The receipt of State aid documents under Scheme 60 to 40 will start tomorrow. The decision will be made within a week whether the funds should be allocated, and another five days later the money will be transferred, social minister Denitsa Sacheva said today.

As is known, the state commits to pay 60% of the workers' insurance income for up to 3 months if the employer pays the difference and commits not to cut people off. During this period, the insurance will be paid by the employer and the employee. The aim is to keep jobs until the worst part of the crisis is over because of the coronavirus epidemic.

In order to provide the necessary funds, the Cabinet today will consider an update of the budget to be proposed to the National Assembly. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said the sum was between 1 and 1.5 billion levs, but added that this money would not be enough. Last week, the Prime Minister calculated the total amount of state aid to businesses for the coronavirus to BGN 4.5 billion.

Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov said that work would also be done to increase the state's debt ceiling. "Don't ask me how many billions they are," he added. Approval from the European Commission for state aid will be sought today, but Borisov will receive it within 36 hours.

About 10,000 unemployed due to coronavirus

Companies that can apply for state aid are split into two. The first are those who are directly affected by the Health Minister's orders imposing a number of restrictions on the state of emergency. These are sectors such as retail, transport, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, gyms, private kindergartens and entertainment, artistic and creative activities, cultural, sports and other leisure and entertainment activities, and congresses. and trade shows.

According to Sacheva, such companies employ about 289,000 people, and their salaries alone will require BGN 135 million a month. The minister said that as of March 27, the country's unemployed are 213,700, and as a result of the crisis, their jobs have lost 9,909 people.

Companies from all other sectors can also benefit from the measure, who succeed in declaring and documenting that they have a 20% decline in revenue for March 2020 compared to March 2019.

Promises of easy procedure and tight control

Sacheva promised to make the procedure as easy as possible, going electronically through the labor offices. All information will be uploaded to the Employment Agency's website by the end of the day. It is envisaged that all companies that receive funds will be entered in a public register. The control of whether the companies are eligible for assistance will be carried out by the National Revenue Agency and the General Labor Inspectorate.

In response to a question, Sacheva said that if an employer receives 60% of the employee's money and does not give him the rest, he will have to return the money. Asked if the aid would apply to start-ups, the minister said a funding tool would be developed for them through the fund of funds. Asked how the self-employed were doing, the minister explained that they would be able to apply for interest-free loans.

Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov explained that no one obliges employers to take advantage of the opportunity given by the state. He explained that if the crisis continues to deepen beyond the third month of assistance, other measures will be considered. "We must be adequate without overreacting," the minister summarized.