site.btaMedia Review: July 24

POLITICS

On Nova Television’s morning show, political scientist Tsvetanka Andreeva and sociologist Elena Darieva commented on the protests and negotiations surrounding the upcoming fifth vote of no confidence against the Rosen Zhelyazkov Cabinet. Andreeva described the vote as a tool for internal party mobilization, while Darieva warned that the Government faces challenges that are shaking the rule of law. According to Andreeva, the protests and political activity serve more to realign forces in the "liberal space," which is in crisis. She also drew attention to the changed role of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning and its leader Delyan Peevski. "For the first time, we see the Movement for Rights and Freedoms in a position where its leader says that the party even has the right to nominate a prime minister. Peevski is no longer playing the role of a balancer, he wants a role in power," she added. "Two of the pillars of the rule of law are political pluralism and the market economy. At the moment, both pillars are shaking," Darieva said. According to her, suspicions of selective investigation and selective justice related to the cases in the municipalities of Sofia and Varna directly undermine political pluralism. She added that the recent arrests and protests had a mobilizing effect on the electorate of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria. However, according to sociological data, possible early elections would again lead to a highly fragmented parliament, which makes predictions about future coalitions impossible.

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On bTV's morning show, political analyst Georgi Harizanov, journalist Veselin Stoynev, and political PR specialist Nidal Algafari commented on the chances of success for the upcoming vote of no confidence and the protests in defense of democracy and the rule of law. Harizanov argued that, according to President Rumen Radev, the town squares are full of people protesting because there will be no referendum on the euro. "I have not seen such a strange statement by a head of State in a long time," he said. Stoynev described the votes of no confidence as armor for those in power because, once all the topics have been exhausted, six months later a vote on the same topic cannot be requested. "They are fighting for voters, not to bring down the government. But they are not fighting for elections, they are fighting for survival because they are worried that Rumen Radev will form a political party that will participate in the elections and swallow up all these parties," Algafari argued.

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In an interview with Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), sociologist Svetlin Tachev from the Myara [Measure] sociological agency said that the Government is so stable because the Bulgarian Socialist Party and There Is Such a People have no interest in early elections and it is clear how they will perform in terms of votes. "In this case, the implosion from within can only come from [GERB Leader Boyko] Borissov and [Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning Floor Leader] Delyan Peevski, if they decide to improve their results," he added.

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In an interview with BNR, lawyer Emiliya Nedeva commented on cases of excessive use of repression by the State prosecution. According to her, the Varna Mayor should not have been detained. "If necessary, this is done by a decision, a prosecutor's order for detention for up to 72 hours, only when he fails to appear when summoned by the investigators. Then there is a reason to request detention," she explained.

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Trud writes that Vazrazhdane Chair Kostadin Kostadinov has held a meeting with the Bureau of the Supreme Council of Russia's largest political force, United Russia. The parties agreed to continue their cooperation in a bilateral and multilateral format and confirmed their commitment to preserving the historical memory and friendly ties between the Russian and Bulgarian peoples, including the protection of common cultural, memorial, and religious values. The particular importance of ensuring the financial, economic, and electoral sovereignty of European countries was noted. Kostadin Kostadinov spoke about the current political situation in Bulgaria against the backdrop of the country's entry into the eurozone and potential early elections for the National Assembly, describing current events as Bulgaria's "neo-colonial dependence" on the interests of European elites.

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President Rumen Radev is returning provisions of the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Health Insurance Act to the National Assembly for further discussion. In his motives, Radev states that he supports legal measures aimed at the most efficient distribution of public finances in the field of medical care, but considers that the amendments create preconditions for restricting the constitutional rights of Bulgarian citizens.

ECONOMY

On Bulgarian National Television's morning show, economist Krasen Stanchev and former economy minister [GERB/2017-2021] Lachezar Borisov commented on the amendments to the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria Act, which were sharply criticized by parts of the opposition and some analysts. The situation is worse than under the planned economy, Stanchev said categorically. "Under the planned economy of 1947, 1989, 1990, if anyone went bankrupt, it was the government. The government at that time, the so-called state, went bankrupt three times. Now the opposite will happen - the government will not go bankrupt because it has money to collect, but businesses will go bankrupt and unemployment will arise," he said. Borisov disagreed with this thesis: "With the change in legislation that passed on first reading, I see two answers. The first response is from a group of people or politicians who speculated on people's fears. The government is responding with this bill and sending a strong message to a group of disloyal traders. You have seen that many of the myths in the propaganda against the euro have already collapsed. Bulgaria is now entering with the fixed exchange rate that was already known. There will be no other problems. So there is nothing fundamentally different from what has happened in other countries.”

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Bulgaria resubmitted its second payment request under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), amounting to EUR 653 million. The request covers the completion of 59 milestones and targets, 20 of which were tied to legislative reforms. To meet these, amendments were made to 15 existing laws and three new laws were adopted. This is the payment request with the highest number of legislative measures to date. Key reforms implemented through it include the liberalization of the electricity market, promotion of renewable energy generation, a legal framework for whistleblower protection, the establishment of a Counter-Corruption Commission, improvements in insolvency procedures including the introduction of personal bankruptcy, and restrictions on no-bid and single-offer public procurement procedures.

HEALTH

Trud features an interview with Association of Pharmacy Owners Chair Nikolay Kostov who said that between 350 and 400 medicines are constantly missing from the market. A few days ago, 700 pharmacy owners stated that there is no technical preparation, clarity, or support from the State for the transition to the euro and that they are unlikely to be able to change the labels on medicines by August 8. Medicines, some of them life-saving, continue to be unavailable on the market, the article reads. Kostov also commented on the potential increase in prices: "The reason for inflation is not speculation - it has happened temporarily in all countries that have adopted the euro. Usually, it is not significant. But we are in a currency board, the lev is tied to the euro, and this will facilitate the transition."

SECURITY

On bTV's morning show, former deputy minister of defense Yordan Bozhilov and journalist Asen Agov commented on the modernization of the Bulgarian army and the country's level of armament. "I read the other day that we are buying anti-ship missiles from the US for USD 620 million. This is important for our coastline because Varna and Burgas are particularly vulnerable to Russian attacks. I believe that Europe's efforts to rearm and modernize its defense are more important than anything else for the development of the economy," Agov said. According to Bozhilov, many important steps have been taken in recent years to modernize the Bulgarian army. “This is a step in the right direction, but it must also be part of the integrated approach of both the European Union and NATO. The big problem in NATO is what the US commitment is," Bozhilov commented.

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Mediapool writes that a Russian citizen was the leader of an organized crime group arrested for distributing counterfeit euro, dollar, and lev banknotes in Bulgaria. "The banknotes are of extremely high quality and are difficult to distinguish and recognize as fake. After the report was filed, it was established that this activity was carried out by an organized crime group that was distributing the counterfeit banknotes in the city and the region," said Chavdar Grosev, the supervising prosecutor in the case and deputy regional prosecutor of Plovdiv. The investigation began after reports from currency exchange offices and gambling halls that they had been sold counterfeit banknotes. Eight people were initially detained. Six of them, including the group's head, have been charged.

Trud adds that the organized crime group had been operating since the end of 2024. It was neutralized on July 22. Counterfeit banknotes with a total value of USD 3,950 were circulated in currency exchange offices and gambling halls.

EDUCATION

24 Chasa features and interview with the director of Sofia's 164th High School with Advanced Studies in Spanish Language, Zornitsa Yoncheva. The school was the most sought-after in the capital last year, with 544 seventh graders applying for a class studying Spanish and English there. Yoncheva noted that this year, the strongest students in the high school are in the French and Italian language classes. "Perhaps more families are choosing these classes with the idea that their child has studied English and it will be easier for them. Reasonable and ambitious families say something else: the child knows English at a fairly good level, so let them learn a third language.”