site.btaMedia Review: July 22

OVERVIEW

Wednesday’s media coverage focuses on the proposed deployment of US aerial refuelling aircraft and military personnel at Bezmer Air Base in Southeastern Bulgaria, with the National Assembly expected to take the final decision. The upcoming presidential elections, the 2026 State Budget and changes to the calculation of employment history also feature prominently. Other reports examine the growth of Sofia's luxury property market, problems with organized holidays abroad and the effects of mobile phone dependence on schoolchildren.

DEFENCE

Telegraph reports that the National Assembly Defence Committee approved the proposed deployment of up to eight US KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft and 250 military personnel at Bezmer Air Base by 11 votes to one, with two abstentions. The deployment is planned for the period from July 24 to October 1, 2026, but requires final approval from the National Assembly. The daily cites Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, who said that a military intelligence analysis identifies risks but no direct threat to national security. President Iliana Iotova said that the presence of the aircraft at the base does not make Bulgaria part of the military action in Iran. Telegraph adds that Iran has warned Bulgaria not to allow its territory to be used for US military operations against Iran.

24 Chasa also covers the topic, citing Stoyanov, who said that the latest US diplomatic note explicitly links the deployment to support for US military operations against Iran. He adds that the aircraft previously stationed at Sofia Airport were in Bulgaria for the same purpose, despite the former government’s claim that they were connected with a NATO exercise. Up to 15 aircraft were authorized during the final two working days of the Rosen Zhelyazkov government, on February 17 and 18. "The previous government allowed itself to lie to Bulgarian citizens. There was no exercise," Stoyanov said. He notes that the Ministry of Defence has no documents identifying an exercise, its missions, its commander or the planning conferences that would normally precede it. GERB-UDF disputed Stoyanov’s account. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev asked whether Stoyanov was suggesting that the US Embassy had misrepresented the purpose of the earlier deployment. He also asked why Prime Minister Rumen Radev's Cabinet had subsequently extended the aircraft’s stay from May 31 to June 30. Georgiev said the first diplomatic note referred to an exercise and that the two deployments differ both in their documentation and in substance. 24 Chasa adds that a military intelligence report identifies no danger to Bulgaria, while the first residential buildings near Bezmer are around three kilometres from the runway. Stoyanov is expected to discuss local concerns with the Mayor of Yambol. Progressive Bulgaria Deputy Floor Leader Slavi Vasilev said Bulgaria will seek a concession from the US in return, but does not specify what it will request. The daily notes that Radev had earlier sought visa-free travel for Bulgarians in exchange for allowing the aircraft to remain in the country, but the proposal was rejected by US President Donald Trump. "Then we received nothing because we asked for nothing," Vasilev said, criticizing the government’s approach to foreign policy.

Bulgarian National Television's (BNT) morning programme covered comments by National Assembly Defence Committee Chair Ivan Lalov. He said Bulgaria's bilateral defence agreement with the US provides for the joint use of Bezmer and Graf Ignatievo air bases, the Novo Selo Training Area and a storage facility near Aytos. Lalov described the planned deployment as logistical support for a US operation in the Middle East. "These aircraft provide logistical support for the US operation in the Middle East," Lalov said. He added that the available analysis found no threat to Bulgaria and said there was no need to convene the Consultative Council on National Security.

Speaking on Nova TV’s morning programme, former Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov disputed Stoyanov’s account, saying the previous diplomatic note referred to NATO's forward presence on the Alliance's eastern flank and support for an exercise. A planned air-to-air refuelling exercise involving Bulgarian F-16 aircraft was not carried out for organizational reasons, he added. Zapryanov said Parliament must decide on the new request because the nature of the mission has apparently changed. Bezmer Air Base was upgraded with NATO funding and can receive military transport and tanker aircraft, he noted.

Also on Nova TV, Progressive Bulgaria MP Dimitar Petrov said his parliamentary group would support the deployment. He says the United States has provided assurances that no military operations against Iran will be conducted from Bulgarian territory and that the Iranian warning is part of normal diplomatic communication. Petrov added that the Government is following the constitutional procedure by seeking parliamentary approval, unlike the previous Cabinet, which treated the earlier deployment as an exercise.

POLITICS

Mediapool.bg writes that the upcoming presidential election will be the first major political test of Prime Minister Rumen Radev's Government. Three months before the vote, the main parties are delaying their nominations because the first announced candidate is likely to shape the decisions of their opponents. The site notes that President Iotova appears to be Progressive Bulgaria's safest potential candidate because of her public profile, institutional experience and balanced style. It adds that a convincing victory for the government’s nominee would consolidate Radev's political influence before his Cabinet enters a more difficult period. Mediapool.bg says former caretaker prime minister Andrey Gurov appears to be the most likely candidate to receive support from Continue the Change (CC) and Democratic Bulgaria (DB), although he has not confirmed that he will run. A strong result could turn Gurov into a leading figure in the democratic political community, the site notes. GERB leader Boyko Borissov is again calling for a joint presidential candidate representing parties from the European People's Party and the liberal political family, but CC and DB have rejected the proposal. Mediapool.bg adds that GERB-UDF may seek cooperation with Blue Bulgaria, while other names, including Delyan Dobrev, appear to be tests of public opinion rather than firm nominations.

A 24 Chasa opinion article argues that the opposition is helping Radev by concentrating its criticism on his position on Russia and Ukraine. The author says the government is more vulnerable on economic policy and that a campaign dominated by geopolitical issues would favour Progressive Bulgaria's nominee. The article notes that public opposition to sanctions against Russia and military assistance for Ukraine remains relatively high in Bulgaria. It predicts that the opposition may fail to reach the runoff and suggests that a Vazrazhdane candidate, potentially party leader Kostadin Kostadinov, could compete against Radev's nominee.

ECONOMY

Bulgarian National Radio interviewed economist Preslav Raykov ahead of the second reading of the 2026 State Budget. He said that "successive governments tried to provide funding for every political demand, contributing to a deficit of 7.6%". "Bulgaria is neither at war nor facing a severe economic crisis," Raykov said. He noted that the Government's forecast for reducing the deficit to 3% by 2028 does not indicate an intention to carry out substantial reforms. Closing loss-making state holding structures and granting concessions for neglected infrastructure would be genuine long-term reforms, he added.

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Speaking on BNT’s morning programme, former caretaker minister of labour and social policy Hasan Ademov commented on the proportional calculation of employment history based on hours worked, which will take effect on January 1, 2027, rather than September 1, 2026. He said the proposal aims to restore fairness between employees working contracts of different lengths. He added that higher minimum social insurance thresholds are unpopular but necessary to reduce the grey economy.

Speaking on bTV’s morning programme, Progressive Bulgaria MP Stefan Belchev commented on the introduction of proportional employment-history calculations for part-time workers. Belchev explained that under the proposed system, employment history would be based on the hours actually worked. An employee working four hours a day for a full year would therefore accumulate six months of employment history rather than a full year. He said the change would correct the current discrepancy under which social security contributions reflect the employee's working hours, while employment history is recognized as though the person had worked a full day. Belchev acknowledged that the measure would be unpopular with some part-time workers, but described it as a necessary reform intended to discourage employers from formally hiring staff for four hours while paying the remainder of their wages off the books. Responding to concerns about people with disabilities and workers in small settlements, he said the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy was preparing compensatory measures. He added that the digitalization of employment contracts should help reduce the grey economy and provide workers with greater protection.

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Trud’s front-page story reports that purchases of Sofia homes priced above EUR 500,000 increased by 31.6% year on year in the first half of 2026. Such properties accounted for 3.47% of all home purchases in the capital, up from 2.18% in the same period of 2025, data from the Registry Agency and Unique Estates show. Transactions involving homes priced between EUR 1 million and EUR 2 million increased by 48.8%, while purchases in the EUR 2 million - EUR 5 million segment rose by more than 42%. Prices increased most sharply in the Lozenets borough, rising by around 12% compared with the previous six months. Trud adds that one property under construction sold for EUR 4 million, while a central Sofia development sold out at EUR 8,800 per square metre before receiving Act 15 certification.

EDUCATION

24 Chasa features an interview with school principal Diyan Stamatov, who says seventh-grade pupils at his school spend an average of six to seven hours a day using their mobile phones. One pupil was given additional time for the national external assessment after the parents submitted a psychologist’s document linking the child’s concentration difficulties to phone dependence. "Adolescents cannot keep their attention for more than eight to ten seconds,” Stamatov said. He calls for a national study of screen dependence and says mobile phones are also contributing to aggression and humiliation among pupils through the circulation of photographs. Stamatov supports introducing a hybrid examination after the seventh grade that would assess subjects beyond Bulgarian language and mathematics. He also called for updated curricula combining digitalization and artificial intelligence with less factual memorization.

TOURISM

Telegraph’s front-page article reports that Bulgarian tourists have had foreign holidays cancelled shortly before departure or have been moved to lower-category hotels after arriving at their destination. One group that booked a holiday in Calabria five months in advance was informed of its cancellation 30 days before departure because the tour operator had ended its relationship with the hotel. Another group learned upon arrival that it would stay in a three-star hotel without a private beach instead of the luxury hotel included in the booking. The tourists were also accommodated in a different settlement with few shops and no lunch service at the hotel. Consumer platform founder Gabriela Rumenova says travellers should carefully examine the terms and liabilities set out in their contracts. "It is very important what is written in the contract with the specific tour operator," Rumenova said. Telegraph adds that tourists should verify whether the operator is registered and holds professional liability insurance.