The government has approved cutting 35 posts at the Customs Agency and 119 at the National Revenue Agency (NRA), the cabinet press office said. Ministers made the decision at a meeting today.

For customs, the government adopted a decree that changes the agency's rules of organisation. Its total staff will fall by 35 posts. Vacant and long-unfilled positions will go, and some administrative units will be restructured.

The directorates "Administrative Services and Communications" and "Post-Clearance Control" will close. Other units at the agency's headquarters will take over their tasks. The remaining directorates there will get new roles, and some customs offices will be restructured. All work against illegal trafficking of drugs and precursors will be brought together in one place.

The customs administration also plans to have a representative at Europol. The statement says this will widen cooperation and the exchange of operational information with partner services in the EU and in third countries.

The NRA posts will go through a change to Council of Ministers Decree No. 215 of 1999. The decree sets total staff numbers in bodies whose heads are secondary budget holders under the Finance Ministry. The press office says this will give a better balance between staff numbers and the work actually done.

The statement also says the cut at customs will not stop the agency from meeting its legal duties. The cabinet says the new structure fits the growth in online trade, the major legal reform of the customs system, and the rise in international and transit traffic of vehicles and goods since Bulgaria joined Schengen.

The press office said a smaller, reorganised administration will bring in more revenue, give better internal control and allow more precise selection of economic operators and taxable persons, while keeping to transparency, fairness and accountability.

The draft 2027 state budget law plans to cut more than 5,000 posts in the state administration, BTA reminds readers.