Updated National Strategy for Demographic Development of the Population in the Republic of Bulgaria (2012-2030)

The main government document for the development of demographic policy in Bulgaria is the Updated National Strategy for Demographic Development of the Population in the Republic of Bulgaria (2012-2030).

The vision of the Strategy encompasses ensuring conditions and opportunities for an adequate reproductive life in good health to each and every individual.

The Demographic Development Strategy is based on the following main principles:

• Lawfulness – conformity of the goals, priorities, measures and specific activities with the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, the laws and other legislative acts; exact and identical application of the law for everyone.
• Prevention – planning measures and activities for overcoming and/or limiting the action of factors that have a negative influence on the process of demographic development.
• Continuity – ensuring the continuous action of the strategy, regarless of changes in government or other social changes.
• Covering the entire life cycle of human life – having in mind the characteristics and the specific needs at each of the three phases of human life (youth, active age and retirement age). Each age group has a special place and performs a specific role in socio-economic relations as well as in the  and intergenerational relations.
• Equality – no groups of the population should be excluded and privileged.
• Efficiency – achieving optimal results at minimal cost.
• Efficacy – correspondence of the goals, priorities, planned measures, specific programs and expected results to the real social demands.
• Coherency – ensuring coordination, mutual commitment and synergism of the effects of the specific demographic policies.
• Public-private partnership - active and coordinated participation of the government bodies, citizens and businesses in the demographic policy implementation.
• Transparency and control of performance.
•  Sustainability of results – ensuring a continuous and long-term influence of the results achieved.
•         Public and political consensus for its implementation.

The main goal for the period 2012-2030 of the Demographic Development Strategy of R Bulgaria is to slow down the rate of decrease of population and achieve its stabilization in the long run; to ensure high quality of human capital, including people with regard to their health condition, education attainment level, abilities and skills.

The Demographic Development Strategy sets the following priorities:

1. Slowing down the negative demographic processes and the decrease of population size;
2. Overcoming the negative effects of population ageing, and improving the quality characteristics of human capital;
3. Achieving social cohesion and creating equal opportunities for an ample and productive life for all social groups;
4. Limiting the disproportions in the territorial distribution of the population and the depopulation of some of the regions and villages.
5. Adaptation and synchronizing the regulatory framework to the public demands for the balanced demographic development of the population and development of quality of human capital.

The specific tasks, measures and activities for the accomplishment of the five strategic priorities lie in the following 12 main directions:

I.Slowing down of the negative demographic trends and tackling the decrease of population

1.Encouraging the increase of the birth rate through the creation of conditions favourable for child-raising and upbringing;

2.Improving the reproductive health of the population and preventing sterility;

3.Increasing the general awareness on demographic issues, as well as sexual and reproductive culture of the population;

4.Improving the overall health status of the population and reducing the crude death rate as well as premature, infant and maternal mortality;

5.Increasing the average life expectancy.

6.Significantly decreasing the number of migrating people at reproductive age;

II.  Overcoming the negative effects of population ageing, and improving the quality characteristics of human capital;

7.      Adopting an integrated cross-sectoral approach for promoting active and productive ageing in good health. Adaptation of social systems to demographic change and population ageing – namely labor market, pension system, social assistance and care, health, education, culture, etc..;

8.      Developing solidarity among generations;

9.      Raising the general educational, spiritual and cultural level, qualifications, abilities and skills of the population of all age groups;

III.     Achieving social cohesion and creating equal opportunities for an ample and productive life for all social groups;

10.  Ensuring equal opportunities for an adequate reproductive life in good health for all social groups.

IV.     Limiting the disproportions in the territorial distribution of the population and the depopulation of some of the regions and villages.

11.Limiting the disproportions in the territorial distribution of the population and the depopulation in some regions and in rural areas

V.      Adaptation and synchronizing the regulatory framework to the public demands for the balanced demographic development of the population and development of quality of human capital.

12.Introduction of obligatory assessment of the impact of each single newly issued, amended or supplemented normative act of the state upon the demographic development and the quality of human capital.