This National Action Plan was established by an intergovernmental commission created immediately after the Beijing Conference. The Action Plan was then adopted at a session of the National Council on Social and Demographic Issues with the Council of Ministers on 2 July 1996. It was decided to create a permanent intergovernmental council to monitor the application of the Action Plan. This Council was headed by the Deputy Prime Minister for Social Welfare. The present government has not appointed a new head; thus, for the moment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs serves as the focal point for the council.

The overall goal of the Action Plan is the achievement of real equality and development of women in all spheres of social life on the basis of sustainable social and economic development and reaffirmation of the democratic society.

Twelve strategic objectives are set out:

1. protection of women's rights and their equality in society;
2. ensuring women's rights in the sphere of labour, social security and social assistance;
3. equal access of women to the political, economic and social life in Bulgaria;
4. increase of employment and reduction of unemployment among women;
5. reducing the poverty among women and improvement of social assistance and social welfare;
6. upgrading the vocational training and qualifications of women and girls in Bulgaria and ensuring equal access of women to education;
7. ensuring full and adequate participation of women in environment protection and reduction of ecological risks to their health;
8. ensuring equal access of women to health care and medical services;
9. prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and by women;
10. solving the problems of women related to gender equality in society, with the peaceful means of culture and cultural interaction;
11. improving the role of the mass media for achievement of full and true gender equality; and,
12. cooperation and interaction with non-governmental women's and other organisations for solving the problems of women.

For each of these objectives, the Action Plan details several long-term and mid-term activities.

The government committed itself in making the following amendments to the laws of the country:

1. reinstatement of the text deleted from the Labour Code, which guaranteed the basic principle of equal payment for equal work in terms of value;
2. ban on competitions for jobs, on employment or dismissal from jobs, which are gender biased;
3. introduction of practices, which put the burden of proof on the employer, in order to provide guarantees for the ban on discrimination;
4. establishment of a swift and flexible system for compensation of victims of gender based discrimination;
5. recognition of the importance of unpaid labour of mothers and housewives for survival of the nation, by introduction of allowance to pensions for child care, care for sick or elderly member of the family; and,
6. incorporation of all forms of violence in the family as sexual harassment under the Penal Code.

The government also committed itself to the realisation of various actions, among which were the following:

1. formation of a Commission on gender equality, comprising social partners and women. The Commission should have the appropriate authority for supervision, arbitration and education activities;
2. establishment and financial provision for a separate structure for promotion of equal opportunities for both genders, with the National Council on Social and Demographic Issues;
3. introduction of a minimum quota of 30% for participation of representatives of each gender in assignment to State-controlled jobs, career promotions and, above all, in taking senior positions;
4. encouraging the introduction of flexible working hours and other measures for combination of employment and family obligations;
5. improvement of the quality of child day-care establishments, encouraging flexible forms of hour-based care for children of pre-school age and establishment of day-care centres for children with health problems;
6. introduction of tax reliefs for employers who hire pregnant women or young mothers;
7. providing incentives for women's entrepreneurship; and,
8. establishment of a Centre for non-governmental women's organisations - House of Women.