News

16 September 2025

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva and a team of experts from the Ombudsman Institution are organising the first outreach reception for citizens in the town of Dupnitsa. It will take place on 19 September 2025 at 10:00 a.m. in the hall of the Municipality of Dupnitsa – 1 Svoboda Square, ground floor hall.

People will be advised on site on all issues for which they need advice or assistance – social and health rights, property rights, consumer issues – electricity, water, mobile operators, etc.

TELEPHONE NUMBERS FOR PRELIMINARY REGISTRATION OF CITIZENS FOR THE RECEPTION:

02/ 81 06 955, 0879 596 358 - Ombudsman's reception desk;

0879 523 492,  0701/59 238 - Municipality of Dupnitsa.

During the reception day, Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva and NSSI Director Vesela Karaivanova will launch the joint campaign "Pensions in Euros."

The initiative is aimed at older people in connection with the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2026 and will mainly cover small towns and villages in the country. The main objective is to inform and advise pensioners on all issues related to the upcoming change - from the recalculation of pensions in euros to how to recognize counterfeit banknotes so as not to fall victim to fraudsters. 

During these meetings, brochures provided by the Ministry of Finance will be distributed, showing the recalculation of the change at the official exchange rate of 1 EUR = 1.95583 BGN. To make it easier for older people who use mobile phones, they will be able to scan the QR code printed on the leaflets to convert levs into euros and stotinki into euro cents in real time.

Reports received by the Ombudsman reception desk indicate that the conversion process is causing concern among many third-age citizens. Experts from the Ombudsman and the National Social Security Institute will answer all these questions on the spot.