Bulgaria's Social Security Director Refuses to Retire

NOI Director, Hristina Mitreva, is firm on keeping her post, despite the will of Bulgarian PM Borisov to send her to retirement. Photo by BGNES

The Director of the National Social Security Institute (NOI) Hristina Mitreva, has no intentions of retiring, the Institute's press center announced Monday.

The fact Mitreva is in retirement age, does not mean in any way she has to leave because the Labor Code allows for people to continue working after that, NOI point out, cited by the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, stated he will ask the Parliament to fire the NOI Director because of flaws in the projected 2011 income in the social security sector, while in a Sunday interview for Nova Televizia TV he said he will ask her to retire.

Mitreva had not discussed the subject with Borisov.

Also on Friday, the head of the National Revenue Agency, NRA, Krassimir Stefanov directly accused Mitreva of swelling the budget deficit by forecasting unrealistically high levels of revenues from social securities.

The decision to dismiss the Director, however, does not belong to the Prime Minister, NOI remind.

The NOI Director post is a term one, and is decided on by the Parliament, meaning the dismissal from it requires a vote by the Members of the Parliament. In order to retire, Mitreva has to submit an application with the Parliament, which must also be approved by the MPs.

The Parliament further has the authority to replace the NOI Director as it did with Mitreva's predecessor.

According to the Labor Code, other reasons for dismissal include a court sentence, proven conflict of interests, not fulfilling job duties, and being unable to fulfill them for more than six months.

Borisov and Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, have refused comments on Mitreva's decision to remain at the post.

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