A comparative analysis of European parliamentary salaries has shown that Bulgarian MPs receive one of the highest salaries compared to the minimum wage in their own country, summarized "Nova TV".
According to published data, the salary of Bulgarian MPs is approximately 6.8 times higher than the minimum wage. Thus, Bulgaria ranks first in Europe in this indicator, although it remains among the countries with the lowest incomes in the European Union.
A comparison with other European countries shows significantly lower ratios. In Romania, MP salaries are about 2.7 times higher than the minimum wage, which is at the same time higher than the Bulgarian one and reaches nearly 800 euros. In Spain, MPs receive about 2.5 times the minimum wage, in France the ratio is about 4 to 1, and in Germany - about 5 to 1.
The data raises questions about the extent to which politicians' salaries should be tied to the standard of living of the population and the country's economic performance. Nowhere in Europe is the gap between the minimum wage and MP salaries as large as in Bulgaria.
An additional subject of public debate is the mechanism for updating MP salaries. While in most European countries such salaries are indexed once a year, in Bulgaria they are recalculated every three months based on the average salary in the public sector.
The parliament recently decided to temporarily freeze salaries at March levels, but according to the texts in the budget framework, the mechanism for future increases remains in force. The final decision will become clear when the regular state budget is considered.