New government for Bulgaria

Following his GERB party’s election success last month, new Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borrisov has announced his cabinet of ministers. His appointments bring many new faces into the front line of government, with a substantial number being professionals rather than seasoned politicians.

The new Minister of Healthcare, with responsibility for the country’s 32 Homes for Babies and Young children aged 0-3 years (HMSCC’s) is Bojhidar Nanev. Dr Nanev, 46, is a specialist thoracic and paediatric surgeon at the Varna University Hospital and has stated Healthcare provision as a priority for his ministry.

Totyu Mladenov is the newly appointed Minister of Labour and Social Policy and will be accountable for the state run social care home for children aged 3-18 years. Mr Mladenov has international experience of social policy development and has said his top priority will be to stem job losses and then lowering unemployment, but also improving dialogue between labour unions, employer organisations and the Government, which broke down in the last year of the previous cabinet’s term.

Last week, the new Prime Minister, Mr Borisov outlined the key priorities, on which the new government will focus its efforts. He said “I declare the will of the government to work for an increase in Bulgarian citizens’ incomes, growth and modernization of the Bulgarian economy; restriction of the budget expenses, opening of new jobs, guaranteeing the legal order in the state, fight against crime and restriction of the corruption is CEDB’s second most important priority.
Reform and improvement of the work of the judicial system is the third priority of the new government.”

TBACT has disappointed that social policy reform and an accelerated program of deinstitutionalisation was not amongst the priorities of the new prime minister or his ministers. However, in November last year, the TBACT team met with Mr Borissov at his mayoral office in Sofia, where he stated a commitment to helping all the disadvantaged children in Bulgaria and agreed to set up discussions between TBACT and the GERB social policy team.

With the GERB party now in government it is hoped that real social policy reform will be progressed that signals an end to the practice of placing abandoned children in large scale institutions and alternative forms of care can be developed to help all Bulgaria’s children reach their full potential.