site.btaFinance Minister Participates in Ecofin Forum

Outgoing Finance Minister Assen Vassilev attended a regular meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) in Brussels on Tuesday, the Finance Ministry reported. The forum discussed the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the financial consequences of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, the EU budget, the outcome of the G20 summit and financial services.

The political debate focused on social investment and reforms aimed at the sustainability of European economies. Vassilev presented national examples of integrated measures that have led to accelerated social cohesion. He also spoke about Bulgaria's policies focused on income, the minimum wage and minimum pension.

Vassilev and Minister of Labor and Social Policy Ivanka Shalapatova said that Bulgaria is working to improve economic growth, fiscal sustainability and social justice through targeted social investments. Shalapatova stressed that the aim of social investments in Bulgaria is to help people from vulnerable groups to achieve independence from the social system and not to be in a situation of poverty and social exclusion for a long period of time. She reaffirmed Bulgaria's commitment to be one of the Member States that will actively participate in piloting the future EU methodology for measuring the impact of social investments.