„We Continue the Change“ will submit a request to the Ministry of Finance to urgently provide explanations as to why funds were cut from the IVF fund, as well as from funds for scientific research and innovation - in order to direct them to farmers and thus pay a "peace of mind" fee against protests.
The "I Want a Baby" Foundation is alarmed about yet another outrage of the caretaker government. „The latest decision to reduce the budget for assisted reproduction by 2 million leva, set out in Decree No. 407 of the Council of Ministers of November 22, 2024, is another blow to the most vulnerable families in Bulgaria. "This decision not only deepens the financial burden on couples dreaming of a child, but also destroys the hopes of hundreds of families for a new life," the foundation's position states.
According to the decree, a total of 125 million leva are being redirected to agricultural producers, cutting the subsidies set by the "Denkov" cabinet. funds under the following items:
2 million leva from the assisted reproduction program (in vitro)
5 million leva from the "Stefan Stambolov" education fund
33.9 million leva from scientific research
5 million leva from innovations and investments
With this action, the caretaker government is crossing out all the policies that the last regular government started for reproductive health, for the development of science and innovations, and for stimulating young people to return to Bulgaria after studying at leading universities abroad.
In 2023, for the first time in 14 years, we increased funding for in vitro experiments - by 20% (or a total of 24 million leva). With changes in the regulatory framework, a medical standard was introduced by which assisted reproduction centers should operate, protecting the rights, security and genetic material of patients.
The increase was enshrined in Art. 1, para. 5 of the Budget Law. In the newly introduced paragraph 5, at the initiative of Assen Vassilev, all funds from the central budget that are not transferred directly to the ministries, but are distributed centrally by the Council of Ministers, began to be transparently listed and voted on in the National Assembly. Thus, money from the central budget was approved by the National Assembly, and not distributed pre-Christmas from the jeep to obedient mayors and business friends.
This year, in the draft budget for 2025, the caretaker government is again returning to the jeep model. There is no paragraph 5. There is no transparency. It is also not certain whether there will be money for in vitro fertilization. But the hidden pocket in the central budget is at a record high and with unclear distribution.