The inspections of the homes for the elderly and the discovery of the so-called houses of horrors is one of the successes that Borislav Gutsanov reports within the framework of his mandate as Minister of Social Affairs. This is stated in a statement by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP), from where they sent a report on the work of Gutsanov and his team in the period January 2025 - February 2026.
Nearly 1,000 inspections were carried out by the Agency for the Quality of Social Services. The work of 15 illegal sites was terminated and 19 licenses of sites that did not meet the standards were revoked, the MLSP indicated. Due to the tightened control, 405 licenses were voluntarily returned, and inspections are continuing, the statement said. 400 million euros were allocated under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) to improve conditions in state-funded places for the elderly.
Among the activities are the renovations of all 81 state-funded homes for the elderly. 12 homes have already been completely renovated. The renovations in the rest are due to be completed by August. Work has begun on opening another 250 places for care for people with disabilities, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs informed. Opening five new homes with 101 places for the elderly is also among the goals achieved.
During his term, Gutsanov proposed legislative changes that would enact Christmas and Easter allowances, the MLSP recalled.
For the first time, nearly 2,200 people with disabilities are receiving free high-tech assistive devices of their choice, after their actual provision was delayed for years, as well as the purchase of electric vehicles and charging stations for the needs of social services and the installation of photovoltaic systems.
With the launch of the initiative “I Choose Bulgaria“, real work began on the return of Bulgarians from abroad as part of the fight against the demographic crisis. Over 3,700 people have submitted applications under the measure, which provides various types of support for those who have returned and started permanent work in Bulgaria, the MLSP said.
The ministry also recalls the allocation of funds to municipalities for disaster prevention and combating their consequences.
The MLSP also reports as a success the raising of the minimum wage to 620.20 euros from January 1 this year. and the growth of the poverty line - 390.63 euros.
The unadopted draft law on the state budget for 2026, at the proposal of the MLSP, provided for a higher compensation for mothers in the second year of the child and an increase from 50% to 75% of the amount they receive from him when returning to work earlier, the Ministry of Social Affairs also said.
BTA recalls that on December 17, 2025, the parliament adopted the Law on the Collection of Revenues and the Execution of Expenditures in 2026. The law will be in force until the adoption of the Law on the State Budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for 2026, the Law on the State Social Insurance (SSI) Budget for 2026 and the Law on the Budget of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for 2026.