24.09.2021
THE ROMANIAN LEU HIT A NEW RECORD LOW
The Romanian leu weakened to a record level against the euro amid growing political uncertainty in the country, central bank figures show.
Romania's central bank set its reference rate at 4,995 lei per euro on Wednesday, down 0.02% from Tuesday's value, SeeNews reported.
On Wednesday morning, the Romanian currency traded between 4.9460 and 4.9520 per euro on the interbank market, local media reported.
The Association of Investment Professionals (CFA) forecasts an exchange rate of 4.9829 lei per euro over the next six months and 5.0455 lei per euro over the next 12 months.
Leia has been weakening since early September following the resignations of coalition government ministers. The "apple of discord" was an urgent decree for a 50 billion lei (10.1 billion euros) funding scheme for rural development. Because of him, liberal Prime Minister Florin Chitu fired Justice Minister Stelian Ion. In response, the party that nominated the minister withdrew its support for the prime minister and cast a vote of no confidence in the government.
The Constitutional Court is expected to rule on September 28 on whether the no-confidence vote is legal.
22.09.2021
THE GUIDE TO FAIR SEASONAL WORK HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BY THE EUROPEAN LABOR AUTHORITY
A short survey, which is part of the "Guide to Fair Seasonal Work", helps jobseekers, as well as those already working abroad, to assess whether there is a risk of falling into a fraudulent scheme. The guide, which has already been published on the website of the GIT Executive Agency, was developed by the European Labor Authority (ELA) as part of the "Rights in All Seasons" campaign. This was announced by the press center of the Executive Agency "General Labor Inspectorate".
The rights described in the leaflet apply to EU citizens or non-EU nationals legally residing in Community countries. The information in the brochure draws attention to the equal treatment of workers, social security, working and living conditions, etc. In case of questions and complaints from employees, a link is provided where they can check which institution to contact.
On the Unified Information Website of Bulgaria on the posting of workers, the Labor Inspectorate has also developed a short questionnaire for self-assessment of the reality of the posting. The questionnaire can be completed here.
The Labor Inspectorate is a partner of the Employment Agency in conducting for Bulgaria the pan-European campaign of the European Labor Authority, aimed at raising awareness among cross-border seasonal workers with a focus on those employed in agriculture. The slogan of the campaign is Rights in all seasons, and posts on social networks can be found using the hashtag #Rightsforseasons.
In the period 20 - 24 September 2021, as part of the campaign, the Week of Action was declared European Union Week for seasonal workers. Within it, experts of the Labor Inspectorate participate in a series of information meetings organized by the Employment Agency. Labor inspectors also carry out increased control in agriculture.
On the website of the Labor Inspectorate, in the section "Activity", the section "Information campaigns", the sub-section "European campaign Rights in all seasons" are published other useful materials about the work of mobile workers in other EU member states.
Information on working conditions in the Member States is also published on the website of the Network for Cooperation between the European Employment Services, under the heading "Living and working conditions".
Information about the campaign is also published in a specially created section of the European Labor Authority https://www.ela.europa.eu/campaigns/rights-for-all-seasons
15.09.2021
WHEN DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO LEAVE FOR THE FIRST SCHOOL DAY?
There is no explicit provision in the Labor Code that entitles an employee to take leave due to the first school day of their child, regardless of whether he is a first grader or this is the first school day for another class at school.
Leave due to the first school day may be agreed in the collective labor agreement (CLA) or by agreement between the employee and the employer. This means that if there is no collective agreement (CLA) that applies to the individual employee, the only way to obtain the right to use this leave is by individual agreement between the parties (which can be concluded at any time during the employment relationship). If the employer does not agree to conclude an individual agreement or collective labor agreement in which this right is regulated, then leave for the first school day is not due to the employee.
Reference:
Art. 50 of the Labor Code
Art. 66, para. 2 of the Labor Code
15.09.2021
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: THE RETARGETING BIZ APP IS REVOLUTIONIZING THE E-COMMERCE MARKET
The Romanian company Retargeting Biz, which already operates in 4 European markets (Romania, Hungary, Greece and Bulgaria), has officially launched a new automated marketing platform "All in one", available to local and global online stores and their customers.
With an investment of over € 3 million and state-of-the-art technologies, the new Retargeting Biz platform is revolutionizing the e-commerce sector, putting online stores at the top level while offering a unique experience to its customers.
With Retargeting Biz, online stores receive 100% automated ads, up to 15% better Conversion Rate (CVR), up to 20% better Average Order Value (AOV) and time spent on the website, and up to 100% more high sales.
The new product is now available and the feedback received from some existing customers migrated to the new technology is "WOW"! Easy to use, automated and powered by AI, the new platform includes ingenious graphic designs and automatically generated content and two brand new marketing Simply put, this is an amazing experience for both e-commerce merchants and their customers.
"In addition to the improved existing functionalities, two brand new ones have been added: personalized recommendations (Recommendation Engine) and dynamic newsletters (Newsletter), which are very complex and highly effective for increasing the Conversion Rate (CVR) and the Average Order Rate (AOV), while improving the user experience”, says Alina Mitrika, Commercial Director of Retargeting Biz.
As a result, online stores, regardless of their size and field of activity, have a brand new, automated, easy to use and highly effective marketing platform that brings together all current marketing channels, from automated Google, Facebook and Instagram ads to push notifications popping up. windows, SMS, dynamic newsletters and recommendations with personalized content. The platform can also be accessed from the mobile application of Retargeting Biz, now for iOS and Android.
The key benefits for online stores that implement the Retargeting Biz solution are closely related to the automation and personalization of marketing campaigns, centralized management of marketing channels, quickly and easily through a single platform, and resource optimization. On the one hand, human resources are improving due to less time spent creating and managing marketing campaigns; less graphic design and content is needed. On the other hand, financial resources are brought to full potential, as ads are automated and the use of custom content improves the conversion rate, retention rate and average order value. In addition, personalized content gives website visitors and subscribers a more useful and beautiful user experience.
The company's turnover approaches 10 million lei in 2020, which means a 58% increase compared to 2019. The growth is due in part to the global expansion of e-commerce, but also to the growing awareness of the Retargeting Biz brand and the excellent results reported from customers.
Currently, the team of experts of Retargeting Biz consists of over 50 people, of which 35 are in Romania and over 15 work from different countries around the world.
"Because we are talking about a complex platform, the whole development process took two and a half years, during which several teams, both internal and external, worked to build it. Our team from Romania developed it, but also received the support of our international colleagues. They have contributed a lot in terms of feedback and testing of the platform's features. An average of 15 developers worked on the project at the same time, not to mention all those responsible for business analysis, testing, design, UX / UI, project management and content,” adds Rares Banescu. If online stores do not have enough time, human resources and do not rely on marketing agencies, by choosing the Premium Account Management service they will have a whole team of specialists who will handle their entire marketing strategy, implementation and monitoring.
The application is now available for most e-commerce platforms. As a result, online stores can make a flying start with just a few clicks. For personalized websites or platforms, Retargeting Biz's customer service and support teams provide integration assistance.
Once an online store integrates the Retargeting Biz solution, the results begin to show almost immediately for almost all campaigns. For those working through machine learning, a longer data collection period is required. The system will be continuously optimized during this period until the best results are achieved.
The main goals of the company this year are to increase the number of local and international online stores that use the Retargeting Biz platform, to consolidate its position in the Romanian, Hungarian, Greek and Bulgarian markets, as well as to expand to other European countries.
"Our main goal is to provide online stores with access to the most advanced technologies to facilitate their work and help them grow naturally and progressively. Our best publicity comes from the recommendations of our clients and we are convinced that the result will not stop appearing. First and foremost, we strive to strengthen our position in all 4 markets in which we are present, both in terms of the physical office and the local teams. In addition, we strive to expand into new foreign markets,” said Rares Banescu, CEO and Founder of Retargeting Biz.
15.09.2021
URSULA VON DER LEYEN: TO SUPPORT THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF EUROPE
2022 must be dedicated to Europe's youth, who have sacrificed so much in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech on the state of the EU to MEPs.
The main highlights of her speech were also the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, international threats and the Community Defense Union.
She said an Erasmus-like program called ALMA was being prepared, which would allow Europe's young people to gain professional experience in other countries in the community. New resources are also being sought for the Next Generation program, which funds various projects to rebuild the EU economy after the coronavirus pandemic. The main emphasis is on the green economy, education and other sectors.
"Young people in Europe have filled words with empathy with content," Von der Layen said, pointing out that the young generation is ready for bold action and is the hope for the future of the community.
In the conditions of severe crises - health, economic, we have managed as a "United Europe", said the President of the European Commission to MPs and added that more tests are ahead, especially because the countries are not recovering at the same speed.
She also noted that the EC will strictly monitor compliance with European values, such as compliance with the rule of law. Equality before the law is a right that must be respected by all countries and that this principle must be respected throughout Europe, Von der Layen added. The EU will soon begin serious work to protect European budget funds. "Corruption undermines the foundations of democracy," she said.
With regard to the fight against coronavirus, the EU will focus on accelerating the vaccination of third countries. The data show that less than 1% of vaccines are in low-income countries. There are also "worrying differences" regarding vaccination of the population in EU countries.
Von der Leyen pointed out that more than 700 million doses of vaccines have been given in EU countries, and more than 70% of the adult population of the community has already been vaccinated. But nearly half of the EU's vaccines have been exported and distributed to 130 countries around the world.
"The pandemic is a marathon, not a sprint," she said, adding that the results were due to empathy and work "as Europeans." The EC will also work to better prepare for a pandemic response.
With regard to the economy, the community has learned lessons and the recovery of gross domestic product will not take a decade, as was the case with previous economic turmoil. The EC will analyze economic governance and a number of reforms are forthcoming, targeting, for example, the labor market in Spain, the tax system in Austria, digital skills, 5G and digital technologies in general.
Another priority will be the fight against tax evasion and financial fraud. The profits that businesses generate are due to social infrastructure, education and companies have to pay fair taxes for this.
The EU will restrict the import of goods from countries that use forced labor, as "human rights are not a commodity," Von der Layen said in a speech.
Scientific data is already clear - climate change is due to human activity, said Ursula von der Leyen. She was adamant that now was the time to act and cited as an example some of the measures that European countries are taking. In recent months, for example, a very large number of electric cars have been registered in Germany. The EU will set up a Social Climate Fund to help fight energy poverty. 34 million Europeans in a state of energy poverty, recalled Ursula Von der Leyen.
She pointed out that each continent has its own responsibility in the fight against climate change, but the leading economies must support poor countries and the EU will allocate 4 billion euros a year in this regard. Von der Layen called on other partners to follow suit. The EU and the US can send a very strong signal to the world community in the fight against climate problems, and the world will "rest" if there is a clear strategy to reduce emissions from China, added Von der Layen.
"We are with the people of Afghanistan," the EC president said. She pointed out that with regard to international crises, the community works with other international organizations, but also "can and should do more on its own".
Von der Layen explained that they are working to create an EU Defense Union to reduce the community's dependence in this area. Work must be done to improve cybersecurity, to produce weapons in EU countries, so that the community can have an independent defense policy. "Europe needs to go one step further," she said.
In his speech, the EC President outlined more measures to protect media freedom. Legislation is being prepared at EU level to guarantee media freedom. "The media are not economic entities, they must work in the conditions of independence," she was categorical.
08.09.2021
CENSUS 2021
In 2021, a census of the population and housing stock in all Member States of the European Union is forthcoming. The largest statistical survey will provide reliable and comprehensive information on the number and characteristics of the population and housing.
Census 2021 will take place between September 7 and October 3, 2021. In the period September 7 - September 17, 2021, everyone in the country will be able to count themselves and their families electronically by filling out an online census card of Census 2021 Home - NSI Census 2021 (census2021.bg).
You can get acquainted with the counting card in advance at the address: karta_jilishta_16str_obrazec.pdf (census2021.bg)
01.09.2021
A NEW PENSION MECHANISM FROM TODAY
The change guarantees a higher amount of benefits paid by the insurance institute in the second pension pillar as well.
As of today, the National Social Security Institute starts calculating pensions under a new mechanism. This applies to people who are about to retire and who will receive a second pension from private funds.
The reduction, or so-called reduction of the state pension, will already be half of what was done until yesterday. The change guarantees a higher amount of the pensions paid by the insurance institute for the insured in the second pension pillar as well.
Anyone who meets the conditions to receive an employment pension, has accumulated the required length of service and age and from today onwards applies for a pension at the National Social Security Institute will benefit from the new methodology when he has kept his funds accumulated in a private fund. His state pension will be reduced by about ten percent, instead of 20 percent, as has been the case so far.
"We expect about 50 percent to reduce the reduction, that is - if the reduction for a particular person was about 20 percent, now to be under the new mechanism for reduction of about ten," explained to BNR the director of the Pensions Directorate at NSSI Lyubomira Yazadzhieva.
People with already granted disability pensions, such as seniority and age, which have been calculated with a higher reduction rate, can request a recalculation under the new mechanism by 30 September next year. This requires the submission of an application, which can be downloaded from the NSSI website.
About 172 thousand people already with disability pensions, such as seniority and old age, which were calculated with a higher reduction rate, can request a recalculation under the new mechanism by September 30 next year. The recalculation is not automatic and requires the submission of an application, which can be downloaded from the NSSI website.
However, for those who are at a minimum size, it is unlikely to have a positive effect. "This is especially true for disability pensions - out of 151 thousand disability pensions granted with a reduction of the coefficient, almost 70% are below the minimum," Yazadzhieva added. For 15,000 young retirees with seniority and old-age pensions, the recalculation would increase pensions.
Also as of today, private pension companies are starting to provide funds to those who have reached the general retirement age. The money will be paid depending on the accumulated on the personal accounts and after concluding a contract for selection of a pension product.
Daniela Petkova from the Association of Supplementary Pension Insurance Companies commented:
"There are several payment options, including three types of lifelong pensions. One must receive the relevant information in order to find out in one's exact decision which of the three types one prefers to start receiving. In recent months, many people have called us - from those who are about to retire, we have informed them. But the first step from people's point of view is to get reliable and comprehensive information about their insurance rights."
01.09.2021
THIS IS WHERE IN OUR COUNTRY THEY GIVE THE GREATEST BENEFITS TO UNEMPLOYED FOREIGNERS
Foreigners in our country who have lost their jobs receive the highest benefits in Targovishte. This is clear from the last published bulletin of the National Social Security Institute - for May this year.
According to the NSSI, the average amount of unemployment benefits received by a foreign citizen in Targovishte is BGN 958, and the average amount of this benefit in Sofia is BGN 20 less. At the same time, the average amount of compensation for Bulgarian citizens in the country is about BGN 463, with the highest value in the capital. There, the unemployed Bulgarians receive an average of about BGN 600 in unemployment benefits.
According to experts, the reason for such a difference is very simple - foreign nationals who receive benefits in our country have previously been insured for a much higher amount in another country. In addition, their number is far smaller and therefore the average amount of their benefits is higher than that of the Bulgarians, the publication points out.
By law, however, even if someone, whether a Bulgarian or a foreign citizen, has been insured abroad for very high amounts, in our country he has the right to receive 60% of the maximum insurance threshold for our country. At the moment it is BGN 3,000. This rule also applies to those working in our country. Even if they receive wages far above this threshold, they will also be entitled to compensation of 60% of it.
According to the data of the National Social Security Institute, over 17,000 foreign citizens are insured for unemployment in Bulgaria, and only 87 people from abroad receive compensation. At the same time, the insured Bulgarians in our country are 2,493,414, and the unemployed registered at the labor offices are 186,047. However, only a third of the latter receive unemployment benefits, or 65,609 people. The reason is that they have either already exercised their right to benefits in previous months, or they are not entitled to one because they are permanently unemployed.
The NSSI bulletin states that in 2021 the right to cash unemployment benefits have persons for whom insurance contributions have been paid or are due to the Unemployment Fund for at least 12 months in the last 18 months before the termination of insurance. In addition, they must be registered as unemployed with the Employment Agency and have not acquired the right to a pension for length of service and age in Bulgaria or in another country. Another condition is that they do not receive a pension for length of service and age in a reduced amount or an occupational pension. It is also required that persons do not engage in employment for which they are subject to compulsory insurance under CSR or the legislation of another country.
The daily unemployment benefit amounts to 60% of the average daily wage or the average daily insurance income on which contributions have been paid or are due to the Unemployment Fund for the last 24 calendar months preceding the month of termination of insurance. It may not be less than the minimum and greater than the maximum daily amount of the unemployment benefit determined by the State Social Insurance Budget Act for each calendar year. The minimum daily amount of the unemployment benefit for 2021 is BGN 12.00. The maximum daily amount of the unemployment benefit for 2021 is BGN 74.29. The cash benefits are paid for a period depending on the length of the insurance period. The period of service after December 31, 2001, during which they are insured for unemployment, shall be considered as insurance length of service of the persons. The minimum amount for a period of 4 months is also received by those of the unemployed persons who have acquired the right to compensation before the expiration of three years from the previous exercise of the right to compensation.
Aid can also be taken abroad
People retain their right to unemployment benefits granted in one Member State when they go to look for work in another Member State, subject to strict conditions, experts explain.
First, before leaving, the person must have been registered as a jobseeker with the employment services of the competent state for at least four weeks after becoming unemployed.
Secondly, when going to another Member State to look for work, he must be available to the employment services there within 7 days after he has ceased to be available in the country concerned and to follow the control procedure organized there.
If, within three months of the date on which he ceased to be available to the employment services in the competent State, the person returns and re-registers as a jobseeker, he shall continue to receive the unemployment benefit granted to him for the remaining period.
It is important to know that after the expiration of the three-month period the person loses the right to the remainder of the compensation granted under the national legislation, the experts specify.
Companies cut the unskilled first
Companies are laying off people without qualifications first, according to an analysis of data from the Employment Agency. According to them, the group of the unemployed without qualification and specialty continues to be the most numerous. The level of registered unemployment in the country this year continued to decline and in July reached a record 5.0% for the month, according to data from the administrative statistics of the Employment Agency. The decrease compared to the previous month is by 0.2% and the decrease on an annual basis is by 2.9 percentage points - from 7.9% in July 2020 to 5.0% in July 2021. Compared to the end of July 2019 - a year as a whole record growth in employment, the unemployment rate also fell by as much as 0.3 percentage points.
31.08.2021
THEY GIVE GRANTS TO SMALL COMPANIES
The budget for the procedure is BGN 184 million
The payment of the grant under the concluded contracts under the procedure "Support for small enterprises with a turnover of over BGN 500 thousand for overcoming the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic" with a total budget of BGN 184.6 million has started.
This was announced by the Ministry of Economy. They also remind that BGN 78 million were initially pledged under the procedure, but after a decision of the Council of Ministers an additional financial resource was provided for over-negotiation in the amount of nearly BGN 106 million.
The additional funds provided will allow for the gradual renegotiation of companies from the reserve list, thus the funding will cover many more companies than the ones originally approved.
Nearly 3,700 companies are expected to benefit from the grant.
As of August 24, the access system in the Information System for Management and Monitoring of EU Funds in Bulgaria (UMIS) is open, where approved companies can submit their reports.
As of August 30, 24 copies have been submitted. final reports, specified by the economic department.
30.08.2021
DO I NEED PERMISSION IF I WANT UNPAID LEAVE?
The employer, at the request of the employee, may allow him to use unpaid leave. Here we must pay attention that Art. 160 of the Labor Code provides a legal possibility for the use of unpaid leave, but it is not a subjective right of the employee and its use is with the permission of the employer. The use of unpaid leave does not depend on whether the employee has taken the appropriate paid annual leave. In addition, the use of unpaid leave does not depend on the length of service of the employee.
In para. 2 of the same article, however, the legislator obliges the employer to allow the one-time use of unpaid leave, up to one year, to a worker who is in a legal relationship with an institution of the European Union, except in the cases under Art. 120a, with the United Nations, with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or with other international governmental organizations. The right to use this leave is one-time and cannot be re-used, including in case of change of employer. The employer is obliged to dismiss the employee only if the described prerequisites are present, and only the persons for whom the above requirements are met are entitled to such leave.
The employee in order to use the leave under art. 160, para. 2, must submit to the employer, together with the application for leave, evidence that he actually meets the requirements for the use of this type of leave.
The use of unpaid leave is at the initiative of the employee by submitting a written request to the employer. The application must contain the beginning of the use and the duration of the leave, determined in working days. In order to give his consent and authorize the use of the leave, the employer issues a written leave order.
The unpaid leave under Art. 160 of the Labor Code shall be considered for length of service up to 30 working days for one calendar year, and over 30 working days, only if this is provided for in the Labor Code, another law or normative act of the Council of Ministers.
