site.btaMedia Review: July 9

No single topic dominates the news media on Thursday.

POLITICS

Commenting on the proposed amendments to the Election Code, Dimitar Petrov from Progressive Bulgaria told Bulgarian National Television's morning programme that these will ensure more transparent and fair presidential elections later this year. The amendments seek to fully restore machine voting, machine-produced printed tally sheets, introducing a four-seat multimember constituency abroad for parliamentary elections, digitizing electoral rolls, and using ID card scanners at polling sites. Regarding the transition between paper and machine voting, Petrov said that an inconsistency has been created regarding machine and paper voting. According to him, political parties that have advocated for a return to paper ballots entirely are now most persistent against the proposed changes. 

Speaking on Nova TV's morning programme Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov said that he has called on the Prosecutors' Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council to rule on proceedings for the temporary suspension of Sofia City Prosecutor Emilia Rusinova, warning that failure to do so would amount to non-compliance with the law. The Justice Ministry is preparing amendments to the Judicial System Act aimed at preventing what Naydenov described as the practice of "permanent chiefs" within the judiciary. The proposed changes are intended to support the election of a new Supreme Judicial Council under revised rules, including stronger integrity checks on candidates. Regarding allegations that magistrates have been subjected to pressure through the unauthorized use of special surveillance means, Naydenov said legislative amendments are being prepared to make the authorization process more independent. According to the Minister, the proposals envisage the introduction of random assignment among a group of specially qualified judges, rather than having a single judge authorize such measures. He added that all previous authorizations and the handling of evidence obtained through them would be reviewed.

Commenting on sanctions under the US Global Magnitsky Act and issues related to the income of Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) leader Delyan Peevski, Naydenov said Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev has the full backing of the government. He argued that Bulgaria should develop its own legislative framework to better protect the country's financial interests and investigate related cases. According to the Minister, the immediate priority for the coming months is for the newly elected Supreme Judicial Council to begin an objective review of previous appointments and selections within the judiciary while improving recruitment procedures for future magistrates.

In an interview on Bulgarian National Radio, former caretaker interior minister Emil Dechev criticized the prosecution service for failing to make substantive progress in investigations into the "Eight Dwarfs" network and the influence-peddling case linked to Martin Bozhanov, known as "The Notary".  Dechev said the lack of decisive prosecutorial action has created conditions for speculation and conflicting interpretations of the cases. Dechev also commented on discrepancies between official records concerning alleged travel by Constitutional Court Judge Desislava Atanasova and MP Delyan Peevski. Dechev said that, while serving at the Interior Ministry, he received information from the Border Police under the Access to Public Information Act indicating that Atanasova had travelled to Istanbul twice between April 2023 and April 2026 and that no other public figures, including Peevski, had been on those flights. Dechev contrasted those records with more recent statements by Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev, saying the two sets of information cannot both be correct. He welcomed the Ministry's internal inspection and said it should determine whether any legal violations or criminal offences had occurred in the handling of the data. Commenting on speculation surrounding Peevski, Dechev said he was unaware of any pre-trial proceedings against the MP but suggested that it was possible an operational inquiry could exist. He emphasized that this was a possibility rather than confirmed information and said any investigation should establish the origin of funds used for private flights and whether any criminal offences had been committed. The former interior minister said that the credibility of the justice system depends on an active and independent prosecution service capable of investigating politically sensitive cases.

ECONOMY

Dnevnik reports that a review of public procurement procedures conducted by the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia in 2024 and 2025, when current Education and Science Minister Georgi Valchev served as rector, identified what the publication describes as a pattern of limited transparency, the splitting of similar contracts into smaller tenders, and repeated awards to the same contractors. The article focuses on several procurement procedures for food supplies. It says Sofia University divided student catering purchases in 2024 into eight separate tenders, each valued at BGN 99,999.99 excluding VAT, allowing the university to use a simplified procurement procedure rather than an open tender. All eight contracts were awarded to the same company. Similar procedures were reportedly used again in 2025. The newspaper argues that a single open procedure with separate lots should have been conducted instead. The publication also examines a security services contract with an estimated value of BGN 990,000 excluding VAT, alleging inconsistencies between the contract value and the stated monthly payments. It further notes that no notice on the completion of the contract had been published within the statutory deadline, preventing verification of the final amount paid. It concludes by stating that the National Audit Office did not carry out compliance audits of Sofia University during the period in question. It adds that the Public Financial Inspection Agency conducted two inspections and established one administrative violation related to the delayed publication of a procurement completion notice but imposed no sanction because the statutory limitation period had expired.

Trud writes that more than 1.8 million pensioners in Bulgaria receive monthly pensions below an estimated income needed to cover basic living expenses, citing data from the National Social Security Institute and calculations by the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB). According to the daily, CITUB estimates that a person living alone requires a monthly net income of approximately EUR 818 to meet basic living costs. While pensioners may have lower transport expenses than working people, Trud argues that costs for food, utilities, housing and healthcare remain comparable, with higher spending on medicines offsetting lower spending in other areas. The article says that following the 7.8% pension increase effective July 1, more than 2.07 million people receive pensions in Bulgaria. Of these, more than 1.1 million receive pensions of up to EUR 400 per month, while over 1.8 million receive less than EUR 800. The daily highlights significant differences between men and women. Nearly 65% of retired women receive pensions of up to EUR 400, compared with 42.9% of men. According to the article, almost half of all retired women receive pensions at or below the minimum old-age pension, reflecting lower insured incomes during their working lives. The publication further outlines regional disparities in pension levels. Sofia recorded the highest average pension, at more than EUR 630 per month, followed by Burgas, Pernik, Stara Zagora and Varna. Kardzhali had the country's lowest average pension, at EUR 386, followed by Silistra and Razgrad.

Mediapool reports that Bulgaria's National Revenue Agency (NRA) has uncovered cases of unreported turnover during inspections of commercial establishments along the Black Sea coast, including at one of the busiest restaurants on Kavatsite Beach. Citing NRA Communications Director Anna Mitova, the newspaper says inspectors found that the establishment had been using a non-fiscal printer instead of a certified fiscal device, preventing sales from being reported to the revenue administration's system. Addressing reports of high prices at seaside resorts, including cake priced at EUR 18 and cold cucumber soup at EUR 9, Mitova said such prices do not in themselves constitute a legal violation, Mediapool writes. According to the NRA, businesses are free to set their own prices but must be able to justify significant increases with objective economic factors if requested during inspections. The e-zine adds that between June 29 and July 6, the NRA carried out 650 inspections along the Black Sea coast and inland, detecting violations in 226 cases. The most common findings were the failure to issue fiscal receipts and discrepancies between cash held on the premises and turnover recorded by fiscal devices.

24 Chasa carries an article that states that Bulgaria's 2026 State Budget Bill includes measures to curb administrative spending by prohibiting the use of public funds for employee celebrations, entertainment and most off-site events. According to the daily, ministries, government agencies and other budget-funded institutions would no longer be allowed to finance Christmas and New Year celebrations, corporate banquets, sporting events or other social gatherings unrelated to their official activities. The publication says the proposed restrictions are part of broader cost-cutting measures and would require public employees to organize and pay for any such events privately. 24 Chasa further reports that the draft budget would also prohibit ministries and other public institutions from holding working meetings, coordination sessions, seminars and training events outside their own administrative premises. Exceptions would apply to international events arising from Bulgaria's bilateral or multilateral commitments, activities connected with international organizations, and projects financed entirely by international programmes where such expenditure is explicitly eligible. Training organized by public educational institutions would also remain permissible.

On Bulgarian National Television's morning programme, Svetoslav Benchev, Chair of the Oil and Gas Association stated that Bulgaria can be a successful natural gas trading hub. "It comes down to geographical location at the very least. There are places where, in order for natural gas to reach, it has to pass through Bulgaria. It is all a matter of politics. If the State provides the necessary opportunities for this to happen, Bulgaria could be a fairly successful center for natural gas trading.", said Benchev. When asked to comment on the recent deal freeze of the Bulgargaz-BOTAS contract, he said that Bulgaria can now negotiate conditions that are better than those at the time of signing [in 2023]. He explained that the contract was made during an energy crisis. "At times when there were technical problems at the terminal in Greece, supplies went through this contract. The quantities are not large, but they helped in this situation. Such contracts allow the country to be part of the natural gas trade", added Benchev.  

On the morning programme of bTV, Radoslav Ribarski from Continue the Change called the BOTAS deal freeze "a breath of fresh air". "During these three years, we were constantly told that it was very beneficial for Bulgaria, but it was not being used. Now the government had the opportunity to use it, but in the second month [in office] they decided that they had to freeze it," he commented. According to Ribarski, Continue the Change did not sabotage the contract in any way, as they are accused of. "We have repeatedly said that there should be diversification of natural gas supplies. The more places we receive natural gas from, the better for Bulgaria. But the terms of this contract are not favorable for us," the MP believes. He stated that Bulgargaz has lost a large part of its market share as a result of this contract and has accumulated debts of EUR 360 million.

Anti-Corruption Fund (ACF) representative Sofia Zheleva said on NovaTV that the ACF has raised questions over the implementation of a public contract for the maintenance and repair of the Trakia Motorway, alleging irregularities in the subcontracting practices. Zheleva said the contract ad been awarded by the Road Infrastructure Agency to the State-owned company Avtomagistrali. She argued that the award itself was problematic, citing a 2021 report by the National Audit Office which concluded that Avtomagistrali lacked the capacity to carry out large-scale construction works independently. She said that when a contractor subcontracts activities it cannot perform itself, project costs inevitably increase. The Anti-Corruption Fund had received official responses from three private companies, one of which stated that it had been designated as Avtomagistrali's subcontractor from the outset of the procurement procedure. She added that neither the State-owned company nor the Road Infrastructure Agency had so far provided documentation confirming that claim.

FOREIGN POLICY

Former caretaker foreign minister Nadezhda Neynsky said on bTV's morning programme that the NATO summit in Ankara was a test of the Alliance's adaptation to new conditions and showed unity between the United States and its European partners. According to Neynsky, the central theme of the forum was NATO's adaptation to the changed security environment. "All the fortune tellers who expected a rift between the United States and Europe - it did not happen," the former foreign minister commented. According to her, European countries are now clearly aware that regardless of who is in power in the White House, Europe must increase its commitment to the security and deterrence capabilities of the Alliance. Neynsky also emphasized the decision to increase defense spending, as well as the position that Russia remains the greatest threat to Euro-Atlantic security and stability. She added that investments in Ukraine’s security are also investments in the security of NATO itself.

Neynsky also spoke about on Bulgaria's position regarding sanctions against Russia. According to her, imposing a veto on the next package of EU sanctions will not be on the agenda, regardless of the political messages in the country. "As a military man, [Prime Minister] Rumen Radev is aware of the commitments that Bulgaria has within NATO and the European Union," she pointed out. Neynski emphasized that these commitments should be viewed as an investment in Bulgaria's national security. "Anything different from this would place our country not just in the gray zone, but would expose it to major threats," warned the former foreign minister. Neynski also commented on the request that Russian Patriarch Kirill be removed from the sanctions lists. "I personally do not see how the interests of Russian Patriarch Kirill are related to Bulgarian national interests," Neynski said. She recalled that the sanctions against him are in his personal capacity, and not as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

SOCIETY

Sega writes that the number of students admitted to Sofia's secondary schools through the special admissions procedure for children with chronic illnesses has nearly doubled this year. Citing information provided by the Sofia Regional Department of Education, the newspaper says 91 seventh-grade students were assigned to secondary schools under the procedure in 2026, compared with 47 in 2025, 50 in 2024 and 60 in 2023. Under Bulgaria's school admissions regulations, students with chronic illnesses, physical or sensory disabilities, special educational needs, or certain vulnerable social circumstances may apply through a special procedure. Applications are reviewed by a commission comprising education experts, a pediatrician, a lawyer and other specialists. According to Sega, students admitted under this procedure are accommodated within the approved enrolment quotas rather than in additional places. As a result, they may be admitted to some of Sofia's most competitive secondary schools, where entry scores through the standard admission process are significantly higher. The newspaper says the practice has prompted debate among parents. Some argue that students admitted through the special procedure occupy places that would otherwise go to applicants with higher entrance scores and propose that such admissions be made outside the approved quotas. Parents of children with chronic illnesses, however, maintain that their children have the right to attend high-quality schools and should not face discrimination. The issue has been further complicated by longstanding concerns that the procedure has occasionally been misused by families seeking admission through medical diagnoses that do not reflect serious chronic conditions.