Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Assen Vassilev: No low wage ghettos in Bulgaria

Minister Vassilev
Photo: BGNES

BGN 933 (EUR 477.04) is the minimum wage in Bulgaria, said Minister of Finance Assen Vassilev at the meeting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation. According to him, Bulgaria is at the bottom of the Balkans in terms of the minimum wage, reports BNT.

In Montenegro, the minimum wage is 532 euro this year, in North Macedonia it is already 483 euro and in Serbia it is 547 euro, Vassilev said. "We have an obligation not to allow the formation of ghettos with low wages, low quality of work and abandoned regions. This happens in developed countries when there is a scissors effect," the minister said. He said the budget should lead to a permanent increase in pensions without changing tax rates. The projected deficit is 3% according to the Maastricht criteria for joining the eurozone. 

During the discussions, the tripartite partners did not reach an agreement on the budgets of the National Health Insurance Fund and the State Social Insurance Fund, BNR reporter Marta Mladenova said.

Unanimity was not reached on the state budget for 2024. Finance Minister Assen Vassilev said that the goal was to have the budget finally adopted by December 22, BNT reported.





Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgaria expresses support for Lithuania following Russian incursion

"Bulgaria expresses strong solidarity with Lithuania following Russia's repeated violations of European airspace, a clear example of deliberate breaches of international law and the territorial integrity of our allies and partners," the Bulgarian..

published on 10/24/25 5:32 PM
Sofia University

Over 63% of Ukrainian students in Bulgaria are ethnic Bulgarians

In the 2024/2025 academic year, 2,104 students from Ukraine were studying at Bulgarian universities , according to the Ministry of Education. Of these, 1,750 were pursuing bachelor’s degrees, 304 were in master’s programmes, and 50 were enrolled in..

published on 10/24/25 5:22 PM
Dan Jørgensen

EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen to visit Bulgaria

European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen will visit Bulgaria on 28 October, just days after US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft over Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine, BNR correspondent..

published on 10/24/25 5:08 PM