Pensioner

Today, deputies voted to provide Easter supplements of BGN 100 to pensioners whose pensions fall below the poverty threshold of BGN 526. However, the decision was met with opposition from some parties, sparking debates over the allocation of funds and the fairness of the distribution.

The Parliament has approved adjustments to the state social insurance budget during its initial reading, incorporating a new provision for an Easter bonus amounting to 75 BGN,  for pensioners whose pensions are situated below the poverty threshold of 526 BGN.

The New Democracy party, which is poised to win the June 25 election, is planning for a more flexible pension reduction regime for retirees who still want to work, with the aim of legalizing their employment, but also of staffing businesses that are unable to fill job vacancies with experienced employees.

Hundreds of pensioners gathered in downtown Athens on Tuesday morning to stage a protest rally at the Labor Ministry in demand of better pensions.

The pensioners also plan to march to the prime minister's office at the Maximos Mansion, where union representatives hope to deliver their demands.

Labor and Social Security Minister Kostis Hatzidakis announced on Friday a possible new intervention next month for pensioners who, due to the so-called "personal difference," did not see an increase in the final amount they receive.

Ljubljana – Prime Minister Rober Golob met with representatives of NGOs advocating for the young and the old on Thursday. The meeting, which Golob said was “definitely not the last”, agreed on the creation of task forces which will address some of the most urgent issues.

Each pensioner will receive an additional amount of BGN 70 in April 2022 for Easter, the government's press service said.

The one-time supplement will be paid regardless of the amount of the received pension and will reach over 2 million pensioners.

As of today - February 1 - the payment of the one-time BGN 75 to the vaccinated pensioners will begin, the National Social Security Institute announced.

At the end of last year, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov announced this as a measure to encourage vaccination before the new wave.

Those who remain are mainly younger retirees, or people waiting to retire, whose children have moved to Belgrade or abroad, ending the traditional system of inter-generational solidarity in family care. The youngest is 35 years old. Recently, the oldest dweller passed away at the age of 90; her carers at the end were also pensioners.

This year will see the definitive completion of pensioners' retroactive claims, with the plenary of the Council of State and the State Audit Council preparing to issue irrevocable verdicts in response to demands by retirees from the public and the private sectors regarding cuts implemented in the first few years of the financial crisis.