As of today, the minimum wage is increasing from 933 leva to 1,077 leva, BTA reported. This is stated in a Decree of the Council of Ministers (CM), adopted in October last year. The minimum hourly wage has been set at 6.49 leva with a normal working week of eight hours and a five-day work week, the decision states.
A few days ago, the Cabinet announced that it was submitting a special bill for collecting revenues and spending expenses until the adoption of a draft state budget for 2025, as well as the draft budgets of the State Social Insurance Fund (SSS) and the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for 2025. Acting Minister of Finance Lyudmila Petkova said that the increase in the minimum wage will take effect from the new year for the private sector. Civil servants working on the minimum wage will continue to receive 933 leva, she said. Petkova also said that the salary increases in the Ministry of Finance, Higher Education and Defense will take effect from January 1, 2025.
In early December, the acting cabinet submitted to the National Assembly the draft state budget for 2025, as well as the budgets of the State Health Insurance Fund and the National Health Insurance Fund, but the deputies were unable to consider the proposals before their vacation. A meeting of the parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance is scheduled for January 7 at 1:00 p.m. According to the agenda published on the parliament's website, a first reading of the Draft Law on the State Social Security Budget for 2025, the Draft Law on the Budget of the National Health Insurance Fund for 2025 and the Draft Law on the State Budget for 2025 is planned.
Another Decree of the Council of Ministers determined the new poverty line for the new year for the country. By a decision of September 2024, the poverty line will be 638 leva, which is an increase of 112 leva, or 21.3% compared to 2024. The government commented at the time that the new poverty line will have a beneficial impact on the vulnerable and lowest-income groups of the population.