction and renovation works to be completed by the end of August. The Minister acknowledged delays in the construction of new social services for people with disabilities, but assured that efforts were being made to avoid losing funding.
Another major investment concerns digital skills training, Efremova added. She also assured that there were no issues with the Human Resources Development Programme. Efremova highlighted the I Choose Bulgaria project as another important initiative. However, she said the Food and Basic Material Support programme faced insufficient financial resources. According to the Minister, funding would be secured for the Hot Lunch programme through to the end of 2027 via phased extensions of municipalities’ contracts.
Another key focus for the Ministry’s new team will be the labour market. A review of methodologies for assessing people’s social needs is forthcoming. There will also be a review of arrangements for employing close family members, as employment contracts are not always the most suitable form of engagement.
Asked whether there were any “time bombs” within the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Efremova replied that the review of the Ministry’s structures had not identified excessive or irregular spending.
Efremova also introduced the deputy ministers. Nadya Klisurska will oversee demographic policy, social inclusion, and policies supporting children, families and people with disabilities. Lilia Stoyanovich will supervise international activities, European affairs and the management of European funds within the Ministry. Danail Rusev will be responsible for labour market issues, training funding and related measures. Social Policy Minister Presents Priorities, Says Social Payments Are Secured 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-27 12:53:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law