President Rumen Radev has vetoed some of the amendments to the Defence and Armed Forces Act of the Republic of Bulgaria adopted on 30 October this year, the presidential press service has announced.

In his motives the president points out that the amendments adopted, though they pursue aims important for defence, could, in practice deepen the problem of understaffing in the army and should be reconsidered by the law-makers.

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The current legislative practice of raising the maximum age for military service has not led to a resolution of the understaffing problem in the armed forces but has created prerequisites for stagnation in the system, in the process of renewal of the command staff and a lack of career development opportunities of the officer corps, Rumen Radev says. “The changes in the ways working hours are tracked and compensated and the new procedure for taking leave create a prerequisite for causing detriment to the military personnel and create conditions for additional demotivation,” the Bulgarian president states.

Some steps in the right direction have been taken, Rumen Radev states, which aim to improve coordination between the competent authorities in the sphere of defence as well as to create regulations regarding the activities of the Supreme High Command.

Edited by Diana Tsankova
Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
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