site.btaMedia Review: June 11

The topics of Bulgaria's expected eurozone entry and the recently uncovered illegal nursing homes in the country dominate Wednesday's news media.

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Duma reports on its front page that three illegal nursing homes have been uncovered in Varna (on the Black Sea), where older persons were held in terrifying conditions. People with mental problems and healthy ones were held in one and the same room; many of the residents had no phones and IDs; they did not receive adequate medical assistance; sedatives were found on site; the food was basic despite the BGN 1,100 in monthly fees. The owners avoided the authorities’ control by registering the nursing homes as guest rooms. Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev warned that the State is working actively on legislative changes to turn the ownership of illegal nursing homes into a crime.

Telegraph has a front-page article on the same news, reading that a total of 130 older persons were held in deplorable conditions in the three homes in Varna.

Trud, 24 Chasa, and bTV's morning show present stories of people accommodated at the illegal nursing homes in Varna or the one in the southeastern village of Yagoda uncovered last week.

On bTV, Adela Kachounova from the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and Nikolay Nikolaev from the Sofia District Prosecution Office commented on the control exercised on nursing homes.

On Nova TV, the same question was discussed by lawyer Maria Sharkova, the head of the National Association of Nursing Homes, Dr Vihren Hristov, and social worker Nadezhda Deneva.

On Bulgarian National Television's morning show, National Revenue Agency head Rumen Spetsov said that the illegal nursing home in Yagoda had been checked over the years, and fines had been imposed back in 2013 and 2016. The fines were for incorrect reporting of income, non-payment of social insurance contributions for the staff, and lack of rental contracts (since the homes were disguised as guest rooms). The checks will continue, Spetsov added.

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24 Chasa writes on its front page that last year, victims of traffic accidents involving electric scooters numbered 8, while those killed by intoxicated drivers numbered 4, according to Interior Ministry data. There were 308 injured drivers of electric scooters in 2024. To blame are not just teens driving scooters recklessly but people aged 25 to 64, who accounted for 147 of the injured last year. That is why new measures are in the works; an interdepartmental group is preparing the introduction of registration plates for all scooters, not just those for rent, that must be acquired from the Interior Ministry within a month from the purchase date. Another measure is the introduction of a minimum insurance, similar to the third party liability insurance for cars. Wearing a helmet will be made compulsory for all scooter drivers, not just those aged under 18 as it is at the moment.

Trud has an article on the same topic. According to the data, 30% to 50% of scooter drivers’ injuries are to the head.

On Nova TV's morning show, healthcare economist Arkadi Sharkov commented that it is the speed at which the electric scooter is driven that is difficult to "catch", therefore some sort of chip or other device should be placed to limit or block the vehicle. He stressed that putting license plates on scooters is not a bad idea either. "It's taking responsibility. Categorizing them to the driver's license is also an option," he noted. An insurance is also a must, he added. The age profile of the drivers is between 20 and 35 years and they are mainly male, he noted. 

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24 Chasa has an interview with producers Ivan Hristov and Andrey Arnaudov about their Bulgaria Wants You initiative, within which they have been organizing career events in Bulgaria and abroad aimed at attracting Bulgarian emigrants back home and at convincing young people to stay in this country. Hristov and Arnaudov tell the daily that once Bulgaria reaches 70% of the West’s standard, most emigrants will return; that percentage currently stands at 65%. They also say that in the last three years, the number of expats returning to Bulgaria has been higher than those emigrating, firstly because of the higher salaries and improved working conditions offered by companies in Bulgaria and, secondly, because life in the West is unstable and insecure (many of those returning come from Western Europe, the USA, and Canada). The biggest event ever within Bulgaria Wants You is planned for June 14 to mark the initiative’s 5th anniversary; it will bring to Sofia many successful Bulgarians from abroad and the country and will offer specific career opportunities through the companies to attend the forum. Some 3,000 visitors are expected, Arnaudov specifies.

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On bTV's morning show, former foreign minister Nadezhda Neynski commented on Interior Minister Daniel Mitov's statement from earlier this week that Bulgaria is close to being included in the US Visa Waiver Program. "In the context of the immigration policy with which US President Donald Trump came to power, I think Bulgaria really has to make a very serious effort and despite everything, it will ultimately depend on what the current US administration thinks about our ability to fight illegal immigrants", Neynski said. In her words, Bulgaria's future membership in the eurozone will help "America not to be a centre of attraction for immigration" - and be the key to a lasting solution to this problem.

ECONOMY

Trud's front-page story reads that many clothes, home accessories, and toys are going to become more expensive because of the euro. The reason for this is that a number of international retail chains now have lower prices for the Bulgarian market compared to prices in eurozone countries. With the adoption of the euro in Bulgaria, this price difference will disappear. The state institutions that have started joint actions against unjustified price hikes - the National Revenue Agency, the Consumer Protection Commission and the Commission for the Protection of Competition - will not be able to do anything, because the pricing policy is set abroad and there is no violation. Each company can set different prices for the countries in which it sells its goods. Various factors, such as competition, influence the price level, but the local currency may also be important. The Bulgarian lev is now pegged to the euro, which removes currency risk for the trader. There is a guarantee that the trader will get the same price for the goods in euro now and in two months' time, for example. However, with Bulgaria's entry into the euro area, the advantage of the lev, which in some cases provides lower prices for consumers in Bulgaria than in eurozone countries, will be lost, the article reads.

Capital.bg reports that the participants in a discussion panel within a conference organized by the weekly - E-commerce and Retail Summit: Future Trends and Hands-On Strategies – agreed that all traders will experience difficulties with the euro’s introduction in Bulgaria. Those on the front line will have to face the questions, expectations, and possible dissatisfaction of consumers. Big retail chains are actively preparing for the euro and are quite ahead in their preparation as most of them have international experience in the sphere. The biggest concerns are experienced by workers in small shops and open-air markets. Concerns stem from having to display the price of each item both in BGN and EUR, which in big shops means changing some 30,000 price tags, as well as from adapting cash registers to the euro. The lev has been pegged to the euro for a long time, there are no reasons to increase prices just because the changeover is taking place, the participants in the discussion summarised. Big traders always respect the laws. The final price of a product depends on its delivery price, among other factors. If these factors do not change, there will be no change in the shelf price either, the participants noted.

Telegraph has an inside-page article on the effect of the euro's adoption. Bulgarian National Bank Governor Dimitar Radev is quoted as saying in an interview for MNI that any inflation rate rise in Bulgaria as a result of the eurozone entry would be insignificant and short-lived. 

On Bulgarian National Television's morning show, Bogomil Nikolov from the Active Consumers association and financial expert Levon Hampartzoumian commented on the euro's effect on Bulgarian economy. Nikolov explained that competition will prevent traders from increasing prices as the euro is introduced, because clients will run away from those selling at higher prices. Hampartzoumian said that no State has managed to regulate prices; what the State can do is put pressure on the grey sector to pay their taxes, and to control the quality of what is sold (for example, if a cheese is sold at half the usual price, the control bodies should check what the quality of that cheese is).

POLITICS

Trud has an interview with Assoc. Prof. Valentin Vatsev, political expert and international analyst, who comments on the recent anti-euro protests in Bulgaria. According to him, the euro is only a specific occasion, but this is the first rally against the European ideal after 35 years of criticism-free Europeanism. Vatsev is convinced that the energy of the rallies comes from the Bulgarians who do not vote, who have accumulated a huge political energy. In his words, this means that in a year's time, a significant political force will emerge, which he calls Alternative for Bulgaria, referring to Alternative for Germany. He has no idea who would head this party of Eurosceptics.

On Bulgarian National Radio, political expert Tatyana Bouroudzhieva commented on the failed attempt of President Rumen Radev to initiate a referendum on the euro's introduction in Bulgaria. "It is not good when the head of State sets out to act without being sure that he will be able to play the whole process of this action. He should have distributed the moves differently," she argued. However, she sees a desire in the President to distance himself from the Vazrazhdane party as much as possible and at the same time to occupy the issue of referenda as much as possible. "When the head of State embarks on a political move, it must be extremely polished. For me, this is a very serious mistake. It is also due to the weakness of the head of State's legal team." The President's next moves will make it clear what his fight is about, she believes. "Is it about the Bulgarians going to experience a severe economic collapse as the euro is introduced, as he predicted, or is the battle for democracy, as he now sadly says. Which of the two? These are quite different things" Bouroudzhieva noted. The political expert does not think Radev's actions are related only to the possible future creation of his own political project. "I have the feeling that the President is also hesitating and that is why we are witnessing various detours," she added. 

On bTV's morning show, Assoc. Prof. Borislav Tsekov, lecturer in constitutional law, and Petar Slavov, doctor in constitutional law, commented on Tuesday's decision of the Constitutional Court to admit for consideration only part of President Radev’s claim against National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova’s decision to bar as inadmissible his proposal to Parliament for a national referendum on Bulgaria’s preparedness to adopt the euro in 2026. Tsekov agrees with the Court's decision, saying it was expected given that the Constitution clearly states on what matters the Constitutional Court can rule. If the Constitutional Court finds that the National Assembly Chair cannot take decisions on the admissibility of referendum proposals, that would result in changes in the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly. Slavov noted that the changes would take several months,  so the topic of the referendum on the euro may not be closed just yet.

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Mediapool.bg has an interview with Ambassador of the State of Israel to Bulgaria Yosi Levi Sfari, who talks about the war with Hamas in the Middle East, which has been of for 20 months now. He is asked what Israel will do as the international pressure from organizations and EU Member States is increasing because of the lack of ceasefire and the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He comments on whether a ceasefire is possible, how the humanitarian crisis will be resolved, what the conditions are for an end to the war, and whether a Palestinian state is possible. "Israel cannot accept a scenario in which Hamas uses ceasefires to arm itself and strengthen its influence over civilians. Humanitarian aid must also be protected from abuse. A ceasefire must lead to real de-escalation and long-term security, not just another pause before the next wave of violence," he says.