Finance Minister Galab Donev has taken steps to reduce the staff size of the Ministry of Finance by 33 people or 5.8%. This is evident from the draft changes in the organizational regulations of the department. The changes at this stage do not affect the agencies of the ministry and it is not clear how many of the "crossed out" positions are simply unoccupied positions. FOCUS refers to the public information of the Ministry of Finance and the proposals discussed in the Council of Ministers.
According to the reasons for the draft, the changes are the result of an analysis of the activities, structure and number of the administration. The document states that problem areas related to fragmentation of administrative units, blurring of responsibilities and suboptimal distribution of human resources in relation to the actual workload have been identified. The purpose of the proposed changes is to optimize the structure, clearer distribution of functions and increase the efficiency of the ministry's work.
The proposal comes at a time when the Ministry of Finance is working on the implementation of the state budget for 2026. On July 1, the Council of Ministers approved the draft Law on the State Budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for 2026, as well as the Updated Medium-Term Budget Forecast for the period 2026 – 2028.
The published budget materials set a budget deficit of 5.7% of gross domestic product for 2026, with the government stating that the budget framework takes into account the state of public finances and the imbalances accumulated in recent years.
The draft of the new Structural Regulations has been published for public discussion, and interested parties can submit opinions within the specified period.