site.btaLegislative Changes to Transpose EU Minimum Wage Directive Won't Change Minimum Wage Set for 2025

In accordance with the current Labour Code (LC), the minimum wage for 2025 has been set by a decree of the Council of Ministers and will be BGN 1,077 from January 1. Legislative changes to transpose the EU Adequate Minimum Wages Directive into national law will not lead to a reduction in its amount, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy told BTA. On Wednesday, the Ministry said that the proposed amendments to the Labour Code will be discussed at a working group on November 14.

At this stage, no final text has been prepared for a bill amending and supplementing the LC related to the transposition of the directive, the Ministry said. There is also a proposed obligation of the State and the Government to promote collective bargaining when determining wages, the Ministry said. It is envisaged that the procedure and method (mechanism) for determining the amount of the minimum wage will be regulated by the Council of Ministers, the Ministry also explained.

The deadline for transposition of the Directive is November 15, 2024, which stems from the obligation of Member States to do so within 2 years of its promulgation, the Ministry said. "Within this timeframe, the Government has fulfilled its commitment to provide the European Commission with information on the national legislation in force related to the Directive," the Ministry told BTA. 

However, work to improve labour legislation will not stop until national legislation is fully in line with the objectives of the Directive - to achieve better levels of protection for workers, including by making minimum wages adequate and promoting collective bargaining to set wages, the Ministry said.

Earlier in the week, the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour and the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria issued a position on the legislative changes being discussed.