The work on joining the Eurozone, strengthening the country's defense capabilities and protecting the most vulnerable groups of the population were among the main highlights in today's report on the work of the government, given by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and the three Deputy Prime Ministers - Tomislav Donchev, Atanas Zafirov and Grozdan Karadjov.
The government's management program includes 100 priorities, distributed in 19 sectors with a vision for a full four-year management mandate. As a result of the implementation of the program, 257 defined goals are expected to be achieved through the implementation of 710 measures. This was stated by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, who presented a report on the achievements of the government under its governance program.
We want to start regular meetings to inform about the progress in the implementation of the measures of the governance program of Bulgaria, which is for the period until 2029, said the Prime Minister. He recalled that the government adopted its governance program for a four-year period on February 24, 2025. In order to emphasize the more interesting side of this fact, I would say that this is the fastest adopted program in the last 15 years - 38 days after the election of the government, said the Prime Minister.
Joining the Eurozone
Bulgaria's entry into the Eurozone from January 1, 2026. will only bring benefits, said Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov.
Prime Minister Zhelyazkov expressed hope that our country will receive a positive convergence report. “We have the assurances of our partners that they appreciate our steadfastness for Bulgaria to be part of the richest union in the world – that of the eurozone. After that, we have a lot of work to do on the smooth introduction of the euro, especially on the assurances of the public that the euro is the path to prosperity, and not the other way around“, said Zhelyazkov.
He pointed out that the activities set out in the action plan for the National Plan for the Introduction of the Euro are being implemented and no problems have been identified.
Internal Affairs
There is zero tolerance for corrupt behavior in the Ministry of Interior (MIA), said Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. He pointed out that in order to counteract corruption in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the necessary integrity tests have been carried out, including with regard to persons for whom signals of corrupt behavior have been received. Zhelyazkov said that the ministry is making efforts to cleanse its structures of unregulated behavior in the entire palette of practices, including influence peddling and professional and political umbrellas for criminal schemes. Regarding the country's borders, the Prime Minister said that reliable protection of our borders is ensured with human resources and technical means in partnership with "Frontex".
Defense
We have clearly stated our priority to strengthen Bulgarian defense within the framework of NATO's collective defense and the common security and defense policy in the European Union, said Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. According to him, strengthening the collective defense of the alliance can be achieved by building an effective system for attracting, selecting and retaining military personnel through accelerated rearmament and modernization of all types of armed forces. The Prime Minister also emphasized cyber defense, which aims to counter disinformation and effective strategic communication with society, for which a specific structure of the Ministry of Defense has been determined.
Justice
The Ministry of Justice is finalizing all legislative reforms in a very short time, which are a condition for the recovery of the second payment under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, with the realistic deadline being the fall of this year, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced during the government report. Bulgaria is also reporting on progress on all recommendations made by the special committee of experts for the evaluation of measures to combat money laundering (Moneyval) and at the earliest possible date in January 2026. our country to be removed from the gray list, announced Zhelyazkov. According to him, the measures taken are key to assessing our readiness to be a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Social Policy
Improving the quality of life of Bulgarian citizens is a key task of the government, and in the first 100 days, protecting the most vulnerable has become an important policy for reducing inequalities, said Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov during the report on the implementation of the cabinet's management program to date. At the government's proposal of July 1 this year, all pensions granted by the end of 2024 will be increased by 8.6%, he added. Despite the difficult state of the state budget and the heavy legacy, in dialogue, the cabinet managed to provide Easter allowances for 687 thousand pensioners who are in the most vulnerable position, Zafirov pointed out.
Regional development and public works
This year's legislative program in the field of regional development and public works has been implemented by 90%, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov announced during the report. In order to improve the water and sanitation infrastructure in the country, seven contracts were signed on February 10 for the provision of grant aid for 762 million leva for seven water and sanitation operators in the districts of Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Pleven, Sofia Region, Haskovo, Targovishte, informed Zafirov. According to him, this will significantly increase the quality of the service provided and will solve the problem of water shortage.
Environment
Under the "Environment" program, the state supports municipalities in replacing solid fuel heating appliances, with 21 contracts already signed for a total value of 602 million leva, said Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov. According to him, the installation and replacement of appliances in the municipalities of Plovdiv and Dimitrovgrad have already begun. The National Air Pollution Control Program has been prepared and updated, and a draft law amending and supplementing the Clean Air Act has been approved by the Council of Ministers.
Transport
Six administrative and eight legislative measures have been prepared to create simplified regimes for access to labor from third countries. A sustainable technical solution has been found for the use of means for weighing the mass of freight vehicles moving at high speed. New public-private partnership projects are being included in the Updated Action Plan for State Concessions for the period 2021-2027, Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadjov reported.
Healthcare
The construction of the national children's hospital has been accelerated after the previous stoppage, said Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadjov.
The scope of screening for socially significant diseases, as well as prenatal and neonatal screening, has been expanded, three branches for emergency medical care have been modernized and put into operation, and five new high-passenger ambulances have been delivered to hard-to-reach areas, he added. Salaries in the Ministry of Health system have been increased, including those working in the field of emergency care, the minister also said.
Culture
Karadzhov also reported on what has been done in the field of culture. For the first time since the adoption of the Law on the Protection and Development of Culture in 1999, there will be a National Cultural Calendar in 2026, he said. The procedures set out in the regulatory acts are underway and it is planned that the Council of Ministers will approve the National Cultural Calendar for 2026 in the middle of this year, Grozdan Karadzhov pointed out. A draft Law on the Film Industry has been prepared, which provides for the creation of a modern regulatory framework for sustainable development and strategic support for the Bulgarian film industry, the Deputy Prime Minister also pointed out.