site.btaBulgaria Sees Significant Increase in Access to Information Applications

A total of 18,753 requests under the Access to Public Information Act were submitted in 2025, according to a report on the state of the administration published on the website of the Integrated Information System of the State Administration.

Private citizens submitted 12,338 requests, up from 8,476 in 2024, the report shows. Non-profit legal entities filed 3,490 requests, businesses submitted 1,392, journalists 1,289, while foreigners and stateless persons accounted for 244 requests.

The number of requests filed in 2025 was 5,735 higher than in 2024. The report notes that the long-standing trend continues, with the majority of requests being submitted by individuals, followed by non-profit organizations (foundations and associations), businesses (sole traders and companies), and journalists.

In comparison, the total number of requests stood at 13,018 in 2024, 14,507 in 2023, 12,924 in 2022, 14,170 in 2021, 14,500 in 2020, and 10,399 in 2019.

In 2025, the largest share of inquiries concerned institutional accountability (5,005), followed by the exercise of citizens’ rights and legitimate interests (4,073), and oversight activities of the administration (3,428). Requests related to public spending totalled 2,314, while 818 concerned decision-making processes, 341 related to legislation, 154 concerned the prevention or exposure of corruption and irregularities, and 172 dealt with draft legislation.

Most requests were submitted electronically, accounting for 79.06% of all applications. According to the report’s analysis, this has been a stable trend in recent years. Paper submissions represented 18.08% of requests, while oral requests accounted for 2.86%, almost all of them addressed to municipal administrations.

Full access to the requested information was granted in 13,408 of the 18,753 cases, while 690 requests were denied entirely.