Bulgaria's Labor Minister: Maternity Benefits Can Increase if Leave Is Shortened

Deyana Kostadinova, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor and Social Policy, has said that in order to increase maternity benefits, the period of paid parental leave must be shortened. Photo by BGNES

Deyana Kostadinova, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor and Social Policy, has said that in order to increase maternity benefits, the period of paid parental leave must be shortened.

In a Saturday interview for private TV station bTV, she commented on the renewed calls for increasing maternity benefits during the second year of leave from the current BGN 240 per month to BGN 310, or the amount of the minimum monthly wage.

Kostadinova, as cited by dnevnik.bg, emphasized that Bulgaria had the longest maternity leave in the EU, while in other countries the period ranged from 2-3 to 9 months.

She argued that an increase in maternity benefits could be achieved if the period was shortened, adding that staying out of the labor force for a long time entailed a risk of dequalification and mothers who had chosen to look after their children for two years would find it very difficult to return to their jobs.

Bulgaria's caretaker Labor Minister further explained that there would be no Easter bonuses for pensioners as they had not been provided under Budget 2013.

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