The net living wage in Bulgaria is EUR 729 per month, according to the latest data of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria for the third quarter of 2023. For a family of three consisting of two adults and one child, the amount is EUR 1,312. In one year, the income needed to support a family has increased by EUR 55 for a single worker and by EUR 98 for a family, making an annual increase of more than 8%. Wages for more than two-thirds of workers do not cover the minimum cost of living, the union says.

We are not discussing an administrative cap on prices of basic food products, said Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, who was asked whether the economy minister had negotiated price-cutting measures with big retail chains.