Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry remains one of the country’s most expensive public sectors, with spending on internal security exceeding the European Union average by more than 30%, according to Fiscal Council member Lyubomir Datsov.
Speaking on Nova TV, Datsov said that the country’s biggest excess spending compared with EU levels is in the area of internal order and security. He linked the high costs to the lack of structural reforms in the Ministry of Interior, which has remained largely unchanged for decades.
"The Ministry of Interior is an extremely closed system. In the last 30 years, it has never undergone what is called a public expenditure review, unlike many other systems," Datsov said.
According to him, the problem is not caused by frontline employees working in the field, but by the existence of oversized structures that have accumulated over time. He also argued that automatic mechanisms introduced in recent years have placed additional pressure on public finances.
Deputy Chairman of the Trade Union Federation of Employees in the Ministry of Interior Emilian Nedyalkov agreed that the ministry requires reform and said unions have been calling for a detailed structural and functional review for years.
