site.btaSocial Policy Minister Discusses Joint Initiative on Child Protection with Greek Counterpart

Labour and Social Policy Minister Borislav Gutsanov, held a bilateral meeting with the Greek Minister of Social Cohesion and Family Affairs, Domna-Maria Michailidou, the press centre of the Bulgarian Labour and Social Policy Ministry said on Friday. The two spoke on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. Gutsanov is part of the Bulgarian delegation in New York.

The topic of child protection brought the two ministers together. "Bulgaria and Greece can launch a joint initiative to protect children on social media," Gutsanov proposed, and Michailidou supported the idea. Gutsanov and his Greek counterpart agreed to familiarize their teams with the idea and to begin preparing joint actions. The two noted that excessive use of screen devices by children hinders their development and that efforts must be made to reduce the negative effects.

On Wednesday, Gutsanov participated in a forum child protection in the digital age – a high-level event within the framework of the General Debate Week of the 80th session of the UN. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also took part in the forum. There, participants learned about Australia's experience in restricting the use of social media for children under 16.

Gutsanov briefed Michailidou on the current tasks facing the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, as well as on how the minimum wage is determined in Bulgaria.