"Bulgaria is a country with an aging population and by the end of last year 100 workers supported 70 pensioners. Over the next few years – until 2050, if we do not change demographic trends in some way, then the ratio will be almost equal“.
This was commented on "This Morning“ by BTV by Zornitsa Rusinova, Chairperson of the Economic and Social Council.
According to her, it is necessary every 3 to 5 years to review the insurance burden, the amount of insurance contributions, and to update pensions based on analyses.
"I hope that the proposals we have made will be accepted as a roadmap - the legislative and executive branches will take specific decisions. If we do not start improving the system now and do not tie it to the real economic development of the country, after 3-4-5 years, the expenses we pay for pensions will be increasingly large - at the expense of the working people", Zornitsa Rusinova pointed out.
Curriculums should focus on developing practical key skills such as critical and analytical thinking, recognizing fake news, social-emotional intelligence and empathy, financial literacy. These recommendations of the Economic and Social Council are part of the analysis "Formation of civic competence in children through the system of school and extracurricular education", which the Council adopted at a plenary session.
The ESC analysis provides a basis for actions to improve the pension system in the direction of sustainability, efficiency, financial stability and reduced disproportion "contribution-rights". Its conclusions confirm that the three-pillar pension model in Bulgaria is the result of a difficult consensus to achieve and that the balanced interaction between its elements is the key to solving the existing challenges.