11.01.2022
THE RAPID DECLINE OF THE LABOR FORCE IN BULGARIA HAS CONCRETE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE ECONOMY
Although the publication of the final full results of last autumn's census remains far in the future - perhaps even at the end of the year - the initial (and preliminary) data published by the NSI on the country's population, districts and age structure allow a number of important conclusions, writes economist Adrian Nikolov in an analysis of the Institute of Market Economics (IME).
First of all, we cannot miss the problems with the conduct of the census itself, marked by the extraordinary conditions - in the end, they affect both the speed of publishing the final results and the quality of the data obtained.
Apparently, the biggest problem is the failure of the electronic census, which the statistical institute expected to cover the majority of the population, and has reached only a third - in cases even since 2011, despite the far wider penetration of the Internet.
This in turn leads to a lack of sufficient censuses, delays in the whole process, and ultimately - uncovered areas and households. Whether it's a weak information campaign, a drop in trust due to hacker attacks or problems with the platform itself, the case of the refusal of electronic census will largely mark the way the 2021 census will be remembered.
Leaving aside the problems with the process itself, the first results lead to several important conclusions:
The decline in the population between 2011 and 2021 is more serious than expected, and its pace is accelerating. While the "correction" of the previous census is just under 180 thousand people, this time its size will be over 395 thousand people.
Within three decades, the country's demographic pyramid has practically reversed - while according to the 1992 census, the share of people aged 0 - 17 was 24% and that of 65+ - 14%, today their places have been reversed.
As a result, we cannot expect anything other than the aging and shrinking processes of the population to continue to accelerate over the next decade, with all the consequences for the labor market, social policy, pensions, the tax system.
The return of Bulgarians in the year of COVID-19 was far from enough to eliminate the effect of previous migration processes. As far as the NSI analysis shows, natural and mechanical processes have a relatively equal impact on population decline, it seems that income growth in recent years has not been enough to stop the flow of Bulgarians seeking better employment abroad.
There is a very big decrease - with over 885 thousand people - in the group of the population in active working age, or between 18 and 64 years. The rapid decline of the labor force brings with it concrete consequences for the Bulgarian economy - in the future more work will have to be done with fewer people, which pushes the country towards more capital-intensive industries with higher labor productivity and a clear need for raising the qualification and skills of employees.
The sharp decline in population creates the illusion of "getting rich" if we use relative indicators. The smaller population means, for example, that the GDP per capita of the country increases without the volume of GDP having increased.
If we take the data from 2020, when according to the "old" data GDP per capita was BGN 17.3 thousand, then with the "new" population its volume would increase to BGN 18.4 thousand, or an increase of more than thousand levs, not including the growth of 2021
This, in turn, leads to a "convergence" of a few percentage points compared to what Eurostat has so far reported to the average European level of GDP per capita - without, of course, anything that has changed in the real well-being of the population.
All districts, except the capital, lost population in the period between the two censuses, with the least economically developed parts of Northern Bulgaria being the most severely affected, with declines ranging between one-fifth and one-quarter within a decade.
Conversely, thanks to more favorable migration processes, the leading regional economies - Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas - manage to slow down the shrinking population.
The case of Sofia is interesting - it was expected to report a larger population, but the capital has managed to increase its population by 15%, after reporting the outflow to neighboring municipalities during the pandemic.
Population change also affects the macroeconomic indicators of the districts. With the necessary stipulation that the final data will be different - at least because the latest available regional data are for 2019 - GDP per capita is in the range of 10-15% higher in most areas, as the most visible is the effect in poorer areas.
The exception is the capital - due to the larger population than reported in the current estimates, the average level of GDP per capita decreases by just over 10%. In other words, among the consequences of the census will be the reporting of shrinking economic inequalities between the districts and faster catching up with the leader Sofia than the other districts.
The initial data released this week by the NSI are just a small part of what the census will provide to analysts and policy makers. However, the sharp decline in the number of able-bodied people, the reversal of the demographic pyramid and the concentration of the population in the capital give a lot of food for thought and lead to urgent changes.
11.01.2022
FROM FEBRUARY, BANK TRANSFERS WILL BE FASTER
One hour. This is how much it will take all the transfers that consumers and companies make to each other through the Bulgarian banks since February. At the moment, such a fast transfer is paid extra, which costs more to companies.
The BNB assures that banks will no longer have grounds to charge extra for fast transactions.
Currently, payments are made three times a day through the BISERA system and if they are transferred in the afternoon, for example, they may not arrive until the next day. For instant translation is the RINGS system, the use of which is paid extra.
With the changes, transfers will take place through the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). In practice, payment orders will be executed 24 hours a day, on all calendar days of the year.
For now, payments to the budget are excluded from the innovation. There, the BGN transactions will be transferred to SEPA at a later stage.
However, facilitating the bank transfer will cost money, as at present. Withdrawing and depositing money at cash desks in bank offices is traditionally many times more expensive than online banking.
Since the beginning of the year, in addition, a number of banks have again increased their fees. According to the BNB, withdrawing money from an ATM of the bank from which the card was issued costs an average of BGN 0.25, and from a foreign bank - BGN 1.15. When this is done at the counter, the service costs an average of BGN 2.81, or 0.41 % of the withdrawn amount, with a minimum payment of BGN 3.50.
According to BNB data for the 11 months of the past year, banks received net income from fees and commissions of BGN 1.12 billion, and for the whole of 2020 they received BGN 1.04 billion.
10.01.2022
WE CAN FILE OUR TAX RETURNS TODAY
The 2022 tax campaign begins on January 10. The submission of the income declarations of the individuals by electronic means, by mail and in the offices of the Revenue Agency starts today.
In early March 2022, after the submission of data by employers and payers of fees, will be released and pre-filled declaration of income, which is submitted with a runway or electronic signature through the Portal for electronic services of the NRA.
It will automatically enter data on income from employment received in 2021, civil contracts and fees, rental income for properties whose tenants are legal entities and others.
The deadline for using the 5% discount for early declaration and payment is March 31, and the deadline for declaring income and paying the tax due this year is May 3, the first working day after April 30, reminded by the Revenue Agency.
Persons operating as traders, sole traders and farmers who have chosen this order of taxation shall submit their declarations from 1 March to 30 June.
This is the period in which companies must also declare corporate tax (Article 92 of the Corporate Income Tax Act), tax on expenses, tax on income of budgetary enterprises, as well as tax on the operation of ships. The deadline for payment of these taxes is June 30.
Additional information about the tax and insurance requirements can be obtained on the website of the Revenue Agency www.nap.bg and on the phone of the Information Center of the National Revenue Agency 0700 18 700 at a price according to the tariffs of the respective operator.
10.01.2022
HOW MUCH WILL BE THE HEALTH CONTRIBUTION FOR THE UNEMPLOYED BY MARCH
The unemployed who are not on the stock exchange, as well as the people who pay their own contributions until the end of March 2022, will continue to pay BGN 26 per month for the health contribution.
This is understood from the Bill submitted to the National Assembly for extension until March 31, 2022 of the provisions of the State Budget Act.
Thus, the minimum insurance income, which will be BGN 650 for another three months, and the maximum - BGN 3,000 remain unchanged. They serve to determine the amount of the health contribution, which is 8% on not less than BGN 325. and not more than BGN 3,000 per month.
According to the Health Insurance Act, the uninsured on other grounds are insured on an income not less than half of the minimum monthly income for the self-insured.
The proposals in the bill extend the validity of various payments from the treasury, for example - for additional salaries of first-line physicians, assistance for children with disabilities and other expenses.
At the same time, amounts such as the minimum income of an employee in the state administration, which practically always coincides with the minimum wage, are maintained until this term. At the moment it is 650 leva.
According to the Public Finance Act, if there is no adopted budget for the year, until the vote on it by the parliament and its promulgation in the State Gazette, the state works with 1/12 of the existing one per month.
10.01.2022
THE EIF AND RAIFFEISENBANK HAVE AGREED ON ANOTHER 150M EUROS TO SUPPORT BULGARIAN BUSINESS
The European Investment Fund (EIF) and Raiffeisenbank (Bulgaria) signed new guarantee agreements for another 150m euros to continue supporting Bulgarian business during the COVID-19 pandemic. The application period has been extended by another year until 31.12.2022, the bank announced.
The agreements enable Raiffeisenbank (Bulgaria) to continue supporting Bulgarian small, medium and intermediate enterprises. The total amount of the guarantee, supported by the European Investment Fund, reaches 300m euros. The funding provided is provided by the EGF Guarantee Facility, implemented by the European Investment Fund (EIF) with the financial support of the Member States of the European Union, which contribute to the Pan-European Guarantee Fund (EGF).
Under the agreements, the companies will have access to financing with investment loans with a repayment period of up to 10 years, working capital loans of up to 5 years and revolving loans/overdrafts of up to 4-5 years, depending on the state aid regime, the financial institution explained.
So far, as a result of cooperation between Raiffeisenbank and the EIF, there are agreements worth more than 1.1 billion euros, including more than 560 million euros available to Bulgarian small and medium-sized enterprises to overcome the negative economic effects of the covid pandemic.
"Businesses across Europe continue to feel the economic consequences of the KOVID-19 pandemic. The strengthened partnership between the EIF and Raiffeisenbank under the European Guarantee Fund will provide much-needed funding to meet the needs of Bulgarian companies," said Roger Havenitt, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the EIF.
"Support for small and medium-sized enterprises during the more affordable financing pandemic is the key to Bulgaria's economic recovery and prosperity. Under the European Guarantee Fund, the EIB Group has so far approved 12 operations expected to mobilize more than 2.1 billion Euro investments in the Bulgarian economy", said the Vice President of the European Investment Bank Lilyana Pavlova.
According to Dobromir Dobrev, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Raiffeisenbank (Bulgaria) in Corporate Banking and Capital Markets, 7,600 projects of Bulgarian small and medium-sized companies have been supported, thanks to the partnership with the EIF, with over 680 million euros.
10.01.2022
THE STATE PAYS FOR THE STUDY OF STUDENTS IF THEY HAVE AN INTERNSHIP CONTRACT WITH AN EMPLOYER
The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) publishes a register of specialties for which the state pays in full or in part the costs of studying under a contract with an employer for the student's internship for the period of study and work after successful completion.
In addition to information about the specialties, students now have access to the list of all companies with which they can conclude an internship and employment contract to receive financial support from the state.
The register allows for a two-way connection between students and business. Students will find it easier to find a place for their professional realization, and companies - necessary specialists for their work.
The information system of the specialties and the employers is maintained by the National Center for Information and Documentation (NACID) at the Ministry of Education and Science.
The state pays in full or in part the tuition fees for students in 96 different specialties, in case they have a contract with a specific company for internship and work after graduation. The list of specialties for which the state covers the costs of training is prepared by universities, forms of education and number of students according to the needs of the labor market. It is updated every year to best meet the needs of highly qualified personnel for the economy.
The Council of Ministers annually approves the list of employers with whom students can conclude internship and employment contracts. At the suggestion of various ministries, 154 companies have been approved this academic year. For 2021/2022, these employers have stated the need for 975 specialists.
You can see the register of employers and specialties for which the state provides financial support in concluding an internship and employment contract HERE.
10.01.2022
DECREASE IN JOB POSTINGS IN DECEMBER
In the last month of 2021, job advertisements on the leading sites decreased by 35 percent, according to the monthly analysis of the dynamics of the labor market in our country of HR company and career site JobTiger, the company said.
Analysts say there should be no cause for concern. The decline in offers in December is traditional and is mainly due to the greater number of weekends for the Christmas and New Year holidays, during which the vast majority of employers do not publish new job offers, the analysis said.
Although they are less, the number of ads is 49 percent more than in December 2020.
As in the total number, so in all sectors, there was a decline in proposals in December.
The largest decline was in the sector "Production" - 44 percent, followed by "Accounting, Auditing, Finance" - 43 percent and "Construction" - 41 percent decline. In other industries, the decline in ads is as follows: "Marketing and Advertising" - 38 percent, "Administrative and Service Activities" - 36 percent, "Trade and Sales" - 34 percent, "Health and Pharmacy" - 32 percent, "Logistics and transport "- 31 percent," Hotels and restaurants "- 25 percent and IT - 15 percent.
Proposals for work from home and / or telecommuting decreased by 25 percent compared to November. Their share in the total number of ads is 17.1 percent, and as in previous months, they are most numerous in the IT sector - 69 percent, followed by "Administrative and service activities" - 14 percent and the outsourcing / BPO / industry - 13 percent and "Trade and Sales" - 4 percent.
The IT sector already ranks first in share with 22 percent of the total number of ads. According to the analysis of the HR company and career site JobTiger, this is the fastest and fastest growing sector in 2021. From the beginning to the end of the year the number of proposals has doubled, and as a share it has climbed from fourth place to 10- 12 percent share to 22 percent first.
It is followed by the current leading sector "Trade and Sales" with 21 percent share, followed by "Production" with 13 percent and "Administrative and service activities" - 11 percent.
The share of ads in other industries is as follows: "Hotels and restaurants" - 10 percent, "Logistics and Transport" - nine percent, "Accounting, Auditing, Finance" - 4.4 percent, "Construction" - 4 , 3 percent, "Health and Pharmacy" - 4.1 percent, "Marketing and Advertising" - three percent and "Art" - one percent.
Only 150, or 0.4 percent of the total, are the proposals that require a green certificate certifying the completion of a cycle of vaccination against COVID-19 or disease.
According to the observations of the JobTiger team, the proposals in which this requirement is present continue to be mainly in the sectors "Hotels and restaurants", "Services" and "Trade and sales". Although they vary as a share of all ads in the last quarter of the year, their number remains almost unchanged.
In December, more than half of the proposals in the country were concentrated in the capital. The share of these ads is 51 percent of all proposals, and in other cities it is as follows: Plovdiv - nine percent, Varna - eight percent, Burgas and Ruse - three percent, Stara Zagora - two percent. Together, the ads in these cities make up 77 percent of the proposals in Bulgaria.
We are facing a situation of rapidly growing morbidity and the presence of the new Omicron strain in the country. Although experience so far has shown that each wave of the pandemic is causing less and less economic damage, there is still some risk to the labor market, the company said.
The analysis states that we are entering the new year with optimism. The drop in ads by more than 1/3 in December should not be a cause for concern, as expectations are traditionally expected in January for the number of proposals to recover quickly and for healthy growth in the labor market in the coming months. This is confirmed by the observation that only in the first week of this month the number of ads has increased by 19 percent, according to the company.
06.01.2022
EUROPEAN DIRECT FINANCING PROGRAMS IN 2022
Record funding from the EU budget for 2022 makes the year crucial for the recovery of economies after covid, as well as for their transition to green and digital transformation. To achieve these goals, businesses, the public and non-governmental sectors will be able to benefit from a huge number of programs in 2022 directly to the EU.
Here you will see the first part of them:
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) supports the EU's objectives in transport, energy and digital technologies by enabling or accelerating investment in projects of common interest and supporting cross-border cooperation.
Digital priorities include providing gigabit connectivity for socio-economic drivers such as hospitals, schools and research centers, wireless connectivity with local communities and more. Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Digitalisation, said: "Investing in cross-border connectivity will continue to play a key role in transforming Europe's competitiveness and improving it. Improving networks and infrastructure will ensure that Europe's citizens and businesses have access to new jobs, compete in new markets and strengthen their activities."
In the transport sector, CEF is committed to implementing TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network) and supporting investment in cross-border connections, missing links, as well as promoting sustainability and digitalisation.
The energy part of the budget should be dedicated to the transition to clean energy and a more connected, smarter and digitalised EU energy system. Most of the funds should be allocated to cross-border projects.
The budget for 2021-2027 amounts to EUR 21.4 billion for transport (of which EUR 10 billion will be allocated from the Cohesion Funds); 5.2 billion euros for energy; € 1.8 billion for digital technologies.
Currently announced for the following calls: proposals to promote regional cooperation for a sustainable blue economy (deadline 12 January); CEF Transport (until January 19); Preparatory studies for cross-border renewable energy projects (until 1 February); Innovation Fund second large-scale call for projects (until March 3); CISE incident warning system (until April 7), etc.
Apply here.
Digital Europe is the new European program focused on building the EU's strategic digital capacity and facilitating the widespread deployment of digital technologies. It will fund investment in technology, but also its widespread use among citizens, businesses and public administrations, including through the development of digital skills.
Key areas for the 2021-2022 work program include artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, advanced computing, data infrastructure, management and processing, and their deployment and best use for critical sectors such as energy and the environment, manufacturing, agriculture and healthcare.
Budget: 2021 - 2027 7.5 billion euros. Co-financing rate: up to 100%
On 17 November 2021, the European Commission launched the first set of calls for proposals focusing on digital technologies, cybersecurity and digital innovation and application centers. EUR 415 million is expected to be invested in European cloud infrastructure, and another EUR 43 million in grants will be invested in strengthening cybersecurity in the health sector.
Specialized master's and educational programs in key areas, including AI, data, cybersecurity, quantum and high-performance computing, will be open to applications; Analysis of advanced digital skills: Preparatory actions for the data space for skills: creating a common, universal European data space and ensuring secure access to and storage of large data sets through energy efficient cloud structures. More information and application here.
Erasmus+ will continue to cover schools, vocational education and training, higher education and adult, youth and sport education. Opportunities for students in higher or vocational education to have experience outside Europe will be expanded. Erasmus + also needs to improve coverage and inclusion through new formats such as virtual exchanges and shorter study periods abroad.
The Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Maria Gabriel, said: "In 2022, Erasmus + marks 35 years of successfully providing opportunities for people to study and gain experience studying abroad. We want to enable more people to take part and take advantage of what Erasmus+ has to offer. We will also celebrate the European Year of Youth in 2022 and Erasmus+ will play a central role."
The budget for 2021-2027 amounts to 26 billion euros, of which 3.9 billion euros for 2022.
A guide to the program can be found here, and the application is here.
The Creative Europe program focuses on cooperation in the field of:
Funding includes cooperation projects, networks, platforms, mobility for artists and cultural professionals and policy development.
Sectoral support: support for music, publishing, cultural heritage and architecture, as well as other sectors.
Special actions: EU Cultural Awards, European Capitals of Culture, European Heritage Label, support for young high-quality artists and a wide range of citizen services.
Budget: 2021 - 2027: 2.4 billion euros. Co-financing rates: 80% for small cooperation projects; 60% co-financing for medium-range cooperation (new category); 50% for large cooperation projects.
Handbook and application here.
EU4Health is the EU's response to COVID-19, which has had a major impact on medical and healthcare staff, patients and healthcare systems in Europe. Funding is for EU countries, health organizations and non-governmental organizations in order to:
Budget: 2021 - 2027: 5.1 billion euros
Currently open grant programs include: Grants to support the implementation of best practices to address mental health challenges during COVID-19; support for actions to improve access to vaccination against human papillomavirus; "Capacity and mapping capacity for cancer treatment in the EU" - a network of comprehensive oncology centers, with a deadline of 25 January 2022.
Grants to support the accreditation and certification of quality assurance schemes for breast, colorectal and cervical cancer screening programs with a deadline of 17 February 2022.
More information and application here.
LIFE+ is an EU financial instrument supporting projects for action on the environment, nature conservation and climate across the EU. Budget: MFF 2021-2027: € 5.432 billion
Maximum co-financing rates are foreseen:
For 2022 are provided:
More information and application here.
Horizon Europe is the world's largest research and innovation program. Horizon Europe replaces Horizon 2020. It consists of 3 pillars: excellent science; global challenges and European industrial competitiveness; innovative Europe. A cross-sectoral element also aims to increase participation and strengthen the European Research Area.
The second and third pillars are the most accessible for the Bulgarian reality. The second pillar has a focus: healthcare; culture, creativity and inclusive society; civil security for society; digital, industrial and space; climate energy and mobility; food bioeconomics; natural resources, agriculture and the environment). The third pillar includes, for the first time, a section on European innovation ecosystems aimed at streamlining international, national and local innovation programs to stimulate innovation in public services and to provide market opportunities for European innovators. In particular, the Innovation Procurement Instruments (PPIs) and the Public Sector Innovation Observatory could be of importance to local authorities.
Budget for 2021 - 2027: 90.1 billion euros NGEU: 5.4 billion euros.
The planned calls for projects for 2022 can be found here, and the application is done here.
05.01.2022
OPERATIONAL PROGRAM "SCIENCE AND EDUCATION FOR SMART GROWTH" ANNOUNCES A TENDER PROCEDURE FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS "SUPPORT FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS FOR ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION"
The Managing Authority of the Operational Program "Science and Education for Smart Growth" 2014-2020 (OPNOIR) announces an application procedure for grants through the selection of project proposals BG05M2OP001-3.019 "Support for vulnerable groups for access to higher education" under Priority Axis 3 "Educational environment for active social inclusion", Investment priorities 9i "Active inclusion, including with a view to promoting equal opportunities and active participation, and better employability" and 9ii "Socio-economic integration of marginalized communities, such as the Roma ”.
The main goal of the procedure is social integration of vulnerable groups by creating conditions for their transition from secondary to higher education.
The specific objectives of the procedure are:
The grant procedure is implemented with the financial support of the European Social Fund.
The projects will be implemented on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria in partnership between schools, universities and non-profit legal entities.
Activities that will receive support include:
Activity 1. Identification and motivation of the representatives of the target groups for completing secondary education and continuing education in higher education, including work with the parents of students from vulnerable groups.
Activity 2. Support for continuing education of the target groups in higher education through two sub-activities:
Sub-activity 2.1. Additional training of students from vulnerable groups from the second high school stage, in order to successfully pass the state matriculation exams according to ZPUO (compulsory and additional matriculation exams) and apply to higher education.
Sub-activity 2.2. Support for refreshing knowledge and updating the competencies of individuals and young people from vulnerable groups with completed secondary education for the purposes of their application to higher education.
Activity 3. Support for the training of students from vulnerable groups in the first year.
Activity 4. Support for professional development of educational mediators / teacher's assistant with completed secondary education.
The total amount of the grant under the current procedure is BGN 7 million.
The minimum amount of the provided grant is BGN 100,000 for one project proposal, and the maximum amount is BGN 195,583.
The full set of application guidelines is published on the following Internet addresses: https://eumis2020.government.bg, http://opnoir.bg and www.eufunds.bg.
Applicants in the procedure may request clarification on the Guidelines up to three weeks before the application deadline. Additional questions on the Guidelines for Applicants are asked in writing through UMIS 2020 (https://eumis2020.government.bg), module "Clarifications on the procedure", as well as on the e-mail of the MA of OPNOIR: infosf@mon.bg as clearly indicate the name of the grant procedure.
Clarifications are given regarding the Conditions for application, do not contain an opinion on the quality of the project proposal and are mandatory for each applicant. The questions of the candidate and the explanations of the MA are communicated (published) on the website of the MA http://opnoir.bg, in the section "Procedures/Questions and Answers" and in UMIS2020: https://eumis2020.government.bg (to the documents under the procedure) within 10 days from the receipt of the request, but not later than two weeks before the expiration of the application period.
The deadline for application/submission of project proposals is 05.04.2022, 17:30, through UMIS 2020. Project proposals are submitted by applicants only in electronic format, signed with a qualified electronic signature (QES).
You will find all file documents at https://www.eufunds.bg
05.01.2022
MORE THAN 150,000 FREE VIGNETTES FOR THE DISABLED ARE EXPIRING
In the first three months of 2022, the validity of 154,303 electronic vignettes granted through the Agency for Social Assistance to People with Disabilities expires. A total of 229,361 are e-vignettes provided in 2021 to people with disabilities. They amount to over BGN 22.2 million and are at the expense of the budget of the Road Infrastructure Agency.
Most free vignettes expire in January - 97,426. In February - 37,701, and in March 19,176. Checking the validity of the e-vignettes can be done on the RIA website www.api.bg and www.bgtoll.bg. The direct link to check is https://check.bgtoll.bg.
People with 50 percent and with more than 50 percent reduced working capacity, as well as families raising children with permanent disabilities are entitled to a free one-year e-vignette. The right is for a car with engine power up to 160 hp. It is recommended that applications for the renewal of free vignettes be submitted as their expiry date approaches.
They are submitted to the Social Assistance Directorate at the current address - in person, by letter or electronically with an electronic signature. The social services process the documents within 7 days. The Social Assistance Agency sends the processed applications on a daily basis to the Road Infrastructure Agency, which issues the e-vignette within the next working day.
When transferring ownership, the free e-vignette does not follow the car. In these cases, the eligible person must notify the RIA within three working days in order to receive a new free vignette from the ASA.
Transfer of ownership means the purchase and sale of a road vehicle or the scrapping of a car and the transfer of a licensed dismantling company. When the car is scrapped and left for storage in a private property, the person is not entitled to be issued a new free electronic vignette until the expiration of the original validity.
In case of difficulties and need for consultation, those wishing to be issued a free e-vignette through the Social Assistance Agency can contact the customer service center of the National Toll Management by phone: 0700 10 876 or in writing by e-mail: info@bgtoll.bg.
