site.btaMedia Review: November 26

HEADLINES

Wednesday’s news media are dominated by reports that Ukraine has accepted US President Donald Trump’s proposal for peace with Russia, as well as by commentary on the 2026 budget ahead of protests planned for the evening.

Duma leads with the headline "Donald Trump Halts Funding for Ukraine," loosely quoting White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying that the United States cannot continue supplying weapons to NATO for Ukraine forever. US teams are working around the clock to try to get the peace deal to an end, Leavitt adds. 

24 Chasa carries a story titled "Bulgaria: A New Paradise for Italians Seeking to Evade Taxes." The story refers to a journalistic investigation that has been aired on Rai 3 and reveals that in recent years Bulgaria has become an attractive destination for thousands of Italian companies registering in this country without actually conducting business in order to avoid high taxation in Italy.

Trud quotes Dimitar Savov of the National Association of Real Estate Developers as saying that property developers in Sofia have invested BGN 115 million in infrastructure - an amount that adds between EUR 30 and EUR 50 per sq m to the price of new-build homes. 

Telegraph leads with a story about preparations for the BGN–EUR conversion.

POLITICS

Interviewed on Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), political analyst Lyubomir Stefanov criticized the budget bill, saying that "money is being thrown left and right." Stefanov argued that no one is happy with the budget, adding that it divides civil society and is unlikely to give anyone an electoral advantage. "I have not heard anyone say they like this budget and will support it," he added. In his words, there are many preconditions for a "winter of discontent." He said that the key questions are: How intense will that discontent be? Will it generate broad public support? Can it be channeled politically to prompt early elections that would change the current model of governance or at least the management of public finances? Stefanov added that employers' organizations, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), Vazrazhdane, and other possible political actors all have different goals. "At this stage, I do not see a mass public protest that could lead to significant change," he added. The political analyst argued that "it will be difficult for the opposition to unite, despite having common ground." Commenting on the case of detained Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev and former Sofia deputy mayor Nikola Barbutov, Stefanov said the situation is "outrageous." He added that, nevertheless, the protests over these issues will not gain momentum because the issues have become politicized.

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Dnevnik.bg quotes Velichie leader Ivelin Mihaylov as saying in a Facebook livestream that the counter-corruption commission is investigating a large-scale scheme involving property fraud and money laundering linked to the party. Early Wednesday morning, agents of the counter-corruption commission, together with gendarmerie and police teams, began searches at locations in Sofia, Varna, Shumen, Pazardzhik, as well as in the village of Neofit Rilski, where the Historical Park tourist attraction is located. The operation is being conducted under the supervision of the Sofia City Prosecution Office. Dnevnik.bg recalls Capital's reports saying that over the past year, companies associated with Mihaylov - from which he formally withdrew in April after becoming an MP - had accumulated seizures totalling more than BGN 2.1 million. The actual amount is higher, as the National Revenue Agency (NRA) has seized some assets, mainly cars, without assigning them a financial valuation. The park itself is also under an NRA injunction, including the land beneath it, the media outlet writes.

ECONOMY

24 Chasa has a story saying that "the State Intends to Buy Lukoil but Is Giving Sports Totalizator Away."  The daily writes: "The State is preparing to acquire Lukoil’s assets 'should the need arise.' To this end, the governing coalition has submitted two proposals between the first and second readings of the 2026 budget bill. The acquisition of shares would be carried out through the Bulgarian Development Bank." For this purpose, it is proposed that the maximum amount of state guarantees under the Bulgarian Development Bank Act be increased by EUR 2 billion. The sponsors of the draft legislation are GERB's Kostadin Angelov, Bulgarian Socialist Party's (BSP) Kiril Dobrev, Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) - New Beginning's Jordan Tzonev, and There Is Such a People's Pavela Mitova. "And while Lukoil is set to become a state-owned company, the proposal regarding the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator (BST) is the exact opposite - it would be granted as a concession for a period of at least 15 years," 24 Chasa writes. BST is currently the only lottery operator following the latest amendments to the Gambling Act in 2020, the daily notes, adding that the proposal has been made between the two readings of the budget bill and was signed by GERB's Kostadin Angelov, MRF - New Beginning's Jordan Tzonev, and BSP's Dragomir Stoynev. 

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Continue the Change chair and CC–DB MP Assen Vassilev appeared on Nova TV’s morning programme to comment on a protest against the 2026 budget bill that CC–DB has scheduled for Wednesday. "The protest against the new budget will be peaceful, but Parliament will be blocked. The goal is for MPs to hear what the Bulgarian people think and to adopt sensible proposals. We are heading toward low incomes, high taxes, and growing poverty. The warning we are sending is: 'Do not adopt this budget, because you will make a serious mistake,'" Vassilev said. He added that the protest, which he described as "non-political," has been backed by a significant part of the business community. The CC chair said that taxes and pension insurance contributions should not be raised, adding that some expenditures ought to be cut. "Our protest has nothing to do with the euro. The goal is for those in power to listen to citizens’ demands. The European Commission has warned that it does not believe the budget deficit will be 3%, as planned. That is, the Finance Ministry is lying. If the forecasts actually come true, we will end up with an excessive deficit - even at 3.1%. That would mean spending cuts in 2027 in order to fit within the 3% deficit threshold," Vassilev noted. He also criticized the proposed nationalization of Lukoil assets. 

Asked on Bulgarian National Television's (BNT) morning programme why Vazrazhdane will be protesting alongside CC-DB later in the day, party leader Kostadin Kostadinov said: "First, let’s congratulate CC–DB for finally having the courage to protest against the government, because we have been protesting since the beginning of the year." "We have no cooperation with CC-DB. Let’s make that clear. We simply saw that they had announced a protest, and we said that, just as we support all other protests, we support this one as well," he added. Commenting on the protests announced by trade unions and employers’ organizations, Kostadinov said he sees them only as intentions, not as real protests. He described the unions’ position as "very odd," saying that "at the start - when the budget was being discussed - they issued statements that almost supported the budget." "What is more, let’s not forget that the president of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB) took on the role of spokesperson for the government, touring the country with propagandists in favor of the euro. So their position is quite ambiguous," Kostadinov said. He called the proposed budget a "bankruptcy budget." "We cannot call a budget 'social' when it includes BGN 21 billion in new debt and when it provides for increases in pension insurance contributions and taxes. The government claims it is raising salaries. They are raising the gross salary, but the net amount stays the same. And the extra amount comes from us, the workers, because as you know, these contributions are split between employees and employers," the Vazrazhdane leader said. 

Also on BNT, Bozhidar Bozhanov, CC-DB MP and co-chair of Yes, Bulgaria, echoed Vassilev's statement that the protest is not political but civic. He denied that the CC-DB protests are being held together with Vazrazhdane.

CITUB Vice President Todor Kapitanov told BNT that the discussions on the budget are pitting businesses and trade unions against each other, as well as public-sector employees against those in the private sector. "We are satisfied to the extent that the budget provides for pay increases for a large part of those working in the public sector. Are we satisfied with the percentage of the increase? Of course not. In our preliminary demands - as we have done for many years - we set a minimum of 10% for salary increases for public-sector workers. Some sectors received that increase, others did not," he added. Regarding the government’s income policy, Kapitanov noted that CITUB has long been raising this issue, particularly in connection with the transposition of the directive on adequate minimum wages and the promotion of collective bargaining.

bTV writes that the largest employers’ organization, the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), has issued a call for companies, entrepreneurs, the self-employed, and workers to join a protest against the 2026 budget bill on Wednesday. Speaking on bTV’s morning programme, BICA General Assembly Chair Vasil Velev said: "Speaking about today’s planned protests against the budget, there has been no change in the unity among employers in Bulgaria." He stressed that all four employers’ organizations in the country reject the budget and share a common position on the issue. "We demand an end to the increases in taxes and pension insurance contributions, an end to the dismantling of the tax-benefit system we currently have, which is actually relatively good. In terms of tax systems, we rank among the top five out of 32 European countries. Only Estonia, Cyprus, Switzerland, and Latvia are ahead of us," he said. In his words, BICA has always had a clear and open position, regardless of who is in power. 

UKRAINE

Speaking on BNR, former Bulgarian ambassador to the US and Atlantic Club of Bulgaria Vice President Elena Poptodorova said that reaching a ceasefire and eventually peace will take considerable time. "Talks are underway, and even negotiations. The tone coming from Washington is much more optimistic. Western allies have set aside the European plan and decided to work on the American one, and their approach is more moderate and cautious. The American side says that the main points have been agreed and that Ukraine has accepted the plan," Poptodorova said. She added that Trump would not take part in negotiations until he could "bless" an agreement that had already been reached. A meeting between  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump is unlikely in the foreseeable future, she said. Trump is sending Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff to Moscow, Poptodorova noted. She emphasized that Whitkoff has maintained parallel contact with Yuri Ushakov, whom she described as an experienced Kremlin official, adviser to President Vladimir Putin, and someone well acquainted with the United States. Poptodorova identified the territorial issues and security guarantees for Ukraine as key topics in the peace talks.

JUSTICE

Duma and 24 Chasa report that 12 judges from Sofia and Varna have agreed to be included on a list of candidates for an ad hoc prosecutor tasked with investigating the prosecutor general. Their names have been approved by the General Assembly of the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of Cassation. The list includes two appellate and ten district judges who have served as criminal judges for the past seven years. Duma recalls that Daniela Taleva, formerly a judge at the Sofia City Court, was the first magistrate selected to investigate the prosecutor general in July 2023. Her name was drawn by lot from among 22 judges approved under a new procedure introduced by amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and the Judicial System Act. On November 12, 2025, the Prosecutors Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council ruled that Taleva will no longer serve as an ad hoc prosecutor as her term expires on December 7.

Mediapool.bg also covers the topic, noting that Taleva served in the role for two years. During that time, she never spoke publicly about her work, instead issuing numerous refusals to open investigations into the prosecutor general, the media outlet adds. 

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Telegraph runs an interview with prosecutor Albena Stoilova, who comments on the latest developments in а case involving two individuals arrested for torture and killing of animals for payment. The case sparked protests against animal abuse across Bulgaria earlier this year.

ROAD SAFETY

Trud carries an interview with Zornitsa Totkova, a psychologist at the Institute for Population and Human Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, who discusses road safety, the causes of traffic accidents, and measures for prevention. She called for penalties for violations to be imposed immediately rather than delayed.