site.btaMedia Review: July 21

U.S. TANKER AIRCRAFT

The government's proposal to Parliament to allow the deployment of US refuelling tanker aircraft and military personnel at Bezmer Air Base in Southeastern Bulgaria is among the key topics in Tuesday's media coverage. The proposal, submitted after a US diplomatic note, envisages the deployment of up to eight refuelling aircraft and up to 250 servicemen from July 24 to October 1 in support of US operations in the Middle East. The move triggered mixed reactions among political forces, with GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) expressing support, while Vazrazhdane opposed the plan and Democratic Bulgaria and Continue the Change called for more information before taking a position. The Defence Committee is due to discuss the proposal before the final decision is put to a vote in Parliament.

Interviewed by bTV, former defence minister (2001-2005) Nikolay Svinarov said he saw no problem with the deployment of US tanker aircraft at Bezmer Air Base. He sees no legal obstacles, as the request came from the US, a strategic partner with which Bulgaria has had a Defence Cooperation Agreement since 2006, under which Bezmer is designated a joint military facility. He said Bulgaria need not speculate on how the US would use the base, adding that the deployment of the aircraft did not mean the country would be involved in military operations. Svinarov noted that Bulgarian society naturally does not want to take part in wars, but said the challenge was finding a balance between avoiding direct involvement in conflicts and remaining a reliable ally. He rejected claims that the move would mean a loss of sovereignty, arguing that Bulgaria could not be fully independent and that its national security depends on NATO membership and its strategic partnership with the United States. In his view, Bulgaria could refuse the request, but that would mean changing the entire national security system.

On the deployment of US aircraft at Bezmer Air Base, Transport Minister Georgi Peev told BNT that Bulgaria is following the procedures under its 2006 agreement with the US. He said the government had acted decisively to move the refuelling aircraft away from Sofia Airport due to safety and administrative concerns, potential disruptions to flight schedules and public anxiety, which he said could not be disregarded.

Nova TV featured expert opinion on the proposed deployment of US aircraft at Bezmer. Vladimir Milenski, military expert and member of the Atlantic Council of Bulgaria, said such a decision should be clearly justified and approved on the basis of information from the defence, economy and energy ministries, as well as the intelligence services. He expressed support for the presence of US aircraft in Bulgaria but questioned the lack of transparency over the reasons for the deployment, arguing that presenting it as a training mission amid US operations in the Middle East would be misleading. He said the risks would be similar regardless of whether the aircraft were stationed in Sofia or Bezmer.

VMRO Deputy Chairman Milen Mihov said the US request was more explicit this time, as it concerned an operation rather than training. He warned that tanker aircraft used in refuelling fighter jets and strategic bombers could expose Bulgaria to risks, including possible attacks or technical incidents. He said it was unclear what Bulgaria would gain from the deployment and that the country should not be treated as a "colonial state".

POLITICS

Interviewed by Bulgarian National Television (BNT), MEP Emil Radev (EPP/GERB) said Bulgaria's foreign policy should be predictable, arguing that the government's current approach was "multi-layered". According to him, Bulgaria is providing an air base for operations against Iran, which he described as normal, while refusing to join the Coalition of the Willing, whose goals include the creation of an anti-ballistic missile shield. He accused the government of pursuing a "dual policy", saying it sends one message to European partners, in NATO, Brussels, Paris and Berlin, and another to domestic audiences, possibly in an attempt to appeal to part of its electorate with pro-Russian views. In his words, these mixed signals were also evident in Bulgaria's refusal to participate in the Coalition of the Willing, as stated by the Prime Minister, while at the same time supporting Kyiv Declaration on Ukraine that outlines the Coalition's objectives and roadmap.

Mediapool.bg comments that after Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova sent mixed signals over Ukraine on several occasions, the two used the annual conference of Bulgarian ambassadors to demonstrate a common stance and stress that Bulgaria has a clear foreign policy. Both avoided specific comments on Ukraine, focusing instead on broader statements, while President Iliana Iotova echoed Radev's view that "there is no military solution to the war in Ukraine". The webzine recalls that Petrova's participation in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit in Kyiv and Bulgaria's support for the summit declaration sparked controversy over the country's stance on the Coalition of the Willing. According to Mediapool.bg, the dispute was not about whether the declaration had been signed - which it was not as is the standard practice for such documents - but about Bulgaria's support for a document backing the coalition, continued military and financial assistance for Ukraine and the creation of a special tribunal for Russia's aggression.

Interviewed by Trud, diplomat and former MP Dimitar Gardev commented on a number of issues surrounding Bulgaria's support for Ukraine. He disputed claims that Bulgaria had left the Coalition of the Willing, noting that the country remains an active participant in several such coalitions. Gardev recalled the main points of a declaration adopted by the previous parliament which defined the scope and limits of Bulgaria's possible involvement in Ukraine. The declaration adopted by the 51st National Assembly aims to ensure Bulgaria would not be drawn into ad hoc coalitions or "adventurous" initiatives by individual countries. He argued that any deployment of foreign forces in Ukraine proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron without US backing would be "a pure adventure", adding that nothing positive could be achieved without US support.

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BNT asked political scientist Assoc. Prof. Petar Cholakov and sociologist Andrey Raychev about the moves and positions of the government and opposition. Cholakov said the government could face difficulties in the medium term if it failed to deliver visible results, as many projects have been launched but few tangible outcomes have been achieved so far. He said the biggest threat to its stability could come from involvement in serious corruption cases and scandals. For his part, Raychev said PM Rumen Radev's main source of legitimacy was the perception that he had not been involved in corruption. He argued that Radev's key challenges would be managing his own political circle. So far the government has been focused on three main areas: a shift in foreign policy, changes in the judiciary and efforts to tighten the budget without causing a sharp decline in living standards.

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Interviewed by Telegraph, Tsvetelina Peneva, member of the Central Election Commission's Public Council, called for urgent maintenance of voting machines ahead of the elections, warning that faulty or poorly printed machine receipts could undermine trust in the process. She backed the return of machine voting but opposed last-minute changes to election rules and called for broader public debate on future reforms.

ECONOMY

Segabg.com reports that ahead of the second reading debate on the 2026 State Budget Bill by the Budget and Finance Committee on Tuesday, MPs have submitted nearly 70 proposals to amend it. Despite strong criticism of the government's planned 5.7% deficit, all parliamentary groups have proposed additional spending, saying it would be financed through reallocations within the central government budget or cuts in capital expenditure. The MRF has submitted the largest number of proposals, seeking more than EUR 200 million in additional spending.

Speaking on bTV, Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov criticized the way major infrastructure projects were managed in 2018-2020, arguing that the state focused on developing construction companies rather than Bulgaria's infrastructure. He said sections of the Hemus Motorway were commissioned without completed designs and that in-house procedures through the state-owned company Avtomagistrali were used to award works without public tenders. According to Shishkov, Avtomagistrali was intended for road maintenance and repairs, not for bypassing public procurement rules and carrying out major infrastructure projects.

On BNT, Transport Minister Georgi Peev said Bulgaria lacks the basic conditions for a modern railway system, including new rolling stock, upgraded infrastructure, safety systems and qualified staff. He claimed that despite billions invested over the years, the sector has produced few tangible results. Inspections found none of the rail construction contracts had been properly completed since 2015-2017. Peev pointed to widespread speed restrictions, a shortage of air-conditioned carriages and outdated sleeper cars as signs of the sector's problems.

Trud has a commentary by Assoc. Prof. Lyuboslav Kostov, Director of the Institute for Social and Trade Union Research of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria, who is concerned about the depopulation of entire regions. Sofia generates more than half of the country's GDP, which is described as "a natural economic process", he says. At the same time, entire regions of Bulgaria were left on life support, without infrastructure, hospitals or investment in human capital. An economy built on cheap labour ultimately finds itself without people. No EU funds or recovery plans will bring life back to these depopulated areas unless one simple fact is understood: labour in Bulgaria must be paid properly, he says.

Trud cites Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB) Chair Vladimir Ivanov as saying that data from The Brewers of Europe show both beer production and consumption in the EU are declining, but Bulgaria retains 13th place on both indicators. Alcohol consumption is falling among young people aged 25 to 30, with one in four in this age group abstaining from alcohol. As a result, consumption of non-alcoholic beer is increasing, Ivanov said.

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Trud features an extensive commentary on EU-China relations by Prof. Boyan Durankev. He argues that the EU's economic relationship with China is increasingly defined by both competition and mutual dependence. China has evolved from a producer of low-cost goods into a global leader in sectors such as EVs, batteries, photovoltaics and AI, posing a strategic challenge rather than an existential threat to Europe. At the same time, European companies and the EU's green transition remain heavily reliant on the Chinese market and Chinese supply chains. The EU faces a strategic paradox as it seeks stronger growth and competitiveness while tightening controls on Chinese investment and technology transfers. Durankev advocates replacing broad restrictions with reciprocity, including more balanced market access and transparent rules for European and Chinese companies. He also calls for distinguishing between economic and security concerns by taking a more selective approach, distinguishing between Chinese investment in strategic infrastructure, telecommunications and defence technologies, and investment in sectors such as automotive manufacturing, green energy, logistics and manufacturing. He argues that the EU should strengthen its industrial policy, expand cooperation with China in high-tech sectors and revive the investment dialogue between Brussels and Beijing.

Dnevnik.bg cites a European Commission report on innovation which ranks Bulgaria second from last among EU countries for the second year in a row, ahead only of Romania. The country performs relatively well only in high-speed internet, trademark protection and equipment imports, while ranking among the weakest in labour productivity, cloud technology adoption and cited scientific publications. The Commission attributes Bulgaria's technological lag to low investment in research, a fragmented research base, low business digitalization, limited commercialization of innovation and brain drain. Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland once again top the EU innovation rankings, maintaining their status as innovation leaders. Bulgaria remains in the lowest-performing group, classified as an "Emerging Innovator" with innovation performance below 70% of the EU average. It ranks behind Croatia, Poland, Latvia and Slovakia, outperforming only Romania.

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Some 520,000 disadvantaged people will receive a EUR 50 Christmas allowance in November, with EUR 30 million allocated in the budget. For the first time, the payment will be available to all eligible people in need, not only pensioners. The change was adopted at the end of the previous parliament on a proposal by GERB's Denitsa Sacheva.

ENVIRONMENT

Green Movement member Toma Belev told Bulgarian National Radio the government must take climate change into account, noting that some settlements have been without water for six or seven years due to drying surface water sources. The problem will not be solved by current rainfall levels and around 150,000 people could face water shortages this year, with the situation worsening in September and October. Belev also said Bulgaria remains the only country in the region without firefighting aircraft. He described the situation as a "climate catastrophe" rather than just a crisis, saying that climate change was leading to an increasing loss of lives every year.

CUISINE

Following a visit by Michelin representatives to 20 restaurants in Sofia, the media comment on the strengths of the city's culinary scene and areas for improvement, including service standards and the promotion of local products.

Interviewed by 24 Chasa, Anton Penev, Director of Sofia's Tourism municipal company, says the city's restaurants offer high-quality food and talented chefs, but need to improve the overall dining experience to meet Michelin-level standards. An independent culinary audit found no major problems with service, but recommended greater attention to detail, better story-telling around dishes, promotion of local products and Bulgarian wines, and more seasonal menus featuring local ingredients. More than 20 restaurants were inspected, with two-thirds visited twice after showing potential. The Sofia Municipality plans training programmes for restaurant staff and wine presentation. Sofia recorded a 3% increase in tourists and a 4% rise in overnight stays in the first half of the year. Penev noted nearly 90% increase of the Polish market, making Poland one of Sofia's top 10 tourism markets for the first time. Sofia is preparing cultural programmes for Eurovision delegations and journalists if Sofia wins hosting rights, similar to the promotional approach used for Giro d'Italia.

On Radio Varna, Bulgarian Tourism Association Chairman Ivelin Kichukov said the future of Bulgarian tourism depends on a stronger presence of local products and regional recipes in restaurants and hotels. He called for targeted economic and legislative incentives to encourage the use of Bulgarian produce and proposed the creation of a national label for "Bulgarian culinary identity" to promote restaurants offering local products and traditional dishes. This could help build a recognizable culinary brand for Bulgaria, similar to those of Italy, France, Spain and Greece. Commenting on criticism over high restaurant prices, he said rising costs had pushed up tourism prices, while in some cases the balance between price and quality had been disrupted.