Leva

For 2025, the Sofia Municipality has allocated 302,192,935 leva for cleaning and maintenance, marking a 6% increase from the 2024 budget. The proposed funds are set to cover landscaping, upkeep of schoolyards, kindergartens, health and social institutions, as well as cemetery parks.

Each Bulgarian discards an average of 93 kilograms of food annually, translating to a financial loss of over 520 leva, according to Eurostat data. Tsanka Milanova, the executive director of the Bulgarian Food Bank (BFB), shared these statistics during a presentation at the BFB warehouse, coinciding with World Food Day, celebrated in Bulgaria for the third consecutive year.

The losses of the state-owned company "Mini Maritsa-Istok" are escalating at an alarming rate due to decreased operations and a decline in coal sales, according to a report by "Capital" on the company's performance in the second quarter of 2024.

There are currently 44,000 job vacancies nationwide for September, indicating a slowing labor market in Bulgaria, with the most significant decline observed in the IT sector. Job listings in this sector have nearly halved over the past two years, as shown by data from an HR company and a career site.

Bulgaria has emerged as a frontrunner in the EU regarding agricultural support for the small ruminant sector. This acknowledgment came from the National Sheep and Goat Breeding Association, whose members attended a significant European livestock exhibition in France earlier this month.

Associate Professor Grigor Sariyski from the Institute for Economic Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) voiced doubts about the feasibility of the 3% deficit target outlined in Bulgaria's Budget 2025. In an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), he raised concerns regarding the country's fiscal health and its prospects for joining the Eurozone.

The number of women in leadership roles in Bulgaria is on the rise, though they still remain fewer than their male counterparts. In 2023, there were 68,000 women in management positions, an increase of 3,200 compared to the previous year, according to the 2023 Report on Gender Equality, recently approved by the government.

Bulgarian farmers and grain producers in the Kyustendil region are expressing their dissatisfaction over the delayed payments promised under the "Ukrainian aid" scheme, BNT reports. Despite a recent meeting, they remain on high alert, prepared to strike if their concerns are not addressed.

The Bulgarian government has approved an additional allocation of 200 million leva (100 million euros) to the State Fund "Agriculture" for "Ukrainian aid" to farmers in 2024, according to the government's press service. The funds are intended to cover part of the second tranche of state aid, which totals 325 million leva.

The Energy and Water Regulation Commission (EWRC) of Bulgaria has approved the business plan for Sofia's water and sanitation operator for the 2022-2026 period during a closed meeting, reports BNR. As a result, the price of water for domestic users of "Sofiyska Voda" will rise to 3.52 leva per cubic meter, including VAT, effective October 1, according to the EWRC press center.