Bulgaria now has an official definition of a household with children in extreme poverty, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy said. This lets officials start mapping where these children and families live.

The National Statistical Institute (NSI) proposed the definition. Members of the National Council on Social Inclusion at the Council of Ministers discussed it at an online meeting opened by social minister Natalia Efremova.

"We have families and children living in such severe poverty and isolation that we often cannot reach them through the different support schemes," Efremova said.

The project needs reliable data on which children and families are in the worst social and economic situation, and where they live, she said. That is why Bulgaria must agree what extreme child poverty means and which children fall into this group.

The aim is to find these children and families. Resources can then be sent to them more effectively, and policies for their well-being will improve.

The NSI is developing the terminology and the tools under the project "Improving coordination in carrying out all activities of the European Child Guarantee". The project is funded under the Human Resources Development Programme 2021-2027, which is co-funded by the European Social Fund Plus.

The project also covers telling people where and how to use social, education and health services, making those services easier to reach, and improving cooperation between institutions.

"Carrying out the European Child Guarantee will cut the number of children at risk of poverty in Bulgaria by almost 200,000 by 2030," Efremova said. She added that the cut is a national target.

More than 100,000 children have so far received help under the initiative's measures.

Children's well-being is a priority for both Europe and Bulgaria, the minister said. She said Bulgaria takes an active part in the initiative and is strongly committed to it. The result depends on cooperation and joint effort by all the institutions responsible, she said.

Back in June, Efremova said the state and non-governmental organisations share a common mission: fewer children in Bulgaria at risk of poverty or social exclusion.