A draft will be introduced by all parliamentary groups to amend the Law on Defense and Armed Forces. Thus, the salaries of the military will be equal to the average salary for Bulgaria. At a briefing in the National Assembly, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense, Hristo Gadjev, announced this.
According to him, this is a nearly 30% increase in the remuneration of military personnel. The indicative value needed for the planned increase is BGN 520 million. Gadjev explained that it is planned that the salary increase will come into effect on January 1, 2025. Thus, they will be able to be planned with next year’s budget.
According to him, after the accepted increase, the basic salary for military personnel will increase from BGN 1,450 to BGN 2,200.
The lack of adequate remuneration is one of the main reasons for leaving military personnel, added the MP. According to him, if we want to have a modern army, we need not only the purchase of new weapons, but also an investment in people. Hristo Gadjev stated that this is an exceptional priority, for which he thanked all parliamentary groups, noting the responsible attitude, since “the Bulgarian army does not have a party color”.
It is not permissible for some of the military formations not to have a single officer,
Atanas Zapryanov, acting minister of defense, told journalists in the parliament. “There is a serious outflow from the officer profession, therefore such a decision will give military personnel motivation that the state has not forgotten them. She understands their problems and takes care of them, commented Zapryanov. We want them to serve in good faith, to prepare for the defense of the state. But we have to be careful, he added.
Earlier, he demanded an increase in military spending to 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product and an update on the pay of military personnel.
“We are working on the strategic review for a complex social package. We already know that in NATO 2% will be considered the minimum defense spending. We need to make these additional costs in people,” he said.
Atanas Zapryanov clarified that the issue of conscription is not on the agenda as a political decision, but it is on the agenda as a discussion.
So far, nothing has been implemented since the decision of the parliament. This was announced by Hristo Gadjev in response to a journalist’s question about the aid sent and requested from Ukraine. He refers to what was said by then Minister of Defense Todor Tagarev in response to a parliamentary question on the provision of air defense systems. Minister Zapryanov, for his part, replied that very soon this technique will also leave.
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