Documents Bulgaria 349 results

"Issues of justice, freedom and equality have preoccupied humanity since the emergence of the earliest social communities.
The paths and steps towards achieving these general goals have been as varied as the places, people and organisations involved. Put simply, there is no single blueprint for social progress.
Movements in Europe resulting in improved social conditions have arisen from a multitude of factors and trends. Humanism, the Enlightenment, workers', women's and civil rights movements, the international peace movement and countless small- and large-scale currents and initiatives have contributed to social progress and emancipation in European countries. The pathways may have differed, but the goals have been the same.
Featuring examples from 13 nations across Europe, this publication aims to give readers a better understanding of how the situation has developed in these countries, to foster mutual learning and to encourage further engagement with the specific histories of social progress in Europe. This is a desire shared by all those who participated in this project. After all, recognising and accepting similarities and differences is one of the key prerequisites for developing viable ideas and programmes for a social, just and peaceful Europe."

"In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Council agreed to provide major financial support to Member States. Drawing on a combination of the EU's long-term budget (2021–2027) and an additional temporary support system known as ‘NextGenerationEU' (NGEU), the EU has been providing funds to help Member States with the fall-out from the Covid-19 crisis. The so-called ‘Recovery and Resilience Facility' (RRF), at the core of the NGEU, provides financial support to Member States, notably through a combination of grants and loans (European Parliament and Council of the EU 2021). Resources made available through the RRF amount to 672.5 billion euros (360 billion euros in loans and 312.5 billion euros in grants – in 2018 prices).

To access the RRF funds, Member States submitted detailed national Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs), in which they set out reforms and investments to be completed by 2026. In particular, RRPs are supposed to identify measures in policy areas of European relevance, structured in six pillars, deemed as key to achieving recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and to enhancing the long-term resilience of the EU and of its Member States (European Parliament and Council of the EU 2021: recital 10): (i) green transition; (ii) digital transformation; (iii) smart, sustainable and inclusive growth; (iv) social and territorial cohesion; (v) health, and economic, social and institutional resilience; and (vi) policies for the next generation, children and young people. In order to assess the adequacy of the RRPs, a set of criteria have been established, including their contribution to the green and digital transitions and to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), as well as their consistency with the European Semester Country-specific Recommendations (CSRs) which the Member States received in previous years (European Parliament and Council of the EU 2021: recital 42).

Reforms and investments linked to the RRF's ‘social and territorial cohesion' pillar are expected to help strengthen social dialogue in the Member States (European Parliament and Council of the EU 2021: recital 14); more generally, in drafting their RRPs, the Member States have been asked to report on how they conducted consultations with relevant national stakeholders, including the social partners and civil society organisations."

"The mechanisms of the Currency Board in Bulgaria have resulted in a short-term financial stabilisation although, in the middle- and longterm perspective, without achievements in the real sector the results from this stability will be undermined. The banking sector is still over-liquid due to high-risk production crediting and the structure of the banks' portfolios. The tendency is to keep assets in short-term state securities and look for possible revenues abroad. The investment policies of the commercial and investment banks should be altered with the emphasis being put on investments in the real sector, which in 1999 is expected to experience the much-prolonged structural reform. Otherwise, Bulgaria may face serious problems with regard to its balance of payments deficit which, under the conditions of the CBA, will have a negative impact on expected economic growth. The conclusion is that reform in the banking sector is lagging behind and, if it is not speeded up in 1998-99 by privatisation, by changes in the regulatory functions of the Central Bank and by the relocation of more assets to the real economy, it will become an inhibiting factor for economic growth and the transition in general."

"This article reviews the main results of recent empirical research on the topic of income and wealth inequalities, with a special focus on Bulgaria, taking extensive account of the impact of Covid-19 which, according to the data, is responsible for ‘the largest annual increase in global inequality and poverty since at least 1990'. It is clear that social and macroeconomic shocks have a major impact on trends in inequalities. The aim of the article is to summarise the latest research on the subject in order to establish a starting point for the formulation of an adequate economic policy by national governments. The goal of such a policy should be to reduce inequalities to levels in socially acceptable ways which, on the one hand, would lead to an increase in general economic well-being and, on the other, also to an increase in social justice. Reducing the gap between rich and poor to ensure a fairer and more sustainable future means using all the tools of economic policy, both monetary and fiscal, which are available. A literature review such as this one fits precisely into this debate and would greatly assist future policymakers determine policies that work "

"Actions undertaken in the framework of the EU project “Platform Reps” have allowed ETUC and its member organisations to discuss and research in depth collective and legislative approaches towards digital labour platforms. This was done in light of the ongoing discussions by the European co-legislators on the proposal for a Directive on improving working conditions in platform work. The actions focused on the challenges identified for granting protection to workers and on the possibilities for the enaction of effective legislation at national level.

Twelve country reports analyse the situation at national level in terms of trade union organising and collective bargaining strategies, as well as the applicable legislation and the interplay with the proposals of the ETUC and that of the European Commission. The key policy recommendations present a summary of recommendations that emerged in the framework of the project and that have been discussed by ETUC member organisations throughout the various actions of the project. These recommendations should apply to all Member States of the EU."

"This article examines the Office of the National Ombudsman as a possible channel for the exercise of citizen's participation in democratic life in Bulgaria. Evidence in this direction is derived from the legally established possibilities and actions of the Office itself, as well as from the results of an empirical study based on in-depth interviews conducted with the occupiers of the position of the National Ombudsman as well as representatives of collective civil society organisations. The exercise of civic participation through the Office is illustrated by describing a case drawn from Bulgarian practice – the protests of workers and employees in defence of their rights to unpaid wages and other compensation in 2017 – which resulted in changes to the legislation championed by the Ombudsman. The Office is not above criticism and the article concludes with some suggestions for how the relationship with civil society could be improved and how the Office could better achieve its goals of strengthening civic life and, in particular, the perception among citizens that they do have the power to influence decision-making within the country. "