An extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers was held today, the government information service reported. 

Here are the decisions made by the "Petkov" cabinet on its last working day: 

On his last day: Kiril Petkov fired six deputy ministers

The government approved the project of the Program "Research, innovation and digitalization for intelligent transformation" 2021-2027.

The Council of Ministers adopted a Decision approving the project of the "Research, Innovation and Digitization for Smart Transformation" Program 2021-2027.

The program is designed to support the Smarter Europe policy by promoting the European Union's innovative and smart economic transition.

The budget of the program is in the amount of 1,095,010,853 euros, of which 885,510,000 euros is the financial contribution of the European Union and 209,500,854 euros is the national co-financing.

The program will fulfill a specific objective of developing and strengthening research and innovation capacity and the deployment of advanced technologies.

It will be supported through sustainable development of the Bulgarian research and innovation ecosystem.

Under this priority, actions will be supported through which both weaknesses in the ecosystem will be improved, as well as the capacity, performance and relationship between its individual elements, increasing the effectiveness of their interaction, their integration in the European and global space with the aim of achieving maximum effect and results in favor of intelligent economic transformation.

In addition, this priority addresses the achievement of the Development of Skills for Smart Specialization, Industrial Transition and Entrepreneurship objective of the Programme.

Specific objective Acquiring the benefits of digitization for citizens, companies, research organizations and public bodies of the Program will be supported by priority for Digital transformation of the public sector.

This priority envisages support that will contribute to extracting maximum benefits for scientific organizations, business and society from the digital transformation of the public sector, as well as increase the quantity and quality of the tools for public data analysis.

Investments will be supported in two directions - ensuring conditions for the transition to data-based management and economy, and ensuring a high level of national cyber security.

Bulgaria will participate in the World Exhibition EXPO 2025 in Osaka

The government approved the participation of the Republic of Bulgaria in the World Exhibition EXPO 2025 in the city of Osaka, Kansai region, Japan.

It will be held in the period April 13 - October 13, 2025. The state will build a pavilion of the highest class - type "A", with a built-up area of ​​600 square meters, which will give our country the opportunity to fully present its vision for the future and to strengthen and build on its positive image before the Japanese public and the world.

Our participation in the World Exhibition EXPO 2025 in Osaka will provide a favorable opportunity for advertising our country, Bulgarian manufacturers and exporters, as well as Bulgarian scientific achievements and products with the aim of realizing them on international markets.

Bulgaria will be able to present its unique natural and cultural features in order to popularize our image as a tourist destination.

Bulgaria and Bulgarian companies will have the opportunity to establish business contacts and exchange experience.

The conversion of created by special laws on the basis of Art.

62, para.

3 of the Commercial Law on State Enterprises

The Council of Ministers adopted a Decision approving the transformation of the created by special laws pursuant to Art.

62, para.

3 of the Commercial Law on State Enterprises, on the basis of § 2, para.

2, last sentence of the PZR of the Law on Public Enterprises in Administrative Structures or Commercial Companies.

As a result of the adoption of the proposed draft act, it is expected that the requirement of § 2, para.

2, last sentence of the PZR of the Law on Public Enterprises for the adoption of a program for the transformation of those created by special laws on the basis of Art.

62, para.

3 of the State Enterprises Commercial Law, as well as to implement measure 236 C10.R7 of the Recovery and Sustainability Plan.

The government provided the Ministry of Finance free of charge with the premises of the closed National Compensation Housing Fund

The Council of Ministers adopted a decision by which the premises vacated as a result of the closure of the National Compensation Housing Fund, located in the building on Knyaz Al Blvd.

Dondukov" No. 2a, are provided free of charge for the management of the Ministry of Finance.

As a result of the adopted act, the Ministry of Finance will satisfy its need for additional building stock.

BGN 150 million for an increase in teacher salaries and the higher costs of schools

The government has approved the distribution of the additional BGN 150 million from the budget update for municipalities and ministries that finance educational institutions.

The funds are to increase remuneration and to compensate for the increased cost of living and food in the pre-school and school education system.

With some of them, from September 1, 2022, teachers' salaries will be increased by 5%, and non-teaching staff in kindergartens and schools - by 4%.

Municipalities will receive BGN 102.3 million, the Ministry of Education and Science - BGN 10.4 million, the Ministry of Culture - BGN 1.4 million and the Ministry of Youth and Sports - BGN 400 thousand.

BGN 35.5 million will supplement the funds for national programs for the development of education.

First tranche for salaries of educational mediators

The government allocated BGN 2,736,581 for remuneration and business trips of educational mediators and social workers.

This is an advance payment for July, August and September 2022 for 652 schools included in the national program "Support of educational mediators and social workers".

Through this new program, the remuneration of mediators is guaranteed until the end of 2022.

It was created to continue their work after the funding under the "Support for Success" project ended at the end of June. Part of the funds are also for working with the parents of students from schools with a concentration of students from vulnerable groups.

Another BGN 12,203 is provided to municipalities to support outreach teams that work under the National Program "Together for Every Child".

The funds are for 19 municipal schools and four kindergartens.

With another BGN 85,800, 9 kindergartens and 28 municipal schools will be financed.

They are for joint activities with parents to involve families in the process of covering and including children and students in the preschool and school education system.

The money for doctoral scholarships of BGN 1,000 is released.

State higher schools and scientific organizations will receive BGN 5.2 million to increase doctoral scholarships from BGN 750 to BGN 1,000, the cabinet decided.

The increase was set in the budget update.

More money will be taken by 3,259 doctoral students in full-time study at state universities and 223 doctoral students in full-time study at scientific organizations.

The increase is related to the higher cost of living and takes effect from July 1, 2022. For the last more than 10 years, doctoral scholarships have been BGN 500.

With the same decree, the government is also given BGN 1.8 million for an increase in the funds granted by the state for rents and meals in 34 student dormitories and 20 chairs managed by Student Dormitories and Dormitories EAD.

As a result, in the next academic year, the rents in these residences will remain at their current levels, and the discount in the student chairs of the society will increase.

BGN 1,500 minimum salary for a university teacher

The minimum salary for a teacher in a high school is being increased from BGN 1,300 to BGN 1,500 retroactively from July 1, 2022. For this purpose, the government allocated another BGN 20 million for the remuneration of the academic staff at state universities.

The money will be used to increase the salaries of both teaching assistants and other teaching staff.

The additional BGN 20 million will be provided to 33 state higher education institutions with a total of 11,512 academic staff, including 1,956 assistants.

The funds will be distributed among the universities after an agreement has been reached with the Council of Rectors of Higher Schools in the Republic of Bulgaria and the trade unions in higher education.

It is expected that the increase in remuneration will encourage more young people to participate in teaching competitions, which in turn will lead to renewal and development of the academic staff.

The government approved the results of the Bulgarian participation in the regular meeting of the EU Council on Agriculture and Fisheries

The Government approved the report of the Republic of Bulgaria from the regular meeting of the Council of the European Union on Agriculture and Fisheries, held on July 18, 2022.

Ministers held an exchange of views on the proposal for a Regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products.

The Republic of Bulgaria emphasized that it is important to take into account the different starting positions and the specific features of the individual member states, and to provide farmers with sufficiently effective alternatives to the chemical products for plant protection, which are currently not available.

The Commission presented an update on the state of agricultural markets, in particular as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

Our country stated that emergency support measures should be taken quickly, be maximally simplified, easy to implement and with broad parameters, so as to provide an opportunity for member states to respond to national and regional specificities.

In addition, the Republic of Bulgaria informs that it is experiencing difficulties in the market and a drop in prices as a result of the entry of production from Ukraine, of which large quantities are sold on the Bulgarian market at prices that are far below the cost price of the Bulgarian grain and oil production.

The European Commission presented up-to-date information on the process of approving the Strategic Plans in connection with the implementation of the new Common Agricultural Policy.

The Republic of Bulgaria informs the Council that a structural dialogue is currently being held to discuss the individual elements of the Strategic Plan, clarify them and take actions to reflect the comments of the Commission on the draft Strategic Plan of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Our country called on the Commission to take a decision as soon as possible on a derogation from the requirements of Good Ecological and Agricultural Status 7 (regarding crop rotation) and Good Ecological and Agricultural Status 8 (minimum share of agricultural area dedicated to non-production purposes) for 2023. , to enable farmers to make their production decisions.

Additional expenses under the budget of the Ministry of Economy and Industry have been approved

The government approved additional expenses under the budget of the Ministry of Economy and Industry for 2022 for the needs of the Consumer Protection Commission in the amount of BGN 99,600.

The funds are for the increase of personnel costs for the payment of staff remunerations under non-employment legal relations, in connection with expanding the scope of the control activity on the implementation of Decision No. 181 of the Council of Ministers of March 30, 2022 on the amendment and addition of the Program for the use of humanitarian aid for persons seeking temporary protection in the Republic of Bulgaria as a result of the military actions in Ukraine.

The Council of Ministers adopted a draft law introducing important changes to the Law on e-Government

The proposed changes address key issues of primary importance for the introduction of real e-governance.

The changes are aimed at facilitating citizens and businesses, which will significantly reduce the administrative burden and speed up the service that the state and municipalities are obliged to provide by law.

The main proposals for change are the following:

- Electronic services will be able to be requested without a qualified electronic signature by individuals - to request them, we will only need to log in with an electronic identification device with an appropriate level of security, after which we will submit the application by filling out an online form.

- The certificates that the administration requires from citizens are no longer required.

The necessary information will be collected ex officio.

The municipalities will be compensated as the revenues from the lost certificates will be reimbursed proportionally from the central budget.

- With consent, in the system for secure electronic service it will be possible to serve acts, slips and criminal decrees electronically.

For this purpose, an amendment to Art.

43 of the ZANN, which regulates the procedure for serving a receipt, electronic receipt, act of establishing an administrative violation, drawn up in the absence of the offender, or a criminal decree.

- Any paper documents and other physical media (including stickers) for proving data for persons or objects entered in a register are no longer required.

- Fees for administrative services will be reduced when they are provided electronically.

The institution of the intermediary in the provision of administrative services is regulated.

Thus, people who do not use information technology will be facilitated and will not have to travel to a larger populated place to request an administrative service.

Such intermediaries can be Bulgarian post offices, libraries and anyone who has offices close to citizens.

- An opportunity is created for complete electronicization of administrative processes by including additional persons as primary administrators.

An obligation to officially provide information for entities outside the state administration that participate in administrative services will be introduced.

- There is an obligation to keep records in electronic form, including through a centralized records management system.

If it is adopted by the National Assembly, the norm will enter into force after a year and a half, by which time the system must be ready and the data must be migrated to it. 

Elections on October 2, the composition of the official cabinet also became clear, the Prime Minister is Galab Donev

The government approved 397.8 million for 302 municipal projects for water supply, roads, technical and social infrastructure

The government decided to provide BGN 397.8 million from the budget of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works for targeted financing of municipal projects for water supply, roads, technical and social infrastructure.

At the invitation of the Ministry of Finance, local administrations submitted 740 projects for over BGN 1.5 billion. Of these, 302 projects were approved for financing.

The funds are intended for 196 municipalities with a total population of 5.9 million inhabitants.

The main criterion for the selection of the projects is the availability of project readiness with a building permit, when one is required.

In addition, the decision aims to guarantee the financing of the maximum number of municipalities, covering 74% of the municipalities in Bulgaria and 87% of the country's population according to NSI data.

In order to achieve equality, depending on the population of the individual municipalities, maximum thresholds for financing one project have been introduced, as well as a maximum threshold for financing for the given municipality.

Of the projects approved for financing in 2022, 141 are for water and sanitation infrastructure, worth BGN 156.8 million (39% of the financing).

For road reconstruction, 148 projects worth BGN 218.8 million (55%) have been approved.

7 projects worth BGN 12.2 million (3%) are financed for the construction of technical infrastructure.

Six projects worth BGN 10.1 million (3%) have been approved for the repair of community centers in municipally owned buildings.

The necessary funds for the implementation of the projects for 2022 should be provided from the budget of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works for 2022 by restructuring the expenses under the budget of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works.

The official minister should sign contracts with the municipalities for the implementation of the projects, and they will be financed 30% in advance, and the remaining funds will be paid out periodically after the presentation of documents for completed activities.

The list of proposals for targeted financing of municipal investment projects for objects of technical and social infrastructure, as well as the agreement for targeted financing of a municipal investment project, are published on the government website:

meeting of the Council of Ministers

decisions of the Council of Ministers