site.btaSocial Partners Refuse to Back Centralized Recruitment of Civil Servants

 The National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC) did not reach an agreement on Tuesday regarding a bill amending and supplementing the Civil Servant Act, seeking to reinstate provisions for a centralized recruitment system for civil servants, which were adopted in 2016 but later repealed before even taking effect. The proposal for reinstating those was submitted by Bozhidar Bozhanov and a group of MPs from Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB). The proposal

The bill introduces a centralized competition system to enhance the professionalization of the administration and prevent political appointments, said the bill's sponsor and CC-DB MP Bozhidar Bozhanov. He argued that there is a "partial retreat" from the desire for reform that was evident in the tripartite council discussions in 2016 when the topic was first considered.

The Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) expressed general support for the bill, "despite its many shortcomings." Rumen Radev of BICA said, "We want a civil service with greater authority, higher motivation, and better quality." He emphasized that the philosophy of the Civil Servant Act is to protect employees from "political interference and opportunism," not to shield and escalate ignorance and incompetence.

The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) also expressed general support, with Maria Mincheva highlighting the slow development of the administration. "Digitalization is progressing extremely slowly, and every change faces resistance," she noted. However, she warned against taking extreme measures that could result in a lack of available workforce. She called for a uniform approach across the board regarding bonuses.

The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) refrained from supporting the bill. Vasil Todorov stated that the organization has reservations about whether a centralized selection process could adequately reflect the specific employment relations within different state institutions.

The Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIBG) also withheld support for the amendments to the Civil Servant Act. They opposed "the mechanical reinstatement of provisions that had been repealed five years ago".

The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) also refrained from backing the bill, as did the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour. The trade unions argued that there was no reason to reinstate a provision that had been previously rejected.

Bozhidar Bozhanov pointed out that there had been no substantive debate when the 2016 provisions were repealed. He suggested that the timing of the repeal coincided with the conclusion of local elections, implying that some mayors wanted the freedom to appoint "whoever they wanted" to local administrations. He also noted that there is no cap on additional remuneration, adding that approval from the Administrative Reform Council is necessary "to prevent some administrative structures from going overboard."

Earlier in the day, social partners also discussed proposed amendments to the Ministry of Interior Act.