Welfare

In a recent decision made during an extraordinary budget and finance committee meeting, deputies opted to grant a BGN 100 supplement for Easter solely to pensioners whose pensions fall below the poverty line. This means that those receiving pensions above this threshold will not be eligible for the holiday supplement.

Social protection expenditure rose by 60.2 percent to reach 1.29 trillion Turkish Liras in 2022 compared to the previous year, marking a substantial increase, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) have shown.

Social protection aids constituted the majority of the expenditure, totaling 1.26 trillion liras, representing 98 percent of the total expenditure.

A total of 89,328,030 euros will be disbursed to 80,380 beneficiaries from March 11 to 15 as part of the scheduled payments of Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (e-ΕFΚΑ) and the Public Employment Service (DYPA).

Athens' prosecutors office has ordered an investigation into the founder of one of the country's best-known soup kitchens on charges that he embezzled and misused at least 600,000 euros in donations.

Bulgaria holds the distinction of having the shortest average pension duration among European Union nations. Across EU member states, retirement pensions typically last between 15 to 25 years. However, in Bulgaria, men receive pensions for an average of 14 years, while women receive them for nearly 19 years.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Wednesday presented the paradox of the Greek social security system, and generally the distorted way of the country's development in the last few decades, in its report on pensions (Pensions at a Glance 2023).

Greece is one of the worst countries in the European Union for a child to live in, as it appears that the youngest citizens pay the highest price for the chronic inadequacies of the state, the low quality of the education system and the health system, as well as the inability of the social protection system to really and effectively support them.

Tourists who visited Greece in their droves this year have practically helped the Greek state save some money for the most vulnerable and distribute another handout to them ahead of the festive season, Kathimerini understands.

A significant shift in Bulgaria's pension landscape is on the horizon, as the minimum pension for service and age is slated to surge by 11% under the Swiss rule, reaching BGN 580 starting July 1, 2024. Alongside this increase, widow's supplements are also expected to see a rise, as per insights from "Sega."

The Council of Ministers determined the poverty line for 2024, which will be BGN 526, BTA reported. This was announced at a briefing by the Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Ivanka Shalapatova, after the government adopted the decision at today's meeting. The decision stipulates that the new amount of the poverty line will increase by BGN 22 or 4.4%.