Head of State Rumen Radev returned for new discussion in the National Assembly provisions from the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Defense and Armed Forces Law adopted on October 30, the press center of the presidency reported, quoted by Nova TV.
The amendments expand the possibilities for declaring a state of emergency and activating the armed forces in the event of war. The possibility of using weapons against unmanned autonomous systems and means, so-called drones, in the protection and defense of military facilities.
The legislative amendments also provide for social benefits for military personnel, including paternity leave for fathers upon birth or adoption of children, as well as expanding the scope of students in vocational colleges. 847 military personnel will be given the opportunity to continue working for 3 to 5 years after reaching retirement age.
In his reasons for imposing the veto, Radev points out that steps have been taken in the right direction, aimed at improving the synchronization between the competent authorities in the field of defense, as well as creating regulations regarding the activities of the Supreme High Command. The President also recognizes the need to improve the regulations regarding the age limit for military service, to encourage the development of the academic staff, as well as in terms of specifying the order for distributing official time, for reporting and compensating for it, for the use and postponement of leaves. However, this should not be done in a way that harms servicemen, the press release also says.
The current legislative practice of raising the age limit for military service has not led to a solution to the problem of understaffing in the Armed Forces, and also creates prerequisites for stagnation in the system, stagnation in the renewal of the command staff and the impossibility of personnel development of the officer staff, the president believes. The changes in the methods of reporting and compensating for service time and the new procedure for using leave are a prerequisite for harming servicemen and create conditions for additional demotivation.
The head of state points out in the motivations that the adopted changes, although they pursue significant goals for defense, in practice may deepen the problem of the shortage of human resources in the army and should be further reconsidered by the legislator.