Pension

A total of 3,838 employees in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria continue to work while receiving a pension, as disclosed by Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov. This group includes 825 military personnel and 3,013 civilian employees.

Official data demonstrate a murky landscape for employment in the tourism and food service industry, according to which as the number of workers increases, so do the vacancies, while unemployment benefits cost the state more than social security does for the businesses involved, pointing to widespread insurance violations.

In a comprehensive piece titled "Bulgarians exploited the computer that said "yes," the Times newspaper highlights the efforts of Inspector Vasil Panayotov in uncovering a ring of Bulgarian fraudsters who capitalized on the "leniency and inadequacy" of the UK's Department for Work and Pensions.

The presidential decree has been published for the settlement of debts of up to 30,000 euros to the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA).

This means that all citizens who have debts of up to €30,000 will be able to retire, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis announced on Monday.

Savings in Greece have collapsed since 2002, especially private savings - i.e. by households and businesses - Eurobank argues in a special study on "Savings in Greece - Why We Don't Save," which was presented on Monday, with a deterioration of the savings rate observed in the five-year period 2018-2022.

At least 333.30 euros per month will be withheld from the pension of debtors to the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA), as long as they meet all the conditions and the pension decision is issued based on the recent legislation.

It's hard to believe that the number of working pensioners in Greece has doubled in just a few months. This significant surge undoubtedly stems from workers who, dissuaded by the withholding of their pensions, previously chose to participate in the informal economy.

The scheduled increase in pensions from July 1 might be adjusted to 10% instead of the initially projected 11%, in line with the State Social Security budget for the current year. This potential alteration stems from the officially reported lower inflation rates compared to earlier forecasted estimates.

The European Commission has referred the Greek state to the European Court because of its long-standing practice of paying off its commitments to its citizens and suppliers whenever it wishes. The cause is a long-term delay in paying the hospitals' commitments, which total 1.3 billion euros.

The ongoing debate over multiple pensions for former and current state officials has taken center stage in Cyprus, with the Cypriot government facing criticism from political parties and the country's Audit Office.