site.btaMedia Review: July 8

POLITICS - ELECTIONS

Several media outlets report that the governing parties have tabled amendments to the Election Code less than three months before this autumn's presidential election.

24 Chasa writes that Progressive Bulgaria has proposed restoring compulsory machine voting, as introduced in 2021, except in polling stations with fewer than 300 registered voters. The draft legislation would also abolish the long-delayed "Abroad" electoral constituency, remove the cap of 20 polling stations in non-EU countries, tighten restrictions on publishing exit poll results by extending the ban to social media platforms and personal blogs, transfer responsibility for certifying voting machines to the Ministry of Interior, and establish a permanent training unit within the Central Election Commission (CEC) to certify members of polling station commissions. The newspaper notes that other parliamentary parties are expected to submit competing amendments, while the Public Council attached to the CEC has urged lawmakers not to make major changes to electoral legislation so close to the presidential election.

bTV reported that Continue the Change has also submitted amendments to the Election Code, proposing the full restoration of machine voting with printed protocols, the introduction of a four-seat "Abroad" multi-member constituency, the digitalisation of electoral registers and the use of identity card scanners at polling stations. MP Stoyu Stoev argued that previous concerns over machine voting had been disproved by the Central Election Commission's 2022 analysis, which concluded that discrepancies resulted from human rather than technical error. He accused Progressive Bulgaria of inconsistency, noting that while it supports similar electoral reforms, it has nominated for head of the State Agency for National Security (DANS) the official who led the agency when machine voting was suspended ahead of the 2023 local elections. Stoev also argued that the failure to establish an "Abroad" constituency reflected a lack of political will rather than technical obstacles.

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Standartnews reports that former National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova expects this autumn's presidential election to be called by around 15 September so that the legally required two-month campaign period can begin before the first round, which she expects to take place no later than mid-November. Speaking to Bulgaria ON AIR, Kiselova also pointed to the growing role of the Central Election Commission's chairperson under proposed electoral changes and stressed that any amendments to the Election Code require particularly careful consideration because they concern one of the country's most politically sensitive legal frameworks.

BULGARIA'S SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE

Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported that Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at the NATO summit in Ankara that Bulgaria would continue supporting Ukraine without doing so at the expense of Bulgarian citizens. He stressed that financial assistance would remain within the country's capabilities and must take account of the large budget deficit inherited from previous governments. Radev added that Bulgaria's gradual increase in defence spending towards 5% of GDP would also strengthen national infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Commenting on Donald Trump's renewed calls for US control of Greenland, Radev said Europe should ensure that Greenland's people are able to exercise their right to self-determination and expressed confidence that a rational solution could be found, adding that Europe remained united in its support for Denmark. BNR also reported that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte rejected suggestions that the Alliance had become a burden on the United States, arguing that European allies and Canada were now increasing defence spending in line with long-standing US expectations, describing the trend as "a loss for Putin and a victory for Trump."

ECONOMY – NEW DEBTS – BUDGET DEFICIT 

Capital and Mediapool report that Bulgaria successfully raised EUR 2.5 billion through a three-tranche international bond issue after receiving investor orders worth approximately EUR 9.5 billion, nearly five times the initially expected volume. The debt was issued by reopening existing bonds maturing in 2032, 2038 and 2045, with strong demand allowing borrowing costs to be reduced from initial guidance. According to Capital, the six-year tranche attracted the greatest interest, while the Ministry of Finance ultimately allocated EUR 1 billion each to the shorter- and medium-term bonds and EUR 500 million to the longest maturity.

Mediapool quotes Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev as describing the achieved yields as "extremely favourable" for Bulgaria and noting that another EU member state had borrowed the previous day at significantly higher rates. Donev said the borrowing complied with Parliament's earlier decision allowing up to EUR 3.8 billion in international borrowing under the provisional budget legislation and indicated that another market issuance may take place later this year to finance National Recovery and Resilience Plan payments and the budget deficit. Under the draft 2026 budget, Bulgaria may borrow up to EUR 10.1 billion this year, including EUR 3.261 billion under the EU's SAFE defence instrument.

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Dnevnik, Mediapool, Sega and Trud report that Parliament's Budget and Finance Committee approved at first reading the government's draft 2026 budget, which projects a record deficit of 5.7% of GDP, despite strong criticism from opposition parties and fiscal experts.

According to Dnevnik, nearly five hours of debate centred on the size of the deficit, the sustainability of public finances and the government's spending plans. Finance Minister Galab Donev defended the budget as realistic, arguing that higher expenditure reflects inherited obligations and rejecting calls to reduce capital spending exceeding EUR 9 billion. He reiterated that the government does not intend to increase tax rates or social security contribution rates, while acknowledging that additional stable revenue sources will need to be identified. Former finance minister Asen Vassilev argued that higher-than-forecast economic growth and overstated capital expenditure could substantially reduce the deficit, while representatives of the Bulgarian National Bank, the Fiscal Council, GERB and Democratic Bulgaria urged the government to pursue faster fiscal consolidation and structural reforms.

Mediapool highlights controversy over Donev's suggestion that the statutory 3% deficit ceiling in the Public Finance Act could be amended to better reflect EU fiscal rules. GERB's Temenuzhka Petkova immediately objected, arguing that weakening the national rule would contradict European fiscal regulations.

Sega focuses on the government's proposal to revise the Public Finance Act, reporting that Donev argued Bulgarian legislation should be aligned with EU treaty provisions allowing temporary excessive deficits accompanied by corrective measures. Opposition MPs questioned the legal basis for such changes, warning that raising or relaxing the statutory ceiling would undermine fiscal discipline. The newspaper also cites Bulgarian National Bank Deputy Governor Petar Chobanov and Fiscal Council member Lyubomir Datsov, who both called for significantly bolder expenditure restraint, warning that Bulgaria risks remaining under the EU's excessive deficit procedure beyond 2028 unless spending is reduced more aggressively.

BOTAS AGREEMENT

Sega reports that Continue the Change MP Bogdan Bogdanov has called on Prime Minister Rumen Radev to explain to Parliament the contents of the protocol signed between Bulgargaz and Turkiye’s BOTAS following the announcement that the controversial gas agreement will be frozen and renegotiated over the next 15 months. Bogdanov described the original contract as severely damaging to Bulgaria and argued that those responsible for signing it should face criminal liability. He also criticised the appointment of former Energy Minister Rosen Hristov to the management board of the State Consolidation Company, describing it as an inappropriate decision given Hristov's role in negotiating the original BOTAS agreement, and questioned several other appointments made by the government to state-owned enterprises. 

JUSTICE

NOVA TV reported that Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov said the current Constitution does not give the Ministry of Justice any authority over the dismissal or disciplinary responsibility of Constitutional Court judges because the Constitutional Court is an independent institution outside the judicial system. He argued that although Constitutional Court judges are subject to even higher standards than ordinary magistrates, the Constitution contains a legal gap because it does not provide grounds for their dismissal in cases that could undermine the institution's authority.

Naydenov contrasted this with the ordinary judiciary, where judges, prosecutors and investigators may face disciplinary sanctions, including dismissal, for conduct damaging the reputation of the judicial system. He said only constitutional amendments could address this gap and stressed that the Justice Ministry has no powers under the existing constitutional framework to intervene in such matters.

The minister also reiterated his position that acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov should leave the judiciary and called on the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to suspend senior appointments until a new council is elected. Regarding his request for the temporary suspension of Sofia City Prosecutor Emilia Rusinova, against whom disciplinary proceedings have been initiated, Naydenov declined to speculate on the Prosecutorial College's decision. He said his request was intended to ensure an impartial disciplinary process free from any risk of influence over subordinate prosecutors or the work of the prosecution service, adding that he would comment further only after an official decision had been taken.

STATE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY’S CHIEF 

Most major media outlets report that Parliament re-elected Antoan Gechev for a second five-year term as Chair of the State Intelligence Agency (SIA). Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported that only Democratic Bulgaria voted against his reappointment. During the parliamentary debate, Democratic Bulgaria's Atanas Atanasov argued that Gechev had not been formally discharged at the end of his previous mandate and warned that the appointment could therefore be challenged before the Supreme Administrative Court. He also criticised the agency's staffing shortages, saying more than 30% of positions remain vacant. Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov defended Gechev, arguing that the intelligence service had avoided any public scandals during his first term.

WORLD – NATO SUMMIT 

Mediapool reports that US President Donald Trump reignited tensions within NATO by reiterating that Greenland should be controlled by the United States rather than Denmark during the Alliance's summit in Ankara. Speaking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump argued that Greenland's strategic location made it vital to US national security and criticised Denmark for failing to invest sufficiently in the Arctic territory's defence. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded that Greenland is not for sale and said she expected NATO allies to respect the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenlandic Foreign Minister Mute Egede also insisted that the island's future must be decided solely by its people. Trump maintained that the dispute had strained his relationship with NATO, arguing that the United States spends heavily protecting its allies while Denmark does not adequately support Greenland.

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Capital writes that NATO member states entered the Ankara summit with a package of multibillion-euro defence procurement deals designed to demonstrate increased military spending and industrial mobilisation in response to Donald Trump's long-standing criticism of European allies. According to the publication, the Alliance hopes the new contracts for surveillance systems, missiles and other military capabilities will reinforce its commitment to burden-sharing. Nevertheless, political tensions remain over Trump's demand that allies raise defence expenditure to 5% of GDP and continuing uncertainty over Washington's commitment to collective defence.

MILITARY 

Trud, citing Military Watch, reports that two British F-35B fighter jets operating from the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales intercepted and escorted a Russian Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft over the Norwegian Sea. According to the British Ministry of Defence, the Russian aircraft flew at low altitude near the carrier strike group and deployed numerous sonobuoys used to detect and track submarines, suggesting its primary mission was to gather intelligence on the group's underwater operations. The newspaper notes that the Tu-142 is a long-range anti-submarine aircraft equipped with maritime radar, electronic intelligence systems, magnetic anomaly detectors, sonobuoy deployment equipment, torpedoes and depth charges, and has recently undergone extensive modernisation. Trud adds that the interception follows several similar encounters in recent months involving Norwegian F-35As scrambling to monitor Russian strategic bombers and maritime patrol aircraft over the Barents and Norwegian Seas. The newspaper also recalls persistent technical problems affecting the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth, including mechanical failures, flooding incidents and aircraft handling issues that have drawn criticism over their operational readiness.