[REVISION HISTORY]

Bulgarian minimum wage and salary regulation reform

Updated 11 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-27 20:12 UTC → 2026-10-04 10:22 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Bulgaria has approved amendments to the Labor Code, introducing a new mechanism for determining the minimum wage. The calculation methodology aligns the minimum wage with the median salary and cost of living using four criteria: purchasing power, overall wage levels, wage growth rates, and labor productivity. The long-term goal is for the minimum wage to reach 60% of the median wage. On September 18, 2026, the Bulgarian Parliament passed the new formula at its first reading. Social Minister Natalia Efremova defended the mechanism, stating it considers complex economic factors rather than simple arithmetic. However, the proposal has faced significant opposition. Podkrepa Trade Union leader Dimitar Manolov criticized the inclusion of labor productivity as a key criterion, arguing that productivity is not the sole responsibility of the worker. Following the first reading, members of the ‘We Continue the Change’ party proposed an amendment to set the 2027 minimum wage at 50% of the national average salary, approximately €692, to ensure budgetary clarity while the government finalizes the specific mathematical formula via a subsequent ordinance. On September 25, 2026, the National Assembly officially passed the amendments. The law requires the National Statistical Institute to develop a methodology for measuring the ‘cost of living’ within nine months. Critics from the ‘Progressive Bulgaria’ and ‘We Continue the Change’ parties have labeled the legislation a ‘blank check’ or a ‘Schrödinger’s ordinance,’ arguing that establishing criteria without a defined implementation methodology grants excessive discretion to the Council of Ministers and creates economic uncertainty. On September 27, 2026, Bulgarian Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva joined the criticism, noting that the specific weight of the four required criteria remains undefined. Delcheva questioned the basis for a proposed €660 minimum wage for the upcoming year and urged Parliament to reassess the figure.

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