The current work is the only in-depth study examining in detail the influence of constitutional, international, and EU law on the Bulgarian social protection. The research is of value not only in relation to the concrete national context but also contributes to larger-scale debates on the extent to which fundamental rights result in subjective positions alongside the constant restructuring of the scope and expenditure of social protection measures. Moreover, the examination on the influence capacity of EU law contributes to more nuanced discussions on the latter’s debated role vis-à-vis national social protection systems.