site.btaBSP-United Left Submits Bill to Promote Volunteer Service

On International Volunteer Day, marked on December 5 every year, BSP-United Left submitted a bill to promote volunteer service, Gabriel Valkov, Chairman of the Youth Union of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), told a briefing in Parliament.

This is an extremely important matter because it concerns more than 100,000 volunteers in Bulgaria, including people who help doctors and nurses in hospitals and those who search for children in the mountains, Valkov said. It is time Parliament started talking about policies instead of engaging in scandals, he added.

Stoyan Klyunkov, a young expert involved in drafting the legislation, said it aims to establish a comprehensive legal framework for volunteering. It provides a legal definition of volunteer service and spells out the rights and obligations of volunteers and those who organize volunteering activities.

"We suggest that volunteers get three days' leave, which will count as length of service. This is one of the key steps that would encourage volunteering," he said.