site.btaMedia Review: March 9

The topic of rising fuel prices on the international market dominates Monday's news media, with dailies and online media reporting various crude oil prices, ranging from USD 90 to over USD 120 per barrel. 

ECONOMY

24 Chasa’s front-page story is about the effect of the war in the Middle East on prices in Bulgaria. According to the daily, instead of a missile, the war will hit Bulgaria with a transport diesel price of EUR 1.50, resulting in a more expensive trip to the seaside by some EUR 10 compared to summer 2025. Accommodation establishments will increase their prices by 10% over higher expenditures, so a holiday at the seaside this summer will cost at least EUR 100 a day. An appreciation of entertainment and restaurants is also expected. In an interview for the daily, Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) head Rosen Karadimov commented that the CPC cannot regulate fuel prices unless in cases of a cartel or abuse of dominance on the market; it can make recommendations to the Executive, such as not to allow a speculative keeping of fuel reserves that would be sold at the new, higher prices or not to allow a sharp rise of the wholesale price. The CPC’s priorities include constant monitoring of the sector, where Lukoil has a dominant position, which is why analysing the company’s behaviour shows what is happening in the sector as a whole. Sector analyses are also being made on the markets of medicinal products and food products. The latter’s big problem is the elimination of Bulgarian production, which is a matter of State policy and cooperation between Bulgarian producers. The CPC has recommendations in that field as well.

Trud, too, reports on its front page about fuels’ appreciation. In light of the economic situation, people are investing in gold, with gold bars taking the place of gold jewellery worldwide. The drop in gold jewellery sales varies between 18% and over 20% across the globe, show World Gold Council data. In Bulgaria, the data show an annual drop of some 2.8%, which is expected to continue in the next several years as a result of the interest in investment products instead, further promoted by price records and expected further appreciation of gold. 

On Bulgarian National Television's (BNT) morning show, Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association head Svetoslav Benchev commented that the escalation in the Middle East is also affecting the markets - a number of indices and stocks are falling, while the price of oil is rising - and nothing can save the situation. Oil is trading at USD 116 per barrel, he said. The fact that there was a surplus on the market is now irrelevant because Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar are halting production as they have nowhere to store the crude oil produced since it cannot pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran will begin to target oil infrastructure, which is terrifying the market. The US has already hit Iranian infrastructure; Iran has said it will respond, and that would create even greater turmoil in the market, the expert added. National and international security expert Ivaylo Ivanov commented that the military conflict in the Middle East is entering an even more dangerous phase, and there are indications of its escalation instead of de-escalation. He explained what weapons Iran and the US are using against each other, with each side trying to exhaust the other's resources first. 

Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Bulgaria Dai Qingli commented on BNT that her country is extremely concerned about developments in Iran and in the Middle East in general. For China, this war should not have happened, and no one will benefit from it, she noted. China believes that the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of Iran and other Gulf countries must be respected. Secondly, there should be no arbitrary use of military force; force is not justice. People should not become victims, and the world should not revert to the law of the jungle. There should be no interference - these colour revolutions, regime changes, such things do not help anyone and will not be popular among the citizens of the world, the Ambassador said. China insists on an immediate cessation of hostile actions and political dialogue for a political solution. "Finally, we believe that the major powers, the great powers, must play an important role and must act fairly toward the region. Countries that take this path will be on the right side of history," she said on BNT's morning show.

On bTV's morning show, filling station manager Yulian Valchev commented that the rise in fuel prices in Bulgaria is due mostly to the increase in wholesale prices, where transport diesel has appreciated by some EUR 0.25 and gas, by EUR 0.04 to EUR 0.05. According to him, fuel supplies are currently stable and there is no risk of shortages. Consumers are not stockpiling, but are mainly filling up with as much as they need for their journeys, he said. Energy expert at the Center for the Study of Democracy Tsvetomir Nikolov commented that future price movements depend mainly on the development of the conflict in the Middle East and the situation around the Strait of Hormuz. Should the conflict continue, the price per barrel could reach USD 200.

National security expert Assoc. Prof. Georgi Tsvetkov told bTV that the risks for Bulgaria from the escalating conflict in the Middle East are currently limited, and there is no reason for panic. According to the expert, the country's security is guaranteed not only by its geographical distance from the conflict, but also by allied defence systems. "We have elements of the allied missile defence system deployed in Romania, which, at Bulgaria's express request, have also covered Bulgaria since 2011," he explained. According to him, the presence of US aircraft at Sofia Airport has created a false impression that Bulgaria plays a key role in the operation in the region. With regard to a possible new migrant crisis, the expert believes that a large-scale wave of refugees to Europe, similar to that following the war in Syria, is not expected.

On Nova TV's morning show, the topic was discussed by diplomat Angel Orbetsov, who commented that Iran's new Ayatollah, Mojtaba Khamenei, will contribute to a longer conflict in Iran as his views are radical conservative. Ruslan Trad, journalist and analyst at the Atlantic Council of the United States, agreed that this choice would prolong the conflict. Balkan and Black Sea Petroleum Association head Valentin Kanev commented that 20% of the world petroleum consumption passes throug the Strait of Hormuz. "The countries have large oil reserves, and they will certainly replace the portion that comes from the Persian Gulf with their own reserves," he added.

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All news media report of the Monday morning protest of Bulgarian Posts employees demanding higher pay. "Of the approximately 7,000 employees at Bulgarian Posts, 5,100 earn the minimum wage. This is one of the lowest-paid sectors in the country, and it is time for someone to pay attention," said Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CITUB) Vice President Todor Kapitanov, as quoted by Nova TV's morning show. "The resources that need to be provided by the State amount to BGN 2.4 million. I do not think that is an impossible sum. We also want better working conditions. We insist that the State pay us the subsidy we are entitled to for the universal postal service. Our salaries have not been indexed since January 1, 2025. 60% of the people at Bulgarian Posts receive EUR 621 a month," said Elena Kabakova, CITUB Chair at the Bulgarian Posts branch in Plovdiv (South Central Bulgaria).

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Capital.bg reports that Bulgaria saw a record in investment in business property in 2025. It is reported at over EUR 360 million by CBRE, EUR 380 million by Colliers, and EUR 391 million by Cushman & Wakefield Forton, but whichever of these figures is the correct one, that is the biggest investment volume in Bulgaria since 2017-2018, Capital writes. The investors were mostly Bulgarians who bought office buildings as an investment last year, but the share of deals for personal use went up as well. Ten of the deals were for office buildings, five for hotels and trade spaces each, and six for warehouses and production facilities, Cushman & Wakefield Forton data show. Rents went up as well in 2025.

POLITICS

On Bulgarian National Radio, sociologist Stefan Georgiev commented that the election campaign will not take place on stable ground – from the geopolitical situation and the new war to the way in which domestic political issues will be exploited. According to him, the caretaker cabinet will be targeted by the status quo, and at the same time, the cabinet already claims to be the guarantor of the rule of law in the organization of these elections. The sociologist outlined three groups of political formations that have their reasons for seeking different strategies in the upcoming election campaign. The first group of formations are those declaring their intention to participate in power so as to change its structure. This is the declaration of Radev, as well as of the main organizers of the December 2025 anti-government protests - Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB). They will seek mobilization - increasing voter turnout, mobilizing undecided voters, citizens who are wondering whether to support these formations and whether to give credit to Radev with his coalition. The second group are parties and coalitions that are declaring their intention to participate in power, but to preserve the structure of power, such as GERB-UDF and MRF - New Beginning, as well as Vazrazhdane. The third group are the small formations that will fight to enter the next National Assembly - the Bulgarian Socialist Party, There Is Such a People, MECh, and Alliance for Rights and Freedoms. However, their approaches and strategies differ, Georgiev noted.

On BNT's morning show, the caretaker government was discussed by sociologist Parvan Simeonov and political experts Stoycho Stoychev and Petar Cholakov. According to Simeonov, the caretaker cabinet could turn out to be "everyone without [MRF - New Beginning leader Delyan] Peevski, everyone against Peevski, even with a pinch of [GERB leader Boyko] Borissov inside." "For those of us who are involved in political analysis, we know that a large part of the participants in this caretaker cabinet are more like internal opposition figures and we cannot really classify them as belonging to one party or another.  But this is not very visible to the general public. Many people will say that CC-DB has already taken power without elections, which could make that coalition lose its main trump card, namely the energy of the December 2025 anti-government protest," Simeonov argued. Stoychev said that the recent resignation of the caretaker Minister of Regional Development and Public Works cannot influence the work in the sector for two months because "the funding has already been allocated." Cholakov advised the incumbents not to get carried away with staffing, because in this way they will follow in the footsteps of the old power holders and their predecessors - GERB and MRF - New Beginning - who swept the Executive with a broom.  

Trud has an interview with political expert Tsvetanka Andreeva, who comments on the 20 days in power of the caretaker government. In her words, Prime Minister Gurov is acting with revolutionary revanchism by removing regional governors, heads of regional directorates of the Interior Ministry and other institutions from the get-go, thus giving rise to criticism. There have already been two resignations by caretaker ministers in just 20 days in power. Each mistake reduces voters’ support for CC-DB, because the choice of caretaker ministers was in the liberal coalition’s favour, and increases that for former president Rumen Radev’s political project, the expert believes. She argues that Radev has always been a dangerous alternative to democracy; he is a Left-wing populist somewhere between Bulgarian Socialism and Russian conservatism. He was brought to power by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), but now he will most probably finish that party off not so much by stealing its voters at its structures. In that lies the problem, because he eliminates his most likely partners in the next Parliament, Andreeva argues.

Duma reports on its front page that the BSP National Council has approved the remaining ten top-of-the-list candidates for MPs for the April 19 snap elections. BSP leader Krum Zarkov is quoted as saying that the party enters the election campaign with self-esteem and renewal, and that it will fight the most for left voters and for the Socialists who to one extent or another were dissatisfied in the last years. The selected candidates provide both political and expert representation on all topics raised in the National Assembly, Zarkov is also quoted as saying.

On bTV's morning show, journalist Rouzha Raycheva and political experts Tsvetanka Andreeva and Teodor Slavev commented on the political tension's effect on the adoption of an extended state budget. All three agreed that despite the confrontations between the parliamentary groups, the 2025 budget will be extended beyond March 31 before the election campaign begins to ensure payments after April 1.  

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In an interview with Sega, prosecutor Ivaylo Iliev, former member of the Management Board of the Association of Prosecutors in Bulgaria and one of the magistrates who recalled in an open letter that prosecutors also have the right to freely express their opinions, said that change in the prosecution service is imperative. "We need more accountability and more control. Magistrates who have reported problems must be protected. If we do not do these things relatively soon, we will not have the good judicial system we all hope for," he said. "The internal tension in the system is already beginning to resonate outside. It has reached a level where it can no longer remain an internal problem. When judges and prosecutors talk about pressure and dependencies, the time has come for the problems to be solved," Iliev believes. "In the prosecution service, the model is that if you disagree with the management's position on certain issues, disciplinary proceedings, inspections, transfers to another workplace, another city, even isolation from colleagues occur," he said, adding that it should not come to that. Iliev came to the Sega studio wearing a badge with a target on his lapel. He explained that this was initially a joke among the prosecutors who signed the open letter, but then it became a symbol - that if you have an opinion and express it freely, it is quite possible that you will be targeted and put under pressure.

Dnevnik.bg and Mediapool.bg report that former Bulgarian European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva has revealed in an interview with Nova TV on Sunday that in her tip-off to the Justice Minister of March 6, she calls for an investigation against acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov and Sofia City Prosecutor Emiliya Russinova for malfeasance in office. The reason for this is the anonymous release in March 2025 of recordings of meetings of Nikolova with Petyo "the Euro" Petrov, a notorious power broker in the Bulgarian judiciary and a fugitive from justice. Georgieva insists on an expert analysis of the recordings, which, according to her, has not been done so far. According to her, "there is evidence that the recordings were released by Sarafov's office, because Russinova, who personally took Georgieva to meet Petrov, whom she did not know and had never met before then, has been edited out of the recordings. "I insist that a pre-trial investigation be opened so that the relevant expert examinations can be carried out to prove these allegations," Georgieva told Nova TV on Sunday. According to her, such an investigation will "categorically" prove that there is a connection between MRF - New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski, Sarafov, Russinova, and Petrov. Georgieva does not deny that she visited Petrov "two or three times", but Russinova was always in attendance, and the allegations that he gave Georgieva "regular bribes" were "complete fabrications, lies and slander" aimed at discrediting her. She explained that she sent the tip-off to the Justice Minister only now because she had only just become aware of certain circumstances related to malfeasance in office.

On Nova TV's morning show, BSP leader Krum Zarkov called on magistrates and politicians who are subject to pressure or threats with compromising information to come forward and speak publicly. According to thim, publicity is the only way to put an end to such practices.The socialist leader also called on acting Prosecutor General Sarafov to give a public explanation. According to Zarkov, Sarafov is the person who knows most about what is happening in the system. "He must come forward and say who the political ruler is," Zarkov said, adding that he fears Sarafov has become a "hostage" in the chief prosecutor's office. According to him, the behavior of the Prosecutor General is difficult to explain because, as an experienced lawyer, he should be aware when the law is being violated. In Zarkov's words, the problem is systemic and is related to the takeover of the prosecution service. "When personnel decisions are made in this way and work is done in this way, no Bulgarian can be sure that a given case will actually be investigated," he said.