„I don't like that for 30 years we have seemingly forgotten about institutions, that in order for them to exist, to be stable and authoritative, they cannot collapse against each other and society be divided into factions. In order for this recovery of society to happen faster, there must be authorities and authoritative institutions. This depends on the way of thinking, not only of us politicians, but also in society as a whole. Moral degradation is one of the biggest problems. The lack of justice is one of the huge problems.“
This is how Social Minister Borislav Gutsanov commented on the bTV broadcast of the incident with the police chief in Ruse, quoted by novini.bg.
„It is not right for me as Social Minister to comment on this case. Not everyone should be an expert in everything. I do not believe that Mr. Mitov should resign. Let the circumstances be clarified and then decisions and measures be taken“, he insisted.
„The vote of no confidence is the most powerful tool of the opposition. Vote after vote, this tool is degraded. We should listen to the opposition, but constantly holding no-confidence votes does not lead to anything good,” he commented.
Regarding the opposition’s accusations against the cabinet regarding the “conquest of the state”, Gutsanov explained: “I look at our ministry and I don’t see what has been conquered. We will host the World Athletics Championships for children with Down Syndrome. This is an indicator of how not only to provide funds for aid, but how to include these children in our ranks. They are simply different, they are not sick. A strong example is how many athletes have joined us.”
When asked about the “houses of horrors” that have been revealed, the minister paid attention: “Could this have happened if there was no political will? The other ministers knew about it too, I did not discover this problem. We have conducted 670 inspections. If it weren't for me and Minister Georgi Georgiev, with the support of the Prime Minister, it would never have been possible to enter these homes. 12 homes have been closed, 400 of our mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers have been moved to real homes, as they should be. 118 mayors have requested the opening of new homes for the elderly, there are 283 sites, almost all sites have been inspected. We will open nine homes with minimal funds next month. The municipalities are the ones who should manage them. We will open 254 places in this way. We are continuing with the program and will announce how many more places we will open.”
„The more funds that can be provided for families, but through labor, and what is already lacking - through the economy from our ministry, the better. SR reached 2572 leva - a 12% increase on an average annual basis. It is good that in Sofia the poverty line is just under 3500 leva. 764 leva – yes, we raised it, but it is clear that it is not enough and I know that if it could be more, it would be better, but these are the real possibilities”, the Minister of Social Affairs also said.
He specified that one of the main tasks of his team is the fight against the shadow economy: “It has already reached 23-24% according to the AIKB, and according to other data – up to 30%. This is a quarter of the shadow economy in Bulgaria, an outrageous amount. We need unions and employer organizations, we also need to talk about social security income. How many people are on the minimum wage and are they really?”
“There can be no abolition of the Swiss rule. Regarding the pension reform – "I think we can talk about upgrading, but not reforming the pension system. It should be approached very carefully and moderately, because the system concerns everyone. There should be no comment on raising the retirement age in our country," Gutsanov added.