site.btaMedia Review: November 25

POLITICS

Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported that Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) MP and Budget Committee member in Parliament Martin Dimitrov, said the proposal to grant a concession over the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator between first and second readings of the budget, without proper public debate, illustrated the government’s opaque working methods and warned that current policies were becoming dangerous for the financial system, with budget redistribution rising towards 46% of GDP compared to a long-standing ceiling of around 40%. He said the government hit the middle class and small and medium-sized businesses by doubling dividend tax, increasing social security contributions and the maximum insurance threshold, and introducing State-licensed sales software that could cost small firms about BGN 1,000 each, adding that such administrative burdens amounted to harassment of business and contributed to a slowdown in economic development.

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BNR interviewed financial journalist Petar Iliev, who said the challenges and opportunities related to Bulgaria’s entry into the euro area remained on the agenda and would grow in importance over time. He noted that problems and fiscal imbalances within the eurozone were deepening and would translate into higher risks for Bulgaria once decisions of the European Central Bank began affecting the country immediately, rather than with a delay under the currency board.

He pointed out that eurozone countries continued to increase their budget deficits for various reasons and argued that Bulgaria would not be able to avoid this trend. Commenting on the 2026 draft budget, Iliev described it as merely a “semblance of a budget,” whose main function was to preserve the political status quo and avoid snap elections at the cost of high and rising medium- and long-term burdens. He stressed that adopting a new currency has never guaranteed greater prosperity, as it impacts both citizens’ assets and their liabilities.

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Capital reports that MPs Kostadin Angelov (GERB), Yordan Tsonev (MRF – New Beginning) and Dragomir Stoynev (BSP) are proposing, through the final provisions of the 2026 budget, to rewrite large parts of the Gambling Act and grant a concession over the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator, the state lottery, for at least 15 years. This would remove the state from direct lottery operations while transferring the legally protected monopoly and nationwide retail network to a private operator.

The sponsors claim that the Totalizator lacks capital, market experience and know-how, and present the concession as means to attract more players to "lower risk" gambling and to secure funding for sport and culture. Under the proposal, 30% of the concession fee would be earmarked for sports clubs and federations, and the sports minister would be required to test investor interest by March 31, 2026.

Capital notes that the initiative comes amid a sharp rise in gambling addiction, with more than 48,000 people on the revenue agency’s self-exclusion list, and that the requirement for local legal entities with relevant experience effectively points to established operators such as Efbet, Winbet, Inbet, Palms Bet and Sesame. This raises the risk that an aggressive private brand could use the Totalizator’s extensive network in ways that undermine its supposed low-risk role.

Capital recalls that the state shut down businessman Vasil Bozhkov’s National Lottery in 2020 and imposed a monopoly, that the Totalizator remains a major market player with 2024 revenues of BGN 427.6 million, net profit of BGN 21.4 million and 1,512 employees, and that GERB leader Boyko Borissov already floated the concession idea earlier this year. It also notes Bozhkov’s allegations that he paid BGN 60 million in bribes via former finance minister Vladislav Goranov to Borissov – allegations that the prosecution service has never substantively examined.

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Nova TV reported that the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (AICB) has decided to join the protest organized by Continue the Change against the 2026 draft budget. AICB chair Rumen Radev said employers had repeatedly tried to present alternative analyses but “to this day have not heard the real arguments for Budget 2026”, and he criticized the three-day window for proposals as “a circus”. He said the AICB had been unable to organize its own protest because of the tight deadlines, was prepared to risk accusations of political bias to defend its principles and opposed what it viewed as excessive public spending and a problematic planned deficit.

Nova TV added that former labour and social policy minister Hristina Hristova also criticized the draft, calling it “a true paradox” and “the third most difficult budget”, warning of serious imbalances and highlighting a lack of genuine dialogue, unresolved issues related to the currency changeover, four-year delays in municipal investment programmes, an unfinished debate on the minimum wage, and missing pension reforms.

WORLD

Trud writes that Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov says Bulgaria is ready to take an active part in efforts to secure peace and security in Ukraine, stressing that Ukraine’s security is inseparable from European security. He says it is important “to maintain the momentum for achieving peace through close coordination between the US, the EU and Ukraine”, praising the efforts of the US and President Donald Trump for a ceasefire and a just, lasting peace.

Zhelyazkov notes that the outcome of peace talks will have deep and long-term consequences for European and global security, that Ukrainians must decide their own future, and that Ukraine needs reliable long-term security guarantees. He also points to Ukraine’s European integration as key to strengthening regional stability.

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Trud writes that GERB leader Boyko Borissov says relations between Bulgaria and China have deep historical roots and are built on mutual respect, trust and long-standing friendship, speaking at a meeting with Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Vice Chair Xiao Jie, and his delegation. Borissov recalls that Bulgaria is the second country in the world to recognize the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and that last year marked 75 years of diplomatic relations, a significant anniversary which he says underlines the resilience of the partnership. He points out that an increasing number of young people from China are choosing Bulgaria for their education and business activities, while Bulgarian students and professionals are finding growing opportunities in China. “We are convinced that we will continue the intensified interaction with the National People’s Congress, which has an important role as the supreme legislative body and a key place in China’s political system,” Borissov said.

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Duma writes that Deputy Prime Minister and BSP National Council Chair Atanas Zafirov and Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee Vice Chair Xiao Jie attend the signing of 17 cooperation agreements between Bulgarian and Chinese NGOs, universities and associations in the fields of education, healthcare and economic partnership, marking 10 years since Bulgaria joined the Belt and Road initiative. Zafirov says Bulgaria has always been a bridge between regions, cultures and economic spaces and that future cooperation with China rests on transparency, dialogue and mutual respect, adding that the new agreements show readiness to build on what has been achieved and to deepen ties between the Bulgarian and Chinese peoples; he recalls the 2015 memorandum on supporting the Belt and Road and describes the agreements as a step towards progress and reciprocity in bilateral cooperation. Duma notes that Zafirov and Xiao Jie also visit a cultural corner presenting traditional Chinese clothing, calligraphy, visual arts and drinks, and that the Rector of University of National and World Economy presents Zafirov with a medal of appreciation for his contribution to interinstitutional cooperation and support for the university.

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24 Chasa says NATO publishes a video about the multinational battle group in Bulgaria, led by Italy and commanded by Colonel Salvatore Abate, noting that, in the clip, NATO says "The multinational NATO forces in Bulgaria consolidate the Alliance’s military presence in Southeast Europe.".

The daily writes that the group, based in Novo Selo and made up of troops from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania and Turkiye, regularly conducts combined-arms training with artillery, heavy armour and mechanized infantry and can be reinforced to brigade size if needed.

24 Chasa adds that NATO describes the unit as ready for rapid deployment and a symbol of security and deterrence for Bulgaria and other eastern Allies, while the country is also covered by the new Eastern Sentry activity, which increases vigilance along the eastern flank with additional air, land and naval assets and new technologies, including against drones.

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24 Chasa reports that National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan says the closure of the long-standing post-monitoring dialogue with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is a constructive and objective assessment of Bulgaria’s key reforms and progress on democracy, the rule of law and human rights, speaking at a meeting with PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos during the Fourth Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform in Stockholm.

Nazaryan notes that Bulgarian MPs value PACE as a forum on democracy, the rule of law and human rights across Europe and sees its role as crucial amid geopolitical uncertainty, including in countering hybrid actions aimed at creating tension and division. She stresses that since the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, Bulgaria provides consistent political, financial, military, humanitarian and diplomatic support and contributes to freedom of navigation and security in the western Black Sea through the Mine Counter Measures Black Sea group. Nazaryan adds that Bulgaria leads the Vertical Gas Corridor project linking Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine, launched in May 2025 in Kresna to transport LNG from the US, Azerbaijan and Egypt, which is expected to be completed in early 2026 and to reduce dependence on Russian gas, facilitate alternative transit routes and improve energy security in Eastern Europe.

ECONOMY

Dnevnik writes that the ruling majority keeps the most controversial elements of the first draft euro budget for 2026, including a 2% rise in social security contributions, a doubling of dividend tax to 10% and mandatory licensed sales software, while at second reading it adds plans for a concession on the state sports totalizator, raises State guarantees by EUR 2 billion in a way that may allow the acquisition of the Lukoil Neftochim Burgas refinery, and sharply cuts funding for the long-delayed final section of Sofia’s ring road in favour of the Vidin-Botevgrad road and the Hemus motorway.

The paper notes that pay for the administration is not reduced, with extra money for staff at the National Social Security Institute and more posts at the Commission for Protection of Competition, and that opposition and smaller parties table alternative ideas – from Democratic Bulgaria (DB)’s plan to shrink the administration and scrap the tax and contribution hikes, through Continue the Change (CC) proposals for a lower new-debt ceiling, higher VAT registration threshold and more support for families and childcare, to Vazrazhdane, Alliance for Rights and Freedoms and MECh demands for more money for religion, education, agriculture and local projects – but many of these amendments appear doomed.

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Mediapool.bg reports that the new foreign investment screening mechanism, introduced in the summer on an EU initiative but driven in Bulgaria by Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and MRF Chair Delyan Peevski, operates in complete secrecy and risks becoming a new cash machine for those in power. The outlet notes that under the latest Lukoil amendments, any transaction involving the company’s Bulgarian assets requires positive opinions from the security agency and the government, yet the results of the screening remain classified: the Interministerial Council for Screening Foreign Direct Investments, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, meets behind closed doors, all documents are treated as restricted information, and the only public data will be highly aggregated semi-annual reports on the number of applications and decisions. Mediapool says that European and Bulgarian institutions are ignoring the serious corruption risks created by such sweeping secrecy around strategic investment decisions.

The outlet explains that foreign investors in critical infrastructure, technologies, resources, access to sensitive data and media must notify the Interministerial Council through the InvestBulgaria Agency when acquiring at least 10% of a company or making investments exceeding EUR 2 million. All transactions in the oil sector, as well as any investment originating from Russia or Belarus, are subject to mandatory screening. The Council may approve the investment, impose conditions such as limiting the shareholding or reserving special rights for the State, or reject the investment altogether, while the security and intelligence services may request a screening at any time. Decisions must be issued within 45 days, with a possible extension of 30 days, and the absence of a decision is deemed an approval. Mediapool notes that Bulgaria’s list of low-risk countries includes not only the US, UK, Switzerland and South Korea, but also the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

In the EU context, Mediapool recalls that the screening framework was established in 2020 to protect strategic assets and technologies from hostile geopolitical influence, with particular concern about China’s investment strategy. It also notes that from 2025 the European Commission is tightening controls on outbound investments in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies to prevent technology leaks. According to the site, EU data show that most screened investments are approved, with only about 1% ultimately blocked, while in Bulgaria new FDI falls from EUR 3.3 billion in 2023 to EUR 1.5 billion in 2024 before recovering in the first nine months of 2025, when inflows increase by about 21% year-on-year to more than EUR 2.5 billion, driven mainly by reinvested earnings.

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Duma writes that the Bulgarian Association of Greenhouse Producers warns that vegetable prices may rise by up to 5% next year, not because of the euro but due to higher labour and energy costs, which force about 90% of greenhouses to stand idle in winter as heating makes production uneconomic. Producer Ivan Kaburov says pellet prices jump from BGN 260–270 to about BGN 360 per tonne and he closes a month early, laying off 28 workers, while association chair Marin Genurov adds that only around 10% of greenhouses work in winter under contracts and the market is largely supplied by imports from Greece, Albania and Turkiye; producers seek State support with heating costs or access to cheaper summer gas, even as official data show a recent 1% fall in wholesale fruit and vegetable prices and October inflation for the small consumer basket at 0.4% month-on-month and 5.2% year-on-year.

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Mediapool reports that the government plans to increase the capital of the state-owned company Irrigation Systems by nearly BGN 27 million to restore the pumping station at the Pyasachnik Dam, following weeks of complaints from the National Grain Producers Association that the 2026 Budget allocates no funds for irrigation. The outlet notes that the decision is to be approved by the Council of Ministers, while grain producers warn that the absence of a construction contract for the pumping station puts the 2026–2028 seasons in much of Southern Bulgaria at risk and endangers a large share of irrigated land. Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and Agriculture Minister Georgi Tahov say that the cabinet continues to support grain producers and present measures in land use, lease relations, water management, protection of agricultural property and farm cooperation as part of efforts to ensure sustainable and competitive agriculture.

HEALTHCARE

Trud writes that draft budget provisions envisage that decisions of the Territorial Expert Medical Commission (TEMC) on disability assessment can be annulled within five years of issuance, with the authorities arguing that this makes the system fairer by directing timely support to people in genuine need and curbing abuse, while patient organisations warn that the measure hits compliant patients rather than fraudsters. The daily notes that Angelina Boneva from the Centre for Protection of Rights in Healthcare says the reform creates chaos, as once the National Social Security Institute revokes a TEMC decision the patient becomes a debtor, must repay social insurance contributions, cannot obtain documents from a general practitioner, cannot receive medicines and loses income and rights; the most common TEMC decisions concern the consequences of stroke and chronic heart failure, and Boneva calls for resistance to the budget texts, saying “the prosecution may act on its own initiative, the Ombudsman may issue recommendations and President Rumen Radev may impose a veto”.

Trud highlights that over five years the number of TEMC decisions rises sixfold, with nearly 800,000 Bulgarians holding such decisions; the annual total grows from 64,324 in 2021 to 243,251 in 2024, while lifelong decisions increase from 83,228 in 2023 to 92,164 in 2024. The paper adds that around 50,000 Bulgarians suffer a stroke each year, that the database does not show how many of the more than 800,000 TEMC decisions are for disability above 90% or with entitlement to personal assistance, that men aged 60–79 have the highest number of decisions, followed by women aged 40–59, and that more than 10,000 women and over 4,700 men aged 80–99 have TEMC decisions; adults with permanent disabilities are entitled to monthly financial support ranging from 7% to 57% of the poverty line, depending on degree of disability above 50%, entitlement to personal assistance and type of pension.

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Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported that the Labour and Social Policy Ministry stepped up efforts against fraudulent Territorial Expert Medical Commission (TEMC) disability decisions, while former social minister Mincho Koralski warned that the problems were systemic and could not be solved with hasty, retroactive checks.

He said Bulgaria was far from “the healthiest nation in the EU” and that the number of people with disabilities was comparable to European levels, arguing that forgeries began in laboratories and medical centres issuing documents, while TEMC worked only on paperwork, which made the system vulnerable.

Koralski noted the lack of integration between electronic health records and the TEMC system, warned that a mass review of five years of TEMC decisions carried serious legal and practical risks, and pointed to the rise in personal assistants from about 20,000 to nearly 90,000, saying this was not in itself proof of abuse but that suspicious individual cases should be checked. He said reform should be targeted rather than punitive and drew attention to low pay for social workers, calling for a deeper and more consistent approach to social system reform.

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24 Chasa reports on a protest organized by medical students and residents that temporarily blocked traffic in downtown Sofia. Held under slogans calling for government resignation and change (“Future in Bulgaria,” “Come, Join Us, We Are Doing This for You,” and “We Will Not Be Lied to Again”) the protest is attended by representatives of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB).