„DNA – Movement for a National Cause“ submitted to the Ministry of Finance a package of legislative measures to attract and retain human capital and create conditions for sustainable family and reproductive behavior in Bulgaria. „DNA“ proposes that the measures be discussed as part of a long-term and consistent national policy to overcome the demographic challenges facing the country. The organization expressed its position that even their partial inclusion in the Budget 2027 procedure would be an important first signal for placing demography as a real priority for the state.
The proposals were presented personally to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev by Andrey Arnaudov, founder of „DNA – Movement for a National Cause“ and Bulgaria Wants You, and Monika Chopakova, member of the organization's Board of Directors.
The measures are presented as the “National Framework for Demographic Recovery of Bulgaria“, which is based on a comparative analysis of policies for attracting and retaining population in 17 European countries, as well as on an in-depth audit of the effectiveness of public spending and the administrative model in Bulgaria. The main goal is for demographic policy to become a coordinated, measurable and sustainable process that creates real conditions for people to choose Bulgaria as a place to live, work and raise their children.
The package is structured in three interrelated areas: attracting and retaining human capital; family policy and sustainable birth rates; policies for demographic sustainability.
The first direction includes measures to encourage the return of Bulgarian citizens and people of Bulgarian origin, tax breaks for young workers, support for the recognition of foreign diplomas and qualifications, as well as initiatives to promote the opportunities for professional realization in our country among Bulgarian communities abroad. Facilitations are also planned for the settlement in Bulgaria of people of Bulgarian origin who do not have Bulgarian citizenship, including for our compatriots who wish to restore their Bulgarian citizenship.
The second direction focuses on creating a more favorable environment for families and the sustainable development of the birth rate. Among the proposals is a universal box with products and information for every newborn child, regardless of the family's income, as well as measures for better awareness of already existing rights and opportunities for supporting parents. The framework also provides for the expansion of tax breaks for young families with housing loans depending on the number of children.
The third area covers policies for demographic sustainability by improving the prevention and early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and providing more accessible psychological support for children and young people.
„DNA“ emphasizes that a long-term approach is needed that combines economic opportunities, access to services, and support for economically active people, but this would not be possible without the effective management of public funds. Therefore, the package also includes proposals for better institutional coordination, monitoring of results, and assessment of the demographic impact of new legislative and regulatory decisions.
The need for a comprehensive approach is also highlighted by the data on the demographic situation in Bulgaria. According to the analysis of „DNA“ 42 state institutions are involved in the management of demographic measures, for which approximately 1.85 billion leva are allocated annually, without a unified system for measuring the effectiveness and achieved results. At the same time, the country reports a negative natural increase of -49,238 people, and the positive mechanical increase of 35,085 people is not sufficient in itself to reverse the demographic trend. It is important to emphasize that according to NSI data, only 36.6% of immigrants are returning Bulgarian citizens. This discrepancy between the significant public resource, the negative natural increase and the limited return of Bulgarians outlines the main challenge facing demographic policy: not only to allocate funds, but to direct them to working solutions with a measurable effect. This is precisely why “DNA“ proposes better coordination between institutions, monitoring of results and linking demographic goals to budget planning.
Among the key institutional proposals of “DNA“ are the creation of a mechanism for coordinating demographic policy at the highest government level, the establishment of a digital analytical unit to track the effectiveness of measures, the linking of demographic planning to the budget cycle and the introduction of a mandatory assessment of the demographic impact of new laws and regulations.
With the introduction of the new package of demographic measures, “DNA“ declares its readiness to participate in the dialogue for the construction of a coherent national framework for demographic sustainability. The organization proposes that the measures be considered in the context of the preparation of Budget 2027 and become the basis for long-term decisions aimed at the future of Bulgaria. In this regard, the Association expects to be officially included in the members of the National Council on Demographic Policy, which is to be convened by the end of the year.