Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Factsheet for measure BG-2023-5/3064 – measures in Bulgaria
Country | Bulgaria , applies nationwide |
Time period | Temporary, 01 February 2023 – 31 December 2023 |
Context | War in Ukraine, Green Transition |
Type | Other initiatives or policies |
Category |
Responses to inflation
– Support for other basic items (e.g., food, housing, public transport, medicines) |
Author | Ekaterina Markova (IPS-Bas) and Eurofound |
Measure added | 17 February 2023 (updated 13 June 2023) |
The Council of Ministers approved an additional BGN 73 million to support public transport services across the country. This measure aims to counter inflation and support vulnerable groups. Compensation has been approved for so-called unprofitable lines of all public and urban transport in the country. Also, specific groups will be eligible for reduced public transportation rates. The Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev announced that as of 1 February 2023 the public transportation benefits will be enacted.
From 1 February 2023 until the end of the year all children up to the age of 10 will travel for free on public transport. Previously, only children up to the age of seven were entitled to travel free of charge on intra-city and inter-city transport. Furthermore, the discount for schoolchildren will increase from 20% to 70% and the discount for elderly people will increase from 20% to 40%.
On a monthly basis, the carriers will submit an inventory of the value of the season tickets for children under 10 years of age to the local government, who will submit to the state government. They will also report the discounts for students and seniors will be reflected in the season cards for the main city lines and in long-distance tickets.
In Sofia, for example, annual student cards have been introduced with a price of BGN 200. If Sofia municipality does not decide to change its policy, the cards for pensioners should also become completely free of charge.
Another 27 million BGN will be allocated to subsidise unprofitable inter-city transport lines. The money was provided by an extraordinary transfer for anti-inflationary measures at the end of 2022.
Municipalities should revise the prices of the relevant transport documents. Monthly cards should be easily revised, however it is not clear how annual cards can reflect the changes.
BGN 73 million was approved by the Council of Ministers in January 2023 to support the public transport service. It is unknown how this budget was specifically allocated.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Does not apply to workers | Does not apply to businesses |
Children (minors)
Pensioners Students |
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
National government
Local / regional government |
National funds
|
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | Unknown | Unknown |
Form | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
There is no public information about social partners involvement of this measure. In January 2023 there was tension between the municipality, ministry of transport and transport trade unions, and preparation of an effective strike for wages increase.
The trade unions (Confederation of Labour (CL) Podkrepa) insisted in April 2022 that public transport should be free and financed by state and municipal budgets.
Targeted financial support from the state is needed for public transport in Bulgaria due to the COVID crisis and the rising prices of energy carriers and fuels in the last few months, according to the Union of Transport Trade Unions in Bulgaria (STSB).
The effective strike of public transport workers in Sofia was postponed (January 2023), the chairman of the Federation of Transport Workers at the CL "Podkrepa" Ivan Kirilov said. The decision was taken after a meeting between the public transport unions and representatives of the Sofia municipality, discussing the possibilities for wages increase.
Citation
Eurofound (2023), Support for public transport for children, students and pensioners, measure BG-2023-5/3064 (measures in Bulgaria), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/BG-2023-5_3064.html
Share
30 January 2023
Governments across the EU continue to implement policies to support citizens and businesses in the face of rising food and energy prices caused by the COVID-19 crisis and intensified by the war in Ukraine. This article summarises the policy responses as reported in Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch database from January to September 2022.
Article12 September 2022
Although the worldwide pandemic situation had already disrupted supply chains and triggered increases in energy and food prices in 2021, the situation deteriorated in 2022 with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Article12 September 2022
This article summarises the first policy responses that governments across the EU have started to implement to support companies affected by the rising prices, and those with commercial ties to Ukraine, Russia or Belarus.
Article5 July 2022
This article summarises the first policy responses of EU Member States, including those of the social partners and other civil society actors, enabling refugees to exercise their rights under the Temporary Protection Directive.
ArticleDisclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.