With a nod to an ordinance on October 25, the Bulgarian government raised the poverty line to 166 leva. The decision will take effect on January 1 2008, the press office of the government reported.

The same ordinance outlines the new methodology to determine poverty levels in Bulgaria. Modifications mainly refer to the definition of what minimal subsistence presumes. The minimal subsistence standard will be based on data of the bottom 20 per cent of lowest income households. Previously, statistics drew on the bottom 30 per cent of households.

The changed methodology harmonises Bulgarian regulations in the field of revenues and living standards with those of Eurostat, the EU statistical authority.

The document comes to replace an analogous document the government approved early 2006. It passed governmental approval on the nod of the social partners within the framework of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation.