Factsheet for measure
BG-2021-1/1739
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Updated
– measures in Bulgaria
'Hot lunch' program for people in need
Програма "топъл обяд" за хора в нужда
Background information
At the beginning of the pandemic, the Operational Program 'Human Resources Development' provided an additional BGN 45 million to strengthen health care until 31 December 2020.
This measure has ensured that 30,000 adults and people with disabilities in 240 municipalities received food, medicine or assistance for the provision of administrative services and 12,500 people had access to social and health services. The measure was expanded and extended in 2021, and is already being considered by the executive as part of the measures against the pandemic.
Content of measure
In 2021 care programmes were financed with BGN 85 million. The application of the individual municipalities has started and in a few months there will be detailed statistics on the implementation and effect of the measure. With these means you can: deliver food and medicine to homes, pay household bills, buy consumables, a doctor can measure blood, monitor a schedule, etc. In addition, this money can be used to provide psychological help and support to municipalities.
Currently, about 43,000 people have benefited from the measure, but so far it has not been seen in the context of the crisis.
Eligible candidates for the scheme include elderly, people with disabilities or low incomes, single parents and people in quarantine. The people in need of this services are visited by the care teams, who provide food and other services.
Updates
The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.
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16 June 2023
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On 16 June 2023 amendments to the Specific Beneficiary Guide under direct grant procedure BG05SFPR003-1.001 "Hot Lunch" under the Food and Basic Material Support Programme 2021-2027 have been published in order to reduce the administrative burden for beneficiaries and users as well as for Managing Authority (MA) of the Food and Basic Material Support Programme 2021-2027. The amendment is not related to the duration of the grant procedure.
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25 April 2023
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Amendments were published to the Guide to the specific beneficiary under the procedure for direct provision of the BFP BG05SFPR003-1.001 "Hot lunch" under the Program for Food and Basic Material Support 2021-2027. The changes are related to the implementation of Art. 5k of Council Regulation (EU) No. 833/2014 of 31 July 2014 (amended by Council Regulation (EU) No. 2022/576 of 8 April 2022) on restrictive measures in view of Russia's actions destabilizing the situation in Ukraine, and with a view to monitoring their compliance during the implementation of projects, within the framework of the Food and Basic Material Assistance Program 2021-2027 implemented by the Managing Authority (PHOMP), co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).
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19 January 2023
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On 19 August 2022 the Managing Authority (MA) of the Food and Basic Material Assistance Programme (2021-2027) announced the first direct grant procedure for the new programming period BG05SFPR003-1.001 "Hot Lunch". The deadline for applications under the procedure is extended until the end of February 2023.
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01 December 2021
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Following a decision of the Council of Ministers dated from 1 December 2021 about BGN 26 million (€13 million) additional funding was provided to the program. Thus the program is extended until the end of June 2022 and will cover 189 municipalities in the country. The expected program's outreach is 53,000 people.
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07 April 2021
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The "Hot Lunch" program is financially secured until the end of 2021. For this purpose, BGN 39 million has been provided in addition to the initially allocated budget, which will help 60,000 vulnerable citizens under the program by the end of this year. The funds will be used for a new operation "Hot Lunch" undertaken in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will reach 60,000 people, the main groups being people without income who are below the poverty line, people placed in quarantine without income or with low income. The funding for this program is provided under the initiative of the European Commission to overcome the consequences of the crisis - the mechanism "REACT-EU".
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Use of measure
Nearly 50,000 people from the most vulnerable groups will receive a hot lunch after 1 January 2021. The provision of uninterrupted service by municipalities will be possible after the government approves the Managing Authority of the Operational Program for Food and / or Basic Material Assistance from the Fund for European Assistance to the Most Deprived Persons in Bulgaria for the period 2014 - 2020. By doing so, they will conclude contracts for the provision of grants up to 5 percent above the determined budget of the operational program.
It is expected that the additional resources will be sufficient for the gradual conclusion and refinancing of about 200 contracts with municipalities, which will allow the provision of hot lunch to continue from 1 January 2021 without interruption.
From 20 December 2021 to 14 January 2022, nearly 10,300 food parcels were provided to target groups. These groups include families in a difficult financial situation; families with children, with no or low income, who are unable to meet their basic living needs and have been denied targeted heating assistance during the current heating season; cases identified by the social services as being in a difficult situation and with a high degree of material deprivation. This included 5,451 individuals and family members experiencing hardship.
Target groups
Actors and funding
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Actors
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Funding
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National government
Social partners jointly
Local / regional government
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Local funds
National funds
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Social partners
Social partners' role in
designing the measure
and form of involvement:
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Trade unions
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Employers' organisations
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Role
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Informed
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Informed
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Form
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Not applicable
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Not applicable
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Social partners' role in the
implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
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No involvement
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Main level of involvement: Unknown
Involvement
Social partners have not been involved in the designing of the measure.
However, they are involved in the implementation of the measure by promoting it through their regional offices.
Views and reactions
Despite not involved in the adoption of the measure, social partners have always supported the measure also by promoting it through their regional offices
In particular, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria actively assists in the implementation of the measure through its members at the regional level. In addition, the confederation itself has taken a number of initiatives at local and national level in support of those in need, similar to that of the municipal administration.
Sources
