The GERB-SDF Parliamentary Group submitted to the National Assembly a Draft Law on Amendments to the Social Assistance Law, which proposes that Easter and Christmas supplements be paid annually in March and December.
The bill proposes that targeted assistance be provided to those assisted under Art. 12, para. 1, annually in March and December to meet the Easter and Christmas holidays; supported with monthly targeted assistance young people from 18 to 21 years of age who, until reaching this age, have used a social or integrated health and social service for residential care and are leaving it for the first time; supported in accordance with the ordinance under Art. 12, para. 4 for the current heating season; supported in accordance with Art. 8e, para. 1 of the Family Benefits for Children Act; supported in accordance with Art. 8f, para. 1 of the Family Benefits for Children Act; children placed in families of relatives or close friends or in foster families in accordance with Art. 26 of the Child Protection Act; supported by the Social Assistance Agency, war veterans; supported by the Social Assistance Agency, disabled war veterans and war victims.
In the event that the person being supported falls into more than one of the target groups under Art. 1, the aid is granted on only one of the grounds.
The aid is granted ex officio, and the provisions of Art. 12, para. 2 and Art. 13 do not apply to its granting.
The amount of the targeted aid is determined annually by the State Budget Act of the Republic of Bulgaria for the relevant year, but not less than the previous year.
In the “Transitional and Final Provisions“ it is noted that the targeted aid under Art. 12a of the Social Assistance Act is not considered income for individuals and families when exercising their rights under the Social Assistance Act, the Family Assistance for Children Act, the Disabled Persons Act and the Child Protection Act. The by-laws for the implementation of this law shall be brought into line with it within 6 months of its entry into force.
The law shall enter into force on the day of its promulgation in the “State Gazette“.
In the explanatory memorandum, the submitters Denitsa Sacheva and a group of MPs from the GERB-SDF Parliamentary Group note that the social assistance system in the Republic of Bulgaria is built on the principle of general solidarity of society to assist individuals and families in need. At present, in the implementation of state policy in the field of social assistance, a model has not been introduced through which assistance would be provided to all low-income persons during the brightest holidays, with the exception of pensioners whose pension is below the poverty line. During the holidays, current expenses for the consumption of food, electricity, transport and others increase significantly. For the most vulnerable groups of the population, these costs are unbearable, and the lack of funds increases the feeling of inequality.
A sustainable legislative solution and sustainable state policy are needed to resolve this issue. This will create conditions for reducing potential social tension and will create guarantees for peace of mind for the most vulnerable social groups. This is a prerequisite for a fairer distribution of public resources and, at the same time, for more targeted care by the state for these groups.
In view of the above, a legislative proposal has been prepared to supplement the Social Assistance Act in order to introduce new targeted assistance to the most vulnerable individuals and families who are unable to celebrate traditional holidays. According to preliminary data from the Social Assistance Agency and the National Social Insurance Institute, this support is expected to be provided to about 507,000 people, including pensioners with incomes below the poverty line, large families, people with disabilities, people living alone, single parents and other groups, taking into account certain criteria for access to assistance.
The amount of targeted assistance will be determined annually in the law on the state budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for the respective year, but not less than the previous year.
It is planned that no assessment and additional social survey will be carried out for the provision of this assistance, since the target groups of eligible persons are already supported by the social assistance system or receive family benefits. These persons have already been assessed by the social services on the basis of the initial application for assistance. This means that those eligible are identified as needy, and the automatic identification of recipients of targeted assistance will contribute to compliance with the principle of reducing the administrative burden on citizens.
Similar assistance practices exist in a number of other Member States of the European Union. This type of support is also in line with the principles of the European Union regarding social rights and protection of vulnerable groups of the population.
Regulating this type of targeted social assistance in the Social Assistance Act is a measure that will strengthen citizens' trust in institutions and improve their situation during the holidays through regular state support in the long term.
According to NSSI reporting data in 2024, an average of 432,401 pensioners were paid twice a total amount of 200 BGN for those of them whose pension or the sum of the pensions, together with the supplements and compensations to them, for the months of March and December (for the Christmas and Easter holidays) is up to 526 BGN. The funds paid are in a total amount of 87,100,000 BGN at the expense of the DOO budget for 2024.
It should be borne in mind that in December 2024 the number of pensioners subject to support with a supplement for the Christmas holidays decreases due to the updating of the amount of pensions from 01.07.2024.
In 2025, an average of 611,500 pcs. pensioners were paid twice a total amount of 170 BGN for those of them whose pension or the sum of the pensions, together with the supplements and compensations to them, for the months of March and December (for the Christmas and Easter holidays) is up to 638 BGN. The funds paid are in a total amount of 98,720,000 BGN at the expense of the DOO budget for 2025.
As grounds for the legislative initiative, the submitters point out that every year in society twice a year - before the Christmas and Easter holidays, a discussion flares up about the popular Christmas and Easter supplements for pensioners. The only condition for receiving them is a certain amount of the pension, the supplements to it and the compensations, set as an upper limit by the government. This amount is different for each year, depending on the capabilities of the budget and the number of persons covered. This approach is perceived by a number of groups in society as unfair because it does not take into account the real property status or other income and does not take into account that the most vulnerable in society are often large families, single parents, people living alone with health problems, and others.
Last but not least, the method of paying these supplements distorts the pension model, because it should not be considered as a supplement to a pension, but as social support and, accordingly, an element of the social assistance system.
It is also pointed out that such a practice has been proven to work in countries such as Great Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, and some cantons of Switzerland, which have introduced a Christmas bonus for the poor or seasonal payments for Christmas and Easter as social assistance.