site.btaMedia Review: June 16

ECONOMY

Citing estimates released by the National Statistical Institute on Monday, the Trud tabloid daily publishes an article titled “Services Fuel Record-High Inflation”. According to the publication, the sharp rise in service prices has become the main factor behind Bulgaria’s annual inflation reaching 6.9% in May, the highest level in nearly three years. Service prices increased by 8.7% year-on-year, outpacing both food inflation (4.4%) and the rise in non-food goods (7%). While restaurant and catering prices rose by 10.1%, inflation was even stronger across a number of everyday services used by households.

Among the largest increases were veterinary and pet-related services (23.9%), religious services (23.3%), driving courses and vehicle certification services (21.1%), courier services (20.6%), organized holidays and tourist trips (18.9%), and hairdressing services (16.9%). Home maintenance and repair services, vehicle repairs, and computer equipment servicing all recorded annual increases of around 15%.

Higher fuel prices may partly explain some of the increases in transport-related services. Over the past year, diesel prices rose by 45.4% and petrol prices by 27%. However, the broad-based rise in prices across sectors such as personal care, housing maintenance, and pet services suggests that the inflationary pressure extends well beyond energy-related costs, Trud further transpires.

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The Telegraph tabloid daily also has analysis on the topic. Monthly inflation in Bulgaria was reported at 0%, while annual inflation stood at 6.9%, according to national statistics. The text contrasts this apparent price stability with a persistent “sense” of rising living costs, arguing that it is shaped by subjective perception rather than only official data.

It also notes that wages have grown faster than prices over the past years, particularly in the public sector, where income increases since 2020 significantly outpace cumulative inflation. This wage growth, the text argues, fuels higher consumption, contributes to inflationary pressure, and has led to concerns over fiscal imbalance and an EU procedure for excessive deficit.

TOURISM

The 24 Chasa daily has a lead interview with National Tourism Board Chair Krassimir Guergov who says that a “Marshall Plan” focused on modern infrastructure and improved air connectivity is needed to unlock the full potential of Bulgarian tourism. Guergov also voices support for the planned Brand Bulgaria Fund, describing it as a strategic platform for positioning Bulgaria as an attractive tourism, investment and technology destination. Brand Bulgaria should be seen not merely as a marketing tool but as a broader mechanism for promoting Bulgaria internationally, Guergov says.

According to Guergov, Bulgaria’s tourism sector has suffered from years of political instability and a lack of long-term vision following the COVID-19 pandemic, while competing destinations have advanced through active state policies and professional management. He voices confidence that the current government and Tourism Ministry now have the conditions needed to implement reforms.

In his 24 Chasa interview, Guergov underscores that investments in major international events generate significant returns, citing the Giro d’Italia, the upcoming European Volleyball Championship and Eurovision as examples of initiatives that produce immediate economic benefits and international visibility.

Guergov reiterates his long-standing call for a large-scale tourism development programme, noting that tourism supports hundreds of thousands of jobs directly and indirectly. He also backs the idea of using concession models to accelerate the construction of highways and transport infrastructure.

Improving air connectivity should be a national priority, he says, describing it as the “circulatory system” of tourism and the economy. Guergov suggests that the future Brand Bulgaria Fund could help incentivize airlines and support charter flights, following models already used in destinations such as Spain and Greece.

He also notes a gradual shift in Bulgaria’s tourism profile, pointing to growing interest from higher-value market segments and highlighting the country’s premium tourism products, including golf resorts, wine estates, mountain destinations and seaside developments.

INFRASTRUCTURE

In a bTV interview, Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov said the government is preparing a major overhaul of its road infrastructure policy, announcing that all new motorways will be built through concession schemes. Shishkov explained that ongoing motorway projects already underway will be completed by the state, but new projects at an early stage, covering around 800 km, will be transferred to private concessionaires. “We will change the entire system. All new motorways will be on concession,” he said.

Among the planned projects is the Black Sea Motorway, which would connect Romania with the Turkish border. Shishkov said that Turkey has shown strong interest in participating in infrastructure development in the region, arguing that neighbouring countries are increasingly engaged in building Bulgaria’s transport links due to shared strategic interests.

Shishkov also said that key infrastructure projects, including the Petrohan tunnel, the Ruse-Makaza Motorway, the Rila Motorway, and the Black Sea Motorway, could be designed and handed over to concessionaires within a year and a half.

Addressing the Hemus Motorway, the Minister said that six lots are currently not under construction due to lack of building permits at the time. He said that permits now exist for lots 4, 5, and 6, allowing work to proceed. He further criticized previous financial arrangements, saying advance payments had been made despite the lack of construction activity, and warned that planned indexation of those advances would have required additional public spending. “We will stop the theft attempt, which for the Hemus Motorway alone would likely amount to nearly 500 billion euros”, he told bTV.

AGRICULTURE

In an interview with Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), former Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) Director Dr. Angel Mavrovski said there is no border control for goods within the EU and Bulgaria has no legal right to stop the free movement of European products. His comments came after Agriculture Minister Plamen Abrovski announced that 100% border checks on raw milk imports would continue until June 19, after which controls would switch to risk-based inspections.

Mavrovski, who served as a BFSA head during the tenure of Andrey Gurov’s caretaker cabinet and was dismissed from his post in late May by Progressive Bulgaria’s government, argued that the Abrovski’s approach contradicts EU regulations and effectively amounts to overreach. He said the full inspection regime, introduced on 24 April, led to delays and accumulation of imported milk, with some quantities reportedly destined for destruction at a cost of around EUR 0.60 per litre. According to him, milk processors and exporting countries have already alerted the European Commission.

Mavrovski further criticised Abrovski for his “demonstrative” enforcement measures, claiming they create pressure on businesses rather than solve structural problems in the sector. In his view, the core issue is not imports but insufficient domestic production, as well as shortcomings in pricing regulation and state support mechanisms.

Mavrovski also highlighted findings from inspections during his time as BFSA head, claiming that 27,000 ‘virtual’ livestock animals were identified through cross-checks involving regional directorates and the State Fund Agriculture. He said these discrepancies are linked to misuse of state-funded grazing subsidies, warning that legitimate farmers are being disadvantaged.

Raising broader concerns about food safety and regulatory oversight, he reiterated earlier allegations of possible data manipulation at the Kapitan Andreevo border control checkpoint for pesticide testing in fruits and vegetables. He argued that technical upgrades alone are insufficient, pointing instead to human factors and lack of real-time monitoring and video surveillance in laboratory processes. He stressed that the system must ensure full traceability and transparency due to the significant economic interests involved.

Finally, Mavrovski warned that uncontrolled animal movement could lead to renewed outbreaks of livestock diseases such as sheep pox. He claimed that illegal slaughterhouses are operating again and that insufficient testing is being carried out, calling for stronger state control and oversight.

CRIME

In a BNR interview, investigative journalist Atanas Chobanov of the Bureau for Investigative Reporting and Data – BIRD.bg, commented on the police and prosecuting magistracy’s operation against the “Kalashnitsite” (Kalashnikovs) organized crime group, involved in extortion, pimping, and racketeering, as well as on the practice of Bulgarian prosecutors of concluding plea agreements with defendants.

Chobanov said that instead of facing a prison sentence of 3 to 10 years for pimping, the alleged leader of the criminal group, Petar Aleksandrov, reached a plea agreement with the prosecuting magistracy for 8 months and 15 days of effective imprisonment, below the statutory minimum. However, he did not serve the sentence, as he had already been detained and the pre-trial detention was deducted. Chobanov added that journalists from the Segabg.com daily had found another plea agreement involving Aleksandrov, from 2024, which preceded the offence covered by the conditional deal. That earlier case concerned driving under the influence of drugs, for which he received a 7-month suspended sentence instead of the statutory 1 to 3 years, with no fine imposed.

Chobanov questioned what this indicated, arguing that it suggested a form of institutional protection, as such plea agreements appeared to be systematic.

He further suggested that if the “Kalashnikovs” had indeed maintained a prostitution network, some of their clients could have held positions that guaranteed the group a degree of untouchability. According to him, this could explain what he described as their brazen behaviour and public visibility. He also said it remained to be seen whether the case would lead to anything more substantial beyond plea bargains, adding that such agreements could also be linked to the existence of a “compromise database” involving prosecutors. He referred to past cases involving late Martin “The Notary” Bozhanov and Petar “The Euro” Petrov, suggesting similar patterns, and speculated whether the “Kalashnikovs” might also have engaged in similar practices.

Speaking to BNR, Chobanov said that public outrage against the group had triggered the police operation, but argued that “a heavy price was paid – four victims”.

On June 5, a serious road traffic accident claimed four lives, after drivers of two passenger cars lost control of their vehicles at speeds between 104 and 150 km/h in a 60 km/h section and crashed into a city bus and into a bus stop. The drivers were later found to be part of the “Kalashnikovs” crime group.

Chobanov argued that “someone is clearly providing protection”, and said that both the prosecuting magistracy and the Interior Ministry owed answers about everything done over the years, including plea agreements, investigations, operational developments, and surveillance. He stressed the need to determine whether any cases had been obstructed, arguing that without identifying those who were providing protection, such criminal groups would continue to thrive.

Chobanov also argued that there was a link between the existence of such gangs and electoral processes in Bulgaria, suggesting that they were used either to buy or intimidate voters. He said both practices went hand in hand, and although their exact electoral impact had not been fully mapped, this could be studied in areas of Sofia such as Botunets and Kremikovtsi by examining voting patterns over time, adding that these social environments tended to overlap and interconnect.

AUDIT OFFICE TO REVIEW BGN 1.3 BLN SPENT ON FIREFIGHTING

The Segabg.com online daily publishes an article that the Audit Office is launching a review of how the Interior Ministry and the Executive Forest Agency have spent BGN 1.3 billion (about EUR 665 million) allocated for wildfire prevention and response. The audit will cover a two-and-a-half-year period from January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026, during which various fire prevention and emergency response measures were implemented.

The Interior Ministry, through its General Directorate for Fire Safety and Civil Protection and the 112 emergency hotline, has allocated BGN 461 million for 2024 and BGN 650 million for 2025 for fire safety, disaster response, and emergency preparedness, including wildfire response capacity. Additional funding comes from the Executive Forest Agency, which has budgeted around BGN 39.7 million for 2024 and BGN 43 million for 2025 for forestry operations, fire protection, and forest preservation. A further BGN 163.3 million is allocated under an EU-funded Operational Programme Environment 2021-2027 project aimed at improving firefighting capacity, equipment, and public preparedness for wildfires.

Auditors will also examine other programmes and direct grants covering equipment procurement, protective gear, infrastructure repairs, staff training, and public awareness initiatives, Segabg.com writes.

The review comes against the backdrop of worsening wildfire damage in Bulgaria. In 2025, the country ranked among the EU’s ten most affected by forest fires relative to territory size, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). In 2024 alone, around 30,000 hectares of forest were lost, including areas within Natura 2000 protected zones. Data show that 96% of wildfires are caused by human activity, either deliberate or accidental, while only 2-4% are natural in origin. More than 80% start outside forest areas and later spread into them.

A WWF-Bulgaria report notes that over the past 15 years more than 7,000 forest fires have burned over 110,000 hectares, with particularly affected regions including the Rhodopes, Strandzha, Pirin, and Sakar. Direct damages are estimated at over BGN 28 million, excluding recovery costs, while indirect losses from biodiversity and tourism exceed BGN 100 million annually, Segabg.com recalls.

Auditors also point to structural weaknesses, including the absence of an up-to-date national forest strategy, as the previous framework expired in 2020 and a new 2030 strategy remains unadopted despite the EU’s updated forest policy, the publication further says.

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Bulgarian National Television, NOVA TV and Mediapool.bg also cover the topic.

ROAD TRAFFIC

The Telegraph tabloid daily frontpages an article saying that a “jungle” of excessive, poorly placed, or invisible road signs is contributing to traffic accidents in Bulgaria, citing road safety experts amid worsening road safety statistics.

Krasimir Georgiev from the Association for Qualification of Bulgarian Motorists says motorways are overloaded with rapidly changing speed limits and frequent signage, which distract drivers and lead many to ignore signs altogether. He calls for a nationwide audit, arguing that many signs are unnecessary or wrongly positioned.

Diana Rusinova from the European Center for Transport Policies highlights another major issue – missing or invisible signs due to overgrown vegetation, theft, or worn-out reflective materials. She warns that such cases at intersections or crossings can have serious consequences.

Experts also point to outdated or low-quality signs and dangerous overcrowding of signage in single locations, which makes them difficult for drivers to process in time. They further caution against non-standard, text-heavy signs that violate international conventions and may increase driver confusion.

Specialists say both excessive and poorly maintained signage contribute to accidents and call for urgent system-wide reform.

FORCED EVICTION

Online news outlet Dnevnik.bg publishes a lead article informing that Bulgarian legislation does not provide a legal definition of the term “forced eviction”, nor does it include explicit safeguards for vulnerable groups such as families with children, elderly people, or persons with disabilities, citing an analysis by the Center for the Study of Democracy used in an assessment of fundamental rights protection in Bulgaria in 2025. The report also highlights the absence of legal guarantees for alternative housing or procedural protections in cases of eviction, particularly for those at risk of homelessness. It warns that the issue affects not only people with low incomes, but also individuals with health problems, members of Roma communities, migrants, ethnic minorities, and people from LGBTIQ groups.