site.btaLabour Minister Gutsanov Confers with European Commission's Representation Head Chobanova

Bulgarian Labour and Social Policy Minister Borislav Gutsanov held here on Tuesday working meeting with the Head of the European Commission's Representation in Bulgaria Yordanka Chobanova.

Gutsanov said at the meeting that his Ministry is actively working to ensure decent incomes for Bulgarian people. He pointed out that Bulgaria has successfully implemented the reform of the minimum income scheme in close collaboration with the social partners. 

Also attending Tuesday's meeting was Deputy Labour and Social Policy Minister Natalia Efremova. The participants centred on the upskilling of older employees, labour market inclusion of people with disabilities, the implementation of the EU directive on adequate minimum wages, the development of social services, and the progress made with regard to the deinstitutionalization process. 

“Working together with the European Commission on implementing EU policies is key to implementing labour and social policy objectives and measures. We highly appreciate the fine cooperation with the Commission’s Representation to Bulgaria,” Gutsanov said. 

The Minister outlined measures addressing labour shortages and upskilling needs. He added that bridging the digital skills gap is a priority. Targeted trainings have been delivered under Operational Programme Human Resources Development on funding from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the European Social Fund Plus. 

As to the deinstitutionalization process, Gutsanov said that his Ministry is focused on the overall modernization of the social services system. “We believe that every child must grow up in a family environment or as close to it as possible,” he added. Deputy Minister Efremova said that “Bulgaria is a pioneer when it comes to closing specialized institutions for children,” adding that this country has provided the rest of the EU Member States with valuable know-how.