Insurance and Social Security Market in Bulgaria

Insurance System

In 1998, after an interruption of almost 52 years, the license regime for insurance companies was re-established in Bulgaria. According to the Bulgarian legislation a company shall not provide both life insurance and general insurance services. This is the reason why most insurers engaged in the insurance market have registered separate life insurance and general insurance companies. Currently, there are 20 general insurance companies, 9 life insurance companies and 2 mutual insurance cooperatives operating on the Bulgarian market. They all have been granted license by the state and their activities are subject to the supervision of the Financial Supervision Commission. The Commission supervises also the activity of life insurance companies, pension-fund companies and of stock market participants. At present, foreign shareholders own either majority or minority share in 12 of the general insurance companies, which constitutes ca 55-56 % of the market income, and in 8 of the life insurance companies, whose market share is equal to 68 %. On the Bulgarian insurance market operate international corporations such as 'AIG', 'Allianz', 'Munich Re', 'HDI', 'EUREKO', Wiener Stдdtische , Grave, 'Uniqua' (being a subdivision of 'AKSA'). Though, it is only the Australian 'QBE' that has chosen to register its representative office in the city of Sofia.

Bulgarian insurers celebrate the Insusrers' Day on October 1st. It was celebrated for the first time in 1994. The date is not a random choice - on that day in 1891 in the city of Rousse, that was by that time famous for its traditions in entrepreneurship, was established the first Bulgarian insurance company - 'Bulgaria'. Until World War Two the insurance system has developed into an important branch of the Bulgarian economy over which the state exercised a relatively efficient supervision. In 1946 all existing insurers in Bulgaria - 19 Bulgarian and 11 foreign branches have been unified by law into 'State Insurance Institute' (DZI). It has retained the monopoly over the Bulgarian insurance market for 15 years until July 31st 1961. On that day, by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria was established the external insurance company 'BULSTRAD' being the first share-holders company in the country. It was meant to serve commercial exchange, all sorts of vehicle insurance, international tourism, construction works abroad as well as other Bulgarian interests outside the territory of the country. Until year 1989 when private insurance companies began to emerge in Bulgaria the State Insurance Institute remained the monopolist in the internal insurance system.

The Association of the Bulgarian Insurers (ABZ) has been established as a union on October 16th 1992 in Sofia and included 12 insurance companies. Currently, members of the association are all 31 licensed insurers in Bulgaria. ABZ (http://www.abz.bg) was established and is operating on the principals of democracy, voluntary commitment, equality and fair play. The Association unites the interests of Bulgarian insurance companies and maintains contacts with similar institutions abroad.

Insurance companies are not the only ones that have their own organizations. Insurance brokers (whose number in Bulgaria is 174) and insurants have also similar organizations.

Pension Insurance System

The first private pension-fund insurance companies in Bulgaria were registered in 1994. The pension system in its current organization, however, has been operating since the beginning of 2000 and is based on three main pillars: the obligatory government pension fund as a part of the State Social Security, the obligatory additional pension contribution system where the contributions deposited are paid in pension funds, managed by licensed pension companies and voluntary additional retirement contribution, also paid in pension funds, managed by licensed pension companies.

At present, in Bulgaria there are 8 pension companies in four of which the majority interest is owned by foreign investors. Some of them are Alianz and ING, the Hungarian bank group OTP and the Dutch finance group TBIH.

The companies are united in an organization of companies for additional pension contribution - Bulgarian Association of Companies for Additional Pension Contribution (BADDPO), having a status of a non-commercial legal entity.

Health Insurance System

The health insurance system and the consequent social relations were established in Bulgaria in 1998 when the parliament approved the bill of Health Insurance Act. It constituted the legal grounds for a change in the Bulgarian public health services system and for institution of obligatory and voluntary pension insurance in the country. Health insurance in Bulgaria is a system for social health protection, which provides a guaranteed packet of health services and is implemented by the National Health Insurance Fund. The voluntary and the additional health insurance are managed by private companies, registered in compliance with the Trade Act and licensed under the terms of the Health Insurance Act. Currently, the number of companies offering individual, family and group health insurance is equal to 12. Most of them are members of the Association of the Licensed Voluntary Health Insurance Companies (ALDDZO).