site.btaNational Council for Tripartite Cooperation Discusses 2021 Budget Bills, None Receives Unanimous Support

Sofia, October 27 (BTA) - The National Council for Tripartite
Cooperation Tuesday held an extraordinary online sitting
convened by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Demographic
Policy and Tourism Minister Mariyana Nikolova, the Government
Information Service reported. The Government and the social
partners discussed the 2021 draft national budget, the
medium-term budget forecast for the 2021-2023 period, the 2021
draft public social insurance budget, and the 2021 draft
National Health Insurance Fund budget. None of the presented
bills received the social partners' unanimous support.

Within the first item on the sitting's agenda, Finance Minister
Kiril Ananiev presented the draft national budget for 2021. He
noted that the bill's priorities in the area of income policy
include an increase of the minimum monthly wage to 650 leva from
 610 leva as of January 1, 2021, and a two-fold increase of the
resources for pedagogy specialists' remunerations compared to
2017. Additional resources are allocated to the education sector
 and the pension policy.

The priorities in the area of healthcare policy are directed at
quality and effective health care with the main focus being the
provision of adequate readiness of the healthcare system amid an
 ongoing epidemic situation caused by the spread of COVID-19, so
 as to guarantee patients the necessary medical care.
    
The priorities in the area of social policy are directed mainly
at overcoming the socio-economic impact of the coronavirus
pandemic related to preserving jobs, increasing qualifications,
reducing unemployment and, as a whole, preserving the
sustainability of social protection systems with a focus on the
most vulnerable groups.
      
Within the second item on the agenda, Labour and Social Policy
Minister Denitsa Sacheva presented the 2021 draft public social
insurance budget. The head of the National Social Security
Institute (NSSI) also took part in the discussion.

The revenue section of the draft budget has been coordinated
with the National Revenue Agency, and the ministries'
instructions within the coordination procedure have been taken
into view, the Minister said. The expenditure section includes
the data listed above as part of the priorities in the social
and the pension policies.     
The bill's transitional and final provisions propose changes
aimed at achieving clear regulation of the NSSI bodies' control
activity.          
       
Within the third item on the agenda, Health Minister Kostadin
Angelov presented the 2021 draft National Health Insurance Fund
(NHIF) budget. The NHIF head also took part in the discussion.
       
The bill proposes that amid a state of epidemic emergency caused
 by the spread of COVID-19, the NHIF Supervisory Board be able
to vote on an increase of the resources for hospital care. In
this relation, there is an opportunity for additional resources
under the NHIF budget in accordance with the Public Finances
Act.
 
Amendments to the Health Act allow regional governors to make
decisions on the local level in a state of epidemic emergency,
Angelov said. Under an important amendment to the Health
Insurance Act, the NHIF is obliged to pay the lowest price for
cancer medications, as a means to achieve effective use of the
Fund's resources.

At a news conference after the sitting, Deputy Prime Minister
Tomislav Donchev, Labour Minister Sacheva, and Education and
Science Minister Krassimir Valchev defended the budget
parameters.          

NV/DS