site.btaMedia Review: December 29

Monday's news media are dominated by reports of strong winds causing damage across the country, expected challenges surrounding the upcoming euro changeover, and the recent visit of Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, among other topics. 

PATRIARCH DANIIL'S ISTANBUL VISIT

Speaking on Bulgarian National Television's (BNT) morning programme, Alexander Smochevski, adviser on canonical and legal affairs to Patriarch Daniil, commented on the Patriarch’s visit to Istanbul that took place from December 25 to 28 at the invitation of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The visit has been described by many as historic, BNT pointed out. Smochevski explained that when the head of an Orthodox Church — a patriarch or archbishop — is elected, one of the first steps is to send messages of peace to the primates of the autocephalous Orthodox churches, informing them of the election and enthronement. These messages are followed by peaceable visits, a practice that has become increasingly common over the past century as transport, communication, and travel have developed. "All primates of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church have undertaken such peaceable visits since 1945," Smochevski noted. He added that the culmination of every peaceable visit by the head of a local church is the celebration of a joint Holy Liturgy. Smochevski noted that the key message delivered by Patriarch Daniil and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during their meeting was "that what unites us is far greater than what divides us." "And where differences do exist, we must resolve them through dialogue," the adviser added. 

The topic was also discussed on bTV's morning programme by Metropolitan Yoan of Varna and Veliki Preslav, who was part of the church delegation.

Telegraph writes that Archimandrite Nicanor, described in the article as Patriarch Daniil’s "most vehement critic," has dedicated a Facebook post to the visit, calling it "incredibly successful" and "a lesson in diplomacy for the Russian Orthodox Church."

POLITICS

Interviewed on BNT, Constitutional Court judge Yanaki Stoilov said that there should be a caretaker government, even though the outgoing Cabinet is also capable of organizing elections. "In any case, elections must be held if a regular government cannot be formed," he said, emphasizing that changes to Bulgaria’s election legislation, contrary to good European practices, are usually made immediately before elections. "Parties claim they want to improve the electoral process, but we see that in recent years it has actually deteriorated," Stoilov said. He noted that in its ruling related to the submitted appeals, the Constitutional Court identified a number of violations concerning the organization, conduct, and reporting of election results. "Attention is often focused on the technology used for voting. I should point out that there is no technology that cannot be compromised by those who apply it, although there are some that are less susceptible to manipulation," he added. What matters more is how the election process is organized and supervised — in other words, how the actors entrusted with specific powers carry out their responsibilities, Stoilov said. Most crucial of all, he noted, is what people are actually voting for. "Somehow, amid the discussion about how to improve election rules, we still do not see a real conversation — at least for now — about what elections are for and what they are supposed to decide," he added.

Trud carries an interview with Lyuben Dilov Jr, member of the GERB-UDF parliamentary group, who reflects on Bulgaria’s political situation.

ECONOMY

Mediapool.bg reports that The Guardian has published a story saying that "Bulgaria is preparing to adopt the euro in January amid fresh domestic political turbulence and fears that Russia-aligned disinformation is deepening distrust of the new currency.” The Guardian adds that policymakers in Brussels and Sofia hope that the euro adoption "will boost the economy of the EU’s poorest nation and cement its pro-western trajectory." The media outlet cites data on Russia-linked disinformation campaigns on social media, part of the hybrid war in Europe, specifically aimed at undermining the adoption of the euro in Bulgaria, Mediapool.bg says. Mediapool.bg notes that the only political party whose position is addressed in the article is Vazrazhdane, with the author explicitly noting its pro-Russian orientation and describing it as an "anti-EU" party that "has campaigned against euro membership and is close to Vladimir Putin’s United Russia." A representative of the party is quoted as arguing that "there is not a single serious positive in adopting the euro" and that Bulgaria is heading for a Greek-style crisis.

TOURISM

Bulgarian National Radio has an interview with Prof. Rumen Draganov, Director of the Institute of Analysis and Assessment in Tourism, who said that Bulgaria’s tourism sector is developing steadily and is expected to continue growing in 2026. In his words, some 13.5 million foreign tourists visited Bulgaria in 2025 — nearly one million more than in 2019. "We expect to reach 14 million foreign visitors next year," he added. Draganov noted that significant investments were being made in airport infrastructure. Burgas Airport has seen major improvements, construction of a new terminal at Sofia Airport is set to begin, and Plovdiv Airport is operating very actively. Varna Airport also maintains a substantial number of flights even during the winter months. At the same time, seaside tourism continues to lag behind, as pre-pandemic levels from 2019 have not yet been fully restored. Regarding the winter season, Draganov said Bulgaria expects just over 3 million foreign visitors from December through the end of March or early April, representing growth of around 2–3%. He also noted that prices are rising, particularly in higher-category hotels and restaurants. "The domestic market remains the main driver — the key tourist is the Bulgarian," Draganov said. Of the expected 14 million tourist trips, more than 27 million will be made by Bulgarians travelling within the country. The number of trips during the New Year holiday alone exceeds 720,000.

HEALTH

Trud reports that the introduction of genetically modified plants produced using new genomic techniques is set to be voted on by the European Parliament in January. The aim is for most of these plants to be exempt from existing EU GMO requirements, including mandatory consumer labelling, traceability, risk assessment, and the submission of analytical methods for detection. The deregulation was approved at a COREPER meeting earlier in December despite opposition from Bulgaria, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The same group of countries had previously, in December 2023, refused to agree to the deregulation of the new GMOs. At that time, Poland also shared this position. Now, however, Poland has shifted to the camp of countries in favor, and two years later the European Commission’s proposal secured the required majority. Speaking to Trud News, Eng. Svetla Nikolova said that "one percent turned out to be the majority that corporations managed to buy in order to push this regulation through.” In her words, the introduction of GMOs would spell the end of organic production of plants, fruits, and vegetables, and conventional production would also no longer be possible.

The risks associated with GMO foods are the subject of ongoing debate, but potential concerns include an increased risk of allergies, hormonal disruption, effects on the immune system and the liver/kidneys, as well as the use of associated herbicides and broader environmental impacts. There are also concerns that GMO foods may contribute to the progression of cancer, the daily notes. 

WEATHER

24 Chasa writes that the strong winds that caused damage on Sunday are expected to ease in the first days of the new year. The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology has issued a yellow weather warning for much of Bulgaria on Monday. Strong winds will continue, especially across northern Bulgaria, the Black Sea coast, Sofia Region, Pazardzhik and northern parts of Blagoevgrad, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Sliven and Smolyan. On Sunday, gusts reached around 100 km/h in the mountains, causing some tourist facilities to close even though the official ski season has begun. There have been no reported injuries, but significant damage was caused by fallen trees. Power outages were reported in parts of Bansko, Razlog and Dobrinishte, as well as in the villages of Ivaylo and Lesichovo in Pazardzhik Region, 24 Chasa adds. The topic is covered by all dailies.

SURVEY

A survey by the Trend research centre, commissioned by 24 Chasa, shows that expectations for 2026 are more pessimistic than at the same time last year. The survey was conducted between November 29 and December 5 and was based on 1,002 face-to-face interviews with adults aged 18 and over. Sixty percent of respondents say they are satisfied with their lives in 2025. Only 28% believe Bulgaria will have a better year in 2026, down 10% compared with a year earlier. At the same time, 47% of Bulgarians expect the country’s situation to worsen, almost double the share recorded at the end of last year. Personal expectations are slightly more optimistic: 35% of respondents think their own situation will improve in 2026, while 29% expect it to worsen. This marks a decline from a year ago, when 47% anticipated personal improvement and only 15% expected things to get worse. According to Trend, one-third of Bulgarians describe 2025 as a good year for the country, and 28% believe 2026 will be better. On a personal level, 35% say they expect the coming year to be better for themselves. Looking back, 61% of Bulgarians say they felt happy during 2025 — a figure similar to last year’s. Only 33% consider 2025 a good year for Bulgaria as a whole, though this is 9% higher than a year earlier. Despite that, 53% still view the year as bad for the country. Personal assessments are more positive. Nearly six in ten adults (59%) say 2025 was a good year for them personally, a share comparable to the end of last year, while 28% describe it as a bad year for themselves. Both national and personal evaluations are most positive among young people aged 18 to 29, who traditionally tend to be more optimistic.

UKRAINE 

In an interview with BNT, Ivailo Kalfin — former deputy prime minister and former foreign minister — commented on the recent meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Kalfin said that a swift result should not be expected. He noted that, based on the presidents’ post-meeting statements, a difference remains regarding specific percentages, but there appears to be broad agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine after the end of the conflict — one of the key issues. Kalfin added that it also became clear that Russia is unwilling to allow time for, or agree to, a ceasefire during which Ukraine could hold a referendum. "Whatever territorial concessions may be discussed, they must be approved by a referendum in Ukraine. A referendum held under drones and missiles is hardly an ideal option, but this clearly remains one of the unresolved issues," he added.

Interviewed on Nova TV's morning programme, international analyst Martin Tabakov also commented on the prospects for peace in Ukraine, saying that despite the positive signals following the Trump–Zelenskyy meeting, he remains skeptical about the chances of a rapid agreement. In Tabakov’s words, the main stumbling block continues to be territorial issues, particularly the status of Donbas. He added that the world appears to be returning to the logic of "realpolitik," where power increasingly takes precedence over international law.