site.btaMedia Review: August 1

POLITICS

Telegraph quotes GERB leader Boyko Borissov, who said that “the dreams of generations have come true during this Parliament. He commented that a tremendous amount of work has been done and laws important for the eurozone have been passed. "In terms of culture, manners, and attitude, I have never encountered such a relationship between parties in my career. No matter how hard we at GERB try to be polite, I don't know if we always succeed," Borissov added.

Mediapool and 24 Chasa quote Boyko Borissov who denied he will be a candidate in the upcoming 2026 presidential elections. 

Mediapool and Telegraph also quote Borissov, who admitted that not only he, but also his coalition partners from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)  and There Is Such a People (TISP) are negotiating with MRF-New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski on every issue so that the ruling parties can have the necessary votes in Parliament. The opposition is increasingly criticizing Borissov for being dependent on Peevski, who has been sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act.  Peevski has been propping up the Cabinet for months and has participated in every important vote, repeatedly stating that the government will serve its full four-year term. When asked about the purpose of the sanitary cordons, Borissov replied that at the moment there are only cordons around Continue the Change.

Mediapool, 24 Chasa quote Continue the Change- Democratic Bulgaria MP Ivaylo Mirchev, who said that Bulgaria has three prime ministers, one formal, one who wants to be prime minister (Boyko Borissov) and one who is “the real prime minister”, (Delyan Peevski). 

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Trud, 24 Chasa, Sega, Mediapool, Telegraph report that Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev is about to lose another key figure, Deputy Mayor for Finance Ivan Vassilev. Vassilev submitted his resignation, following issues involving Sofia's servicing bank. The Municipality's current bank, Municipal Bank, has unilaterally terminated its contract following a political scandal. The Municipality is now facing an urgent situation and will conduct an emergency crisis procedure to directly negotiate with a temporary servicing bank. The mayor's office claims that there will be no disruption in the servicing of revenues and payments, even though the deadlines are very short. Beyond this specific scandal, Vassilev has been working hard with the Sofia Municipal Council, getting into numerous conflicts.

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Mediapool, Trud, 24 Chasa report that the nomination committee that will review candidates for future members of the Anti-corruption Commission was elected in Parliament amid allegations of conflict of interest. This is a procedure that is being applied for the first time since the adoption of amendments to the law governing the Anti-corruption Commission.  The committee includes representatives of the Supreme Court of Cassation, the Supreme Bar Council, the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Auditors, and the ombudsman. One of the names on this list, that of Silvia Kadreva, deputy head of the Bulgarian National Audit Office, has sparked controversy. Members include Nina Sedefova (Supreme Bar Council), Venera Milova (Ministry of Justice), Kalin Kalpakchiev (Supreme Court of Cassation), Aysun Avdzhiev (Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria), Silvia Kadreva.

24 Chasa reports that Continue the Change sent an official letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath. The letter expresses serious concerns about procedural violations in the appointment of the new members of the Anti-Corruption Commission and legislative changes to the Penal Procedure Code. The letter states that the procedure for nominating members of the Anti-Corruption Commission was carried out in a short period of time, only 12 days from the start of discussions to the deadline for nominations, with the entire process taking place in the middle of the summer vacation season.

Mediapool writes that Continue the Change does not understand their coalition partners from Democratic Bulgaria’s determination to close the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and argued that it would be good for the commission to have investigative functions.

On the air of bTV, Continue the Change Chair Assen Vassilev argued that arguments over the Anti-Corruption Commission hide the real problem, namely that the Acting Prosecutor General is currently receiving a salary without being entitled to it, as he should not be occupying the post any longer.

On the air of BNT, political scientist Hristo Panchugov said that a few weeks ago, a study was published showing that despite the actions of the Anti-Corruption Commission, over 60% of Bulgarian citizens believe that no fight against corruption is being waged. “The issue is not the composition of the Commission, but the way in which we build institutional capacity in the various bodies involved in this type of activity,” he said. Political analyst Georgi Garizanov argued that no one will miss the Anti-Corruption Commission as it is currently structured if it is shut down. He said that the problem is systemic. It does not seem to concern only the Bulgarian political system, but it is very evident in this country, as this society has acute needs and acute deficits.

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On the air of Bulgarian national Television (BNT), Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) leader Atanas Atanasov said that his party will demand the resignation of National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova. The reason is a conflict in the plenary hall during the last session of parliament before September 3 over the State Property Act and the rejection of proposals by CC-DB.

24 Chasa, Telegraph report that only 43 of the 48 signatures required were collected by the Vazrazhdane party in its new attempt to pass a motion of no confidence against Rosen Zhelyazkov's Cabinet. The motion was related to the water shortage, as 30% of municipalities in Bulgaria are under water restrictions and 300,000 people are affected, which is about 8% of Bulgaria's population. 

Trud publishes a sociological survey by Gallup International Balkan, which shows that a large proportion of Bulgarians believe that at present, affecting the government through a vote of no confidence seems highly unlikely. Fifty-six percent of those surveyed were convinced that the government will not be brought down (predominantly HERB and CC-DB supporters), less than a fifth (15.5%) were of the opposite opinion (mostly supporters of Velichie and Vazrazhdane), and a third responded that they have no opinion. The agency commented that these results clearly outline the public perception of the ineffective use of no-confidence motions.The agency noted that, according to the survey, the CC-DB electorate sees no point in repeatedly initiating votes of no confidence, even though the coalition is among the initiators of such actions.

Trud, 24 Chasa writes that the next regular plenary session of Parliament will be on September 3, as the institution began its summer recess on Friday.

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Newly elected Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva gave her first television interview on bTV on Friday morning. She said that both in 2024 and 2025 most complaints were consumer complaints. Her work will focus in several directions: on children who are at risk, the elderly, and victims of domestic violence. BTV noted that judging by her first steps as ombudsman, her priorities are consistent with her actions. 

HEALTHCARE

Trud, 24 Chasa, Mediapool report that, as expected, the majority in Parliament rejected the presidential veto on amendments to the Health Insurance Act, which would restore financial limits on hospitals. The aim was to curb the huge overspending in the National Health Insurance Fund's hospital care budget following the Constitutional Court's repeal of hospital limits in April last year. The Health Insurance Fund has predicted an expected shortfall of at least BGN 270 million at the end of the year.

Mediapool, Trud report that over 300 young doctors, dentists, nurses, and midwives will receive support under a project, titled  "Promoting specialization in professions and areas with a shortage of specialists. This is possible after the signing of an annex increasing the project budget by another BGN 26.5 million. Currently, 203 trainees from 20 regions of the country are benefiting from this financial support, said Deputy Minister of Health Yavor Penchev. Of these, 133 are doctors, 57 are nurses, 7 are dentists, and 6 are midwives. Most of the trainees are in Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv, Ruse, and Sliven.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Trud reports that President Rumen Radev held a meeting with British Ambassador to Bulgaria Nathaniel Copsie, at which they discussed further deepening bilateral cooperation in the fight against illegal immigration and international organized crime. Radev highly appreciated the UK's support for Bulgaria in securing the EU's external borders. The two  discussed the fruitful partnership within NATO and ensuring security in the Black Sea. Among the topics discussed were strengthening the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.

Sega reports that the European Public Prosecutor's Office, led by Laura Kovesi, is in no hurry to put an end to the scandal surrounding the Chiren case and Bulgarian European prosecutor Teodora Georgieva, which transpired in March. There has been no development regarding the information that former minister and current head of Bulgartransgaz Vladimir Malinov has been summoned to the Bulgarian office of the European Prosecutor's Office to face charges. Georgieva's suspension has been extended until July 24 to allow the administrative investigation to be finalized. In addition to the lack of information about this internal investigation against Georgieva, there is also a complete blackout on the investigation launched by the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office into Georgieva's recordings with Petio “The Euro” Petrov, which was supposed to establish whether they were authentic and clarify allegations of bribery and influence in cases.

Sega, Telegraph report that the board of directors of Serbian oil company NIS, controlled by Russia's Gazprom, announced that it has approved the sale of its Bulgarian subsidiary due to difficulties with its downstream operations in the country. NIS operates a network of 22 gas stations in Bulgaria under the Gazprom brand. In the first half of 2025, the Serbian company's market share in the total motor fuel market in Bulgaria was 2.6%, and its share in the retail market was 1.9%. NIS has said that it is considering withdrawing from Romania as well, where it still owns 19 gas stations. 

HOME AFFAIRS

Trud, 24 Chasa, Sega, Mediapool, Telegraph report that the army wants to acquire three Spartan military transport aircraft with firefighting modules for over BGN 400 million. This was announced during a briefing by Defensc Minister Atanas Zapryanov. The armed forces are participating with up to four helicopters in firefighting efforts. "We are doing everything possible to maintain the maximum number of aircraft and flight crews. As of today, we have three helicopters on operational alert. Another helicopter will be ready in two to three days to fight fires," said Brigadier General Dimitar Georgiev.

Trud, 24 Chasa, Mediapool, Telegraph quote President Rumen Radev, who once again criticized the government for its response to wildfires, saying that funds should be directed to the Air Force rather than the Ministry of Interior. He also pointed out that Bulgaria has 17 firefighting helicopters, but uses only four at most. He pointed out that the government must finally decide whether the Ministry of Interior or the Ministry of Defence should be responsible for aerial firefighting capabilities.

Telegraph, Trud write that the wildfire in Pirin has been brought under control. Since its outbreak, the fire near Strumyani has covered thousands of acres of forest. Meteorologists' forecasts for rainfall in the area on Thursday have come to pass and firefighters and volunteers on the ground hope that the rain will extinguish the flames. The wildfire firefighting efforts in recent days were a central topic on Bulgarian National Television and bTV on Friday morning, featuring various interviews with firefighters and residents. 

Telegraph reports that a honey buzzard chick was rescued from a large forest fire in the area of the village of Mudrets. This was reported on Facebook by the nature conservation organization WWF Bulgaria. The bird was rescued by local people. The buzzard is now at the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Center in Stara Zagora. So far, the Green Balkans team has responded to a total of 14 fires. Unfortunately, very few animals have been rescued so far, a tortoise, a honey buzzard chick, and a long-eared owl chick.

BTV reported pn Friday morning that hundreds of wild animals have died in the devastating fires across the country. Among them were turtles, hedgehogs, ground squirrels, rabbits, birds, lizards, and numerous insects. Many animals were also injured and are being cared for at the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Center in Stara Zagora A campaign has been launched to raise funds that will be distributed between the Wildlife Rescue Center and the National Association of Volunteers, who are on the front lines of the fight against the fires. The money will be used for field activities and to survey the areas affected by the fires.

ECONOMY

Sega reports that the budget deficit at the end of June reached BGN 3.353 billion, which is 1.5% of the forecast GDP, as indicated by Ministry of Finance data on the implementation of the budget for the first six months of the year. It is estimated at a 3% deficit  or BGN 6.4 billion at the end of the year, which means that state finances are currently on track, half of the budget deficit has been accumulated in six months. The total budget deficit at the end of June was formed by a national budget deficit of BGN 2.317 billion and a deficit in European funds of BGN 1.036 billion, said the Ministry of Finance. They recall that at this time last year, the deficit in the treasury was BGN 636 million, but at that time there was a surplus in European funds due to significantly lower absorption of expenditure under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and other EU funds. For the first half of the year, revenues amounted to BGN 39.021 billion, or 43.2% of the annual estimates. They were 13.1% higher than last year.

24 Chasa, Sega quote Continue the Change Chair and former finance minister Assen Vassilev, who said that that inflation is currently two and a half times higher than the inflation rate left by the CC-DB in April 2024. The average salary in 2024 grew by 15%, currently the growth is 9% and by the end of the year it will most likely be around 7%, mainly concentrated in the security forces. In all other sectors of the economy, there is no growth or it is in the range of 1.2 or 3%, Vassilev. In a sharp attack against the majority in parliament, Vassilev said that Bulgarians have begun to impoverish as a result of the current government.

Fiscal Council Chair Simeon Djankov said in a NOVA TV interview on Friday morning that tariff  deal with the US is very bad for Europe. “We estimate that over the next 10 years, the EU will lose around EUR 80 billion annually. That's tax revenue. For Bulgaria, we've calculated around EUR 250 million per year,” Diankov explained. He stressed that this could lead to an additional deficit in Bulgaria.  He argued that EC President failed to handle these negotiations. 

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Trud, Telegraph write that Burgas Airport welcomed its millionth tourist for the year on Thursday, July 31.Last year, the airport welcomed its millionth passenger on August 7.  Forecasts for increased traffic were made by Director Vasil Atanasov back in February this year. At the end of May, he also noted an expected increase in the number of passengers from Germany during this summer season by about 70%. 

Telegraph reports that Burgas Airport workers are preparing protests. Airport employees have requested an immediate meeting with the management of Fraport Twin Start Airport, which recently appointed a new CEO, Michael Reisch. The trade unions insist that the meeting should discuss the growing social tension among staff. According to them, the workload is enormous and salaries are insultingly low, especially against the backdrop of rising inflation and the enormous responsibility borne by operational staff.

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BNT reported that the heat this summer has also affected grain yields. Due to the prolonged drought and high temperatures, the sunflower harvest is starting earlier than usual. Lyudmil Rabotov, head of the Plovdiv Grain Producers Union, said that a yield of less than 250 kilograms per decare of sunflower seeds cannot cover any costs, and added that at this level it is impossible to get more than 80-100 kilograms.

Telegraph reports that more properties are expected to be put up for sale in the first months of next year, when this country is expected to officially join the eurozone. The reason is that many homeowners were expecting the introduction of the euro with hopes for higher prices and will now offer their properties on the market. If there is such an increase in supply and demand remains unchanged, it is likely that price growth will be lower than that reported in recent years.

Trud reports that Varna is ready to host the 2026 European Men's Volleyball Championship and the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship. This transpired at a meeting of the local government, which unanimously voted to allocate BGN 720,000 to support the two major sporting events.