08.11.2022

BULGARIANS EXPECT LAYOFFS

In October, the general indicator of consumer confidence in Bulgaria decreased by 0.6 points compared to July, which is entirely due to the reduced confidence among the population in cities, the National Statistical Institute reported.

Regarding unemployment in the country in the next twelve months, pessimism is growing, with the opinions of the population from both cities and villages shifting towards more negative expectations.

Estimates of the change in consumer prices over the last twelve months are less favorable than the opinions expressed three months earlier (increase in the balance indicator by 2.2 points). At the same time, however, their inflation expectations for the next twelve months are less pronounced.

In October, a greater proportion of consumers assessed the economic situation as unfavorable for saving. Their attitude is also negative regarding spending on durable goods, buying a car, buying or building a home (cottage), and home improvements in the next twelve months.

According to users' assessments, the general economic situation in the country over the last twelve months has slightly worsened compared to the previous observation, as a result of which the balance indicator decreased by 3.5 points. The expectations of those living in the cities are that this trend will continue in the next twelve months, in contrast to the population in the villages, who are less negative compared to three months earlier.

With regard to the financial situation of households, in the last twelve months, a decrease in pessimism has been observed in the assessments of those living in cities, while the opinions of the population in the villages are more reserved compared to the previous survey. At the same time, the forecasts of both urban and rural consumers for the next twelve months are more favorable, as a result of which the overall balance indicator increases by 2.7 points.

07.11.2022

WHAT KIND OF EMPLOYEES IS THE CLASSIFIEDS BUSINESS LOOKING FOR?

The number of job advertisements in October decreased by 7% compared to the previous September. This is shown by the monthly analysis of the HR company and career site JobTiger. Offers were down 3,000 at the end of the month, bringing the total to just over 45,500. The number of listings was down in almost every sector, with the only exception being the Accounting, Auditing, Finance sector.

The reported decline in listings is not yet a cause for concern or sentiment about a deteriorating economic environment. On an annual basis, the number of ads is 5% higher than in October 2021 (2,000 more ads). On the other hand, the seasonality of the labor market must be taken into account. Traditionally, in recent years, there has been a decline in offers precisely in the last quarter, and every year it is in the range of 3,000 - 4,000 less listings.

The number of offers decreased the most in the sectors "Trade and Sales" (815 offers less, 7% decrease), "Hospitality and Restaurant" (800 offers less, 13% decline) and "Manufacturing" (365 offers less, 5% decline). They are followed by the sectors "Construction" (280 offers less, 11% decline), "IT" (210 offers less, 5% decline), "Marketing and advertising" (150 offers less, 9% decline), "Logistics & Transport" (130 offers less, 3% decline), "Administrative & Service Activities" (120 offers less, 3% decline) and "Healthcare & Pharmacy" (60 offers less, 3% decline).

An increase in advertisements was observed only in the "Accounting, audit, finance" sector, with the number of offers in it being 90 more (4% growth) compared to the previous month.

On an annual basis, however, there are more offers in almost all sectors.

As in September, a decline compared to 2021 was observed in the "IT" sector. The offers in it are 2000 less than in October 2021 - a drop of as much as 26%. We note again that this trend can be interpreted, on the one hand, with the normalization of the demand for personnel in this sector after the active "restocking" in the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, and on the other - the announced temporary "freeze" of the selection of personnel (hire freeze) in the industry from a number of technological companies in the country and around the world.

Share distribution

The "Trade and Sales" sector continues to have the largest share of offers with 23%, followed by the "Manufacturing" (16%) and "IT" (13%) sectors.

After the constant decline of advertisements in the "Hospitality and restaurant industry" sector, in October it moved to 4th place with a 12% share, followed by the sectors "Administrative and service activities" (11%), "Logistics and transport" ( 10%), "Construction" (5.2%), "Accounting, Auditing, Finance" (4.8%), "Health & Pharmacy" (4%), "Marketing & Advertising" (3%) and "Art " (1%).

Work from home

Offers for work from home and/or telecommuting are also fewer in October. Their number decreased by about 170 (down 3%), bringing the total to just over 4,850 or 12.5% ​​of all listings.

As a breakdown by sector, 62% of this type of offer is in the "IT" sector, followed by "Administrative and service activities" (16%), the outsourcing (BPO) industry sectors (14%) and "Trade and sales" (6% ).

Offer by city

The total number of advertisements in the leading regional cities decreased by 4%. In each of them we observe a decline as follows: Sofia (-1%), Plovdiv (-4%), Varna (-11%), Burgas (-15%), Ruse (-4%) and Stara Zagora (- 9%).

The number of proposals as share distribution is: Sofia (47%), Plovdiv (10%), Varna (8%), Burgas (3%), Ruse (3%) and Stara Zagora (2%).

Ads suitable for refugees

The number of job postings suitable for refugees fell by 12% in October, or about 300 fewer offers. The total number of this type of ads is about 2100 - 5% share of all ads.

A key period for the labor market in 2022 will be the last quarter of the year (October - December), with the expectation being to see a more unconventional decline in job offers. Although the results of the analysis for the month of October are not positive, for the moment there is still no dynamics in the number of advertisements outside of the traditional for this period, and it cannot be considered that there are specific reasons for alarm. Nevertheless, a number of employers around the world and in Bulgaria are increasingly actively taking measures to meet a challenging economic situation in the coming months - shrinking budgets, partially or completely freezing the selection of new staff and even, in some places, releasing employees, etc.

04.11.2022

BULGARIA IS THIRD IN THE EU IN TERMS OF THE SHARE OF CHILDREN AT RISK OF POVERTY

In 2021, in the European Union, residents under the age of 18 who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion represented 24.4 percent of all in this age group. At the same time, this share among the adult population of the Union was 21.1 percent, according to the latest data of the European statistical agency Eurostat.

Among the EU member states, last year the highest share of minors at risk of poverty or social exclusion was registered in Romania (41.5 percent), Spain (33.4 percent) and Bulgaria (33 percent). At the other end of the scale, the countries with the lowest such shares among their minor citizens are Slovenia (11 per cent), Finland (13.2 per cent) and the Czech Republic (13.3 per cent).

The data show that in Bulgaria 33 percent of minors were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2021. Thus, the country occupies the third place among the EU countries with the largest share of minors exposed to such a risk. This share among the adult population was 31.4 percent. The two indicators represent about 400 thousand minors and about 1,794 million adult Bulgarians, respectively. In both age groups, women were more at risk, with 204,000 girls under 18 at similar risk, as were 1.006 million adult women.

In 2020, the share of Bulgarian minors at risk of poverty or social exclusion reached 36.2 percent, with which Bulgaria was in second place (after Romania with 40.7 percent) among the member states with the largest such share. Again in 2020, the share of adult Bulgarians at risk of poverty was 33.1 percent.

In 18 of the 27 member states last year, minors were at a higher risk of poverty or social exclusion than adults. The largest differences in the indicators covering the two age groups were registered in Luxembourg (10.5 percentage points), Romania (8.7 pp), Spain and Austria (6.8 pp for each), as in each of the listed levels of endangered minors exceeds that of adults.

By contrast, in 9 EU countries, adults were at a higher risk of poverty or social exclusion than minors: Latvia, Estonia, Denmark, Croatia, Slovenia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Finland and Poland. The largest differences between the two age groups among these 9 countries were observed in Latvia (7.4 pp), Estonia (6.0 pp) and Denmark (4.0 pp).

The EU has set itself the goal of reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million by the end of the decade, of which at least 5 million must be under the age of 18, Eurostat said on its website . Children who grow up in poverty or at risk of social exclusion find it difficult to do well at school, enjoy good health and realize their full potential later in life.

03.11.2022

ROMANIA'S NATIONAL STRATEGY COMMISSION REVISES UP ITS 2022 ECONOMIC GROWTH ESTIMATE TO 4.6 PERCENT

Romania's National Strategy and Forecast Commission forecasts economic growth for this year of 4.6 percent - 1.1 percent above the summer forecast (+3.5 percent). On the other hand, the commission revised down its economic growth forecast for 2023 from 3.7% to 2.8%, the Romanian agency Agerpress reported, citing a report by the National Strategy and Forecast Commission.

The report attributed the improvement in this year's estimates to the fact that construction and services performed above expectations, contributing a combined 5% to the increase in gross domestic product and offsetting the negative effect of industry and agriculture (-0.9 percentage points).

Gross value added for the tertiary sector, which regains its status as a growth engine, is expected to grow by 7.7 percent, with a tendency to slow slightly in the second half of the year, while the construction sector is expected to grow by 6.1 percent due to an increase in activity in the second half of the year, states the KNSP in the autumn edition of its medium-term forecast for 2022 - 2026.

According to the Commission for National Strategy and Forecast, the negative contribution comes from industry, with a projected decline in gross value added of 1.2 percent, and the drought-hit agriculture sector, for which previous estimates were significantly revised down to a 12.8 percent decline.

The Commission for National Strategy and Forecast also notes that gross investment saw a slight recovery in the second quarter of 2022, a trend that will continue as the implementation of European Union-funded public investments gathers pace. However, the revision of gross capital formation growth was only a modest +0.6 percentage points to 4.3 percent, mainly due to unfavorable influences from the equipment component.

"According to the current forecast, domestic demand is considered as the engine of economic growth, and net exports have a zero contribution, as the dynamics of exports of goods and services (9.2%) are canceled out by imports of goods and services (8.2 per hundred)", it is also stated in the report of the Commission for National Strategy and Forecast.

02.11.2022

BY HOW MUCH BGN SHOULD THE TRAVEL ALLOWANCE BE INCREASED?

Comment from the specialist

Let's remember that according to the legislation in Bulgaria, the mandated worker or resident who wants to spend the night in the place of the mandate will be paid a daily allowance of BGN 20 for each day of the mandate. There are appointments that perform military duties for the greater part of the working time in the target area without overnight stays, they are paid per diem in the amount of 50 per cent of the day. BGN 10

The amount of daily allowances for business trips in the country has not been changed since 2008. This means that for more than 14 years the amounts have not undergone an update, as actually happened with a number of additional payments related to the performance of official duties.

With the last amendment from 2008, the daily allowance was raised from BGN 12 to BGN 20. After that, there is no movement to increase this amount. All this more and more often arouses the dissatisfaction of workers and employees, who ask the question when the amount of these funds will be increased. Dr. Todor Kapitanov, an expert in the field of labor law, explains what are the grounds for increasing the amount of travel allowances and in what amount.

According to the law, when the needs of the enterprise require, the employer can send the worker or the employee to perform the labor duties outside the place of his permanent work, but for no more than 30 calendar days without interruption. Appointment for a period longer than 30 calendar days, which is performed by the employee or the resident in writing. The delegation issues the written order.

Many times in recent years, the trade unions have made proposals to the management for amendments and additions to the Ordinance on business trips in the country. This is precisely the normative act that determines the conditions for secondment in the country, the amounts of the secondment money (travel, per diem and accommodation), the procedure for their accounting, as well as the rights and obligations of the seconded and seconded. The managers in the various years back, for some unknown reason, however, answer that there are no arguments for increasing the amount of daily allowances during a business trip in the country, despite the obvious increase in prices in the past years.

It is clear to everyone that in the last 2 years the cost of living has increased, including food and services, which is a sufficient argument to determine an adequate amount of daily travel money in relation to the prices of food offered at present.

What do the calculations show? In short, in the period 2008 – 2021, the accumulated average annual inflation is 26.5%. If we add to it the inflation reached so far, we are already talking about an accumulation of over 44%. In this case, the daily allowance for a business trip in the amount of BGN 20 should rise to BGN 29. In this case, the increase in the allowance for business trips will only catch up with the growth of inflation for the specified period of time.

However, if we start from the fact that the daily money for a business trip covers food costs, then it follows that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food products, which is updated by the official statistics in Bulgaria, should be used. In this situation, it follows that for the period 2008-2021 The CPI for food increased by 34.5% and after adding to this percentage the data for the period December 2021 - September 2022, an accumulation of 61.5% is obtained. Under these conditions, it follows that the daily allowance for a business trip of BGN 20 should reach at least BGN 32.

Whether this will be achieved remains to be seen. The law in Bulgaria determines the minimum amounts of money for a business trip, which means that employers have the opportunity, if they wish, to allocate a larger amount of funds for the business trip of workers and employees both in the country and abroad. Another question is how many of them do it at all.

Reference:

Art. 121, paragraph 1, paragraph 2 of the Labor Code,

Art. 8, Art. 9, para. 1, 19, para. 1, para. 2 of the Order for the candidates in the party.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

02.11.2022

USE OF LEAVE DURING A PANDEMIC

Under what conditions is leave used in a declared state of emergency or a declared emergency epidemic situation?

With the amendments to the Labor Code of August 1, 2022, the provision regarding the use of leave in the event of a declared state of emergency or a declared emergency epidemic situation was amended. In it, a change is made regarding the requirement for the employee's acquired work experience, as a condition for the use of this type of leave.

According to the changes, when due to a declared state of emergency or a declared emergency epidemic situation by order of the employer or by order of a state body, the work of the enterprise, part of the enterprise or individual employees is suspended, the employer has the right to provide the employee with paid annual leave or the employee and without his consent, including a worker or an employee who has not acquired 4 months of work experience.

The law also stipulates that the employer is obliged to allow the use of paid annual leave or unpaid leave in the case of a declared state of emergency or a declared emergency epidemic situation at the request of:

1. a pregnant worker or employee, as well as a worker or employee in an advanced stage of in-vitro treatment;
2. mother or adoptive mother of a child up to 12 years of age or of a child with a disability regardless of his age;
3. a worker or an employee who is a single father or adopter of a child up to 12 years of age or of a child with a disability regardless of his age;
4. a worker or an employee who has not reached the age of 18;
5. a worker or employee with a permanently reduced working capacity of 50 and over 50 percent;
6. a worker or an employee entitled to protection in the event of dismissal under some of the provisions of the law.

It is important to specify that the time during which this type of leave is used is recognized as work experience.

As can be seen, the law gives the right to the employer to provide paid annual leave to the worker or employee without his consent, including to a worker or employee who has not acquired 4 months of work experience. This right can be exercised under the following objective conditions:

- declared state of emergency;

- declared emergency epidemic situation;

- order of the employer to suspend the work of the enterprise, part of the enterprise or individual employees;

- order of a state body to suspend the operation of the enterprise, part of the enterprise or individual workers and employees.

In addition to the above prerequisites, in order to exercise this possibility of unilaterally granting paid annual leave to workers/employees who are practically unable to work, it is also necessary for the employer to issue an order on this basis and to determine which worker, from at which time and in what amount it unilaterally grants his paid annual leave.

It should also be noted that the employer can also grant paid leave to employees who do not have the minimum necessary work experience, giving them the right to use paid annual leave under the general rules. It is good to know that the granting of paid annual leave is tied to the period of suspension of work. In other words, the amount of paid annual leave that the employer will provide unilaterally to the worker and the employee must coincide with the period specified in the order to suspend work.

The amount of paid annual leave granted in the event of a declared state of emergency or a declared emergency epidemic situation cannot exceed and cannot be greater than the time specified in the employer's order to suspend work due to a declared state of emergency or a declared emergency epidemic situation, regardless of whether it was issued on the initiative of the employer himself or was issued as a result of the execution of an order of a competent state authority.

Note that the law has not established which paid annual leave is granted - whether for the current year or one that has not been used in previous years. This is a matter of discretion on the part of the employer.

The following conclusions can be drawn from the provision in the law:

1. The amount of leave is determined during the period of declared state of emergency or declared emergency epidemic situation.
2. The leave is granted by an act of the employer, which, however, has a conclusive nature. That is, the act does not authorize the leave, but the leave is authorized directly by law if requested. The act states that leave was requested and began to run for the period of time specified in the request, but no later than the end of the declared state of emergency or a declared emergency epidemic situation.

The recognition of work experience for the time of use of this type of leave does not matter its duration and type, but only whether it was used in connection with the declared state of emergency or a declared emergency epidemic situation.

Reference:

Art. 173a, para. 1, 2, 3 of the Labor Code

27.10.2022

PERMISSION TO USE UNPAID LEAVE

The employer, at the request of the worker or employee, may allow him to take 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 worker or employee and its use is with the permission of the employer. The use of unpaid leave does not depend on whether the worker or employee has used the due paid annual leave. In addition, the use of unpaid leave does not depend on the length of service of the worker or employee.

In para. 2 of the same article, however, the legislator obliges the employer to allow a one-time use of unpaid leave, up to one year, to an employee who has a legal relationship with an institution of the European Union, except in 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 used again, including when changing the employer. The employer is obliged to release the worker or employee only if the described prerequisites are met, and only the persons for whom the above requirements are met have the right to such leave.

The worker or the employee, in order to use the leave under Art. 160 para. 2, must submit to the employer, together with the request for leave, evidence that he actually meets the requirements for the use of this type of leave.

The use of unpaid leave takes place at the initiative of the employee by submitting a written request to the employer. The application must necessarily contain the beginning of the use and the duration of the leave, specified 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 is considered an internship of up to 30 working days in one calendar year, and more than 30 working days only if this is provided for in the Labor Code, another law or a normative act of the Council of Ministers.

27.10.2022

400 BGN ARE GIVEN EACH FOR HEATING

We are about to approve an additional BGN 20 million from the budget of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy for the payment of a one-time financial aid for heating in the amount of BGN 400. This was stated by acting Prime Minister Galab Donev before the start of yesterday's government meeting.

Later, Social Affairs Minister Lazar Lazarov explained that the Council of Ministers had decided to support the most vulnerable and socially weak members of society and gave details of who will receive the new heating aid. We expect 50,000 people to be assisted with additional support for heating in the amount of BGN 400, announced the Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Social Policies at a briefing in the Council of Ministers.

Lazarov added that the right to such support will be available to people who submitted documents within the deadline, but were refused heating aid for the upcoming winter season due to exceeding the determined differentiated income by up to BGN 40 or due to failure to meet the requirement for 6-monthly mandatory registration as unemployed in the "Labor Office" directorates. They do not need to be resubmitted.

The right to support will also be available to people who meet the criteria, but have not submitted documents within the deadline set for this - October 31, 2022. They will be able to submit their documents within 14 days of the promulgation of the decree in the State Gazette.

He reported that the government also provides targeted heating allowances, and this year changes were made to the eligibility conditions for those entitled to benefit from targeted heating allowances. The changes in the amounts of pensions, which were obtained as a result of their increase in July and October, were reflected, so that people do not fall out of targeted social assistance, explained Lazarov.

In parallel, an unprecedented step has been taken, namely an increase in the amount of heating aid by more than 20 percent, thus fully reflecting changes in inflation. At the moment, this assistance is in the amount of BGN 623.55 and is granted once, so that people can make a choice in heating alternatives, noted Minister Lazarov. He pointed out that there continues to be a regulated market for the price of electricity, so that people have the opportunity to make the best choice that satisfies them in relation to their heating.

An additional element in this direction is the agreement concluded between the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the Agency for Social Assistance and the Ministry of Agriculture, which, in the person of the state forestry farms, provide firewood to the persons entitled to assistance for heating, at prices which are extremely low, so that public funds cannot be used to support speculation or other types of unregulated practices.

The deadline for providing these aids and applying for them is until October 31. At the moment, more than 360 thousand applications have been submitted, I expect them to increase by the end of the month, Lazarov announced and added that about 285 thousand are those for whom aid has been granted. The persons have already received them and the others who are in the process of processing will also be included in the disbursement of benefits next month, he said.

27.10.2022

WORKING CONDITIONS FUND PROGRAM

Do you have to carry out repair work on an existing building stock, related to improving the working conditions of the staff?

"Working Conditions" Fund is a legal entity created under the Ministry of labor and social policy in accordance with the Health and Safety Working Conditions Act.

"Working Conditions" Fund at the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy has developed a program for co-financing activities in the field of improvement of working conditions for Bulgarian employers.

What should we know about the Program?

Who is the program aimed at?

The Fund accepts applications from registered persons - companies and companies entered in the Commercial Register with an independent EIC. The right to apply for project financing from the "Working Conditions" Fund is for individuals/sole traders/ and legal entities employers who meet the following requirements:

 At the time of applying for financing, they provide work for workers and employees under employment contracts concluded with them;

 They paid the due insurance contributions regularly and without interruption;

 They have declared to the relevant "Regional Labor Inspection" directorate the location, type and nature of activity, number of workers, working conditions, risk factors and the measures taken to ensure the prevention of accidents and accidents;

 They have appointed or designated at least one official with appropriate education or qualification, created a specialized office or contracted with other individuals or legal entities to organize the implementation of activities related to the protection and prevention of occupational risks;

 Have provided service to their workers and employees from the occupational medicine service;

 They have established a committee (group) on working conditions,

 Have independent registration under Bulstat/EIC/.

 Funds from the Fund are provided free of charge after a completed project for financing up to 30 percent of the value of the project to improve working conditions in individual enterprises - companies, companies and registered entities with independent registration under Bulstat/EIC and with specific practical applicability.

Conditions for participation:

 Regularly paid insurance contributions,

 Maximum term for project implementation up to 12 months,

 Registered employment contracts of engaged personnel,

 Lack of obligations in accordance with Art. 87 of the Tax and Insurance Procedural Code,

 Existing own or leased building stock.

Activities and funding

Funds from the Fund are provided free of charge after a completed project for financing up to 30 percent of the value of the project to improve working conditions in individual enterprises - companies, companies and registered entities with independent registration under Bulstat/EIC and with specific practical applicability.

Eligible project activities:

The activities related to improving the working conditions and recreation of the employed staff through repairs and improvements in existing own or rented building stock, securing machines and equipment, creating conditions for ignoring the risks in the working environment, optimizing the factors affecting work are permissible.

1. Replacement of protective-earthing and lightning protection installation
2. Construction of emergency evacuation external stairs
3. Repair of roof spaces and roof drainage facilities
4. Repair and construction of ceilings
5. Repair of internal walls
6. Repair of external (facade) walls
7. Repair and construction of floors
8. Replacement of lighting fixtures and lighting installation
9. Replacement of window frames, doors and windows in production, office and other premises and parts
10. Air conditioning, ventilation, aspiration and heating of work and office premises
11. Construction of partition screens for individual or group separation of personnel
12. Improvement of recreation rooms and work process rooms
13. Repair or construction of the woman's room
14. Construction of soundproof walls and devices to eliminate adverse noise in the working environment
15. Implementation of instructions from DG "Labor Inspection", the fire fighting authorities or other authorities that have prescribed activities and measures for the safety of the personnel
16. Purchase of filtering systems for air purification in the working environment
17. Construction of air, mechanical or water curtains to isolate the areas and premises from an unfavorable microclimate or other unfavorable working environment
18. Repair and improvement of changing rooms, bathrooms, toilets, staff rest room
19. Renovation of a room for receiving food for catering meals
20. Renovation of staff canteen and improvement of existing such premises
21. Purchase of a solar installation for the generation of domestic hot water, necessary for hygienic-domestic or other purposes
22. Securing machines and equipment depending on the company's activity
23. Replacement of electrical installation and related to the electrical safety of people and equipment, insulating bars, insulating stairs, insulating platforms, as well as other prescriptions of the fire protection authorities
24. Construction of a system of interlocks connected to a technical means for analyzing the content of combustible gases, vapors or particles
25. Purchase of gas alarms
26. Installation of emergency showers for washing the eyes or the whole body of the workers
27. Delivery and installation of new air conditioning units or air conditioning systems
28. Delivery, installation and replacement of the heating installation - radiant, gas heaters, pellet boilers or other heating equipment
29. Delivery and installation of screens, covers, coverings, fences around production noise sources
30. Construction of sound-absorbing treatment of the walls and ceilings in rooms with excessive noise
31. Soundproof cabins for those working in rooms with excessive noise
32. Placing a foundation, other than that in the production room, under the source of vibration, providing additional equipment to the machines, reducing the risk of vibration, protection from flying, thrown particles or objects
33. Supply and installation of guards, safety screens, screens, fences, or protective coverings, blocking system related to a technical means, related to analysis of the working environment for the presence of harmful emissions
34. Shielding of laser devices, eliminating the occurrence of hazards to the health of workers, optical devices for monitoring or adjusting laser devices, so that no health hazard occurs as a result of laser radiation
35. Protection from falling objects in production and other premises by building visors, canopies, partitions, tunnels, board boards
36. Fire and explosion protection through a system of hydrants and sprinklers, automatic fire extinguishing installation, fire alarm installation, automatic gas analyzers
37. Protection from biological agents in the working environment
38. Other activities, depending on the specifics of work in the enterprise, leading directly to improving the working conditions and safety of the staff.

The maximum amount of funding from the Fund is up to 30 percent of the approved and actually incurred project costs, but no more than BGN 100,000 excluding VAT for small, medium and large enterprises.

The maximum amount of funds invested in the project is BGN 330,000 excluding VAT.

Berkovitsa Consultancy Center has presented you with an opportunity for a project application and we can discuss your specific needs by offering other suitable projects and programs for your business.

26.10.2022

MORE FREE EXAMINATIONS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN WITHOUT HEALTH CONTRIBUTIONS

Pregnant women who are uninsured will have the right to more health care during pregnancy, according to changes in Ordinance No. 26 for the provision of obstetric care to uninsured women.

They will be entitled to up to four preventive examinations during pregnancy outside the scope of compulsory health insurance. These examinations will include determination of due date, measurement of fetal blood pressure and heart tones, ultrasound, as well as blood tests.

Examinations and tests will be carried out by medical facilities for specialized outpatient medical care in obstetrics and gynecology and by medical diagnostic laboratories - independent or within the structure of medical facilities for outpatient care.

The woman without health insurance has the right to freely choose the medical facility where the examinations will be performed, the regulation also states. These changes will take effect on January 1, 2023.

The number of women giving birth whose pregnancy was not adequately monitored by a specialist amounts to about 7,000 each year. At least one-third of severe illnesses in premature babies are due to preventable complications from untreated maternal infections during pregnancy.