Bulgaria will debate today whether it needs a Social Support Code, at a public talk starting at 9:30 a.m. in the Granite Hall of the Council of Ministers. The Economic and Social Council invited ministers, MPs, employers, trade unions and civic groups to take part, the council and the labour ministry said.
Deputy prime minister and finance minister Galab Donev and labour and social policy minister Natalia Efremova are among those expected to attend. The labour ministry and the Council of Ministers had asked the Economic and Social Council to set up the discussion.
Speakers will look at the risks of putting all social laws into one code and how that would affect the size of social payments. They will also discuss how wide the future code should be, which laws and rules should go into it, and how to link the different kinds of support more closely.
The talk will cover how well the social system works, where public money goes, and what needs to change because of economic shifts and crises. Alongside a full code, organisers see a clear road map as another option. The council hopes the meeting will point out unsolved problems and the next steps toward a system that works better and hangs together more closely.
Organisers say the talks build on opinions and studies the council has already finished. These say the different parts of the system need to work together better and need shared rules for social support — "adequacy, clear targeting, timely help, openness and staying power".
The papers came out of talks between employer groups, trade unions and civic organisations, the council says. Some of its advice is already written into law, including in the overhaul of the minimum income system.