site.btaMedia Review: August 5

The busted fentanyl laboratory supplying the entire country and the record low levels of the Danube River, causing an energy crisis, are among the main topics in Bulgarian media on Wednesday.

ECONOMY

The Danube River's water level continues to fall along Bulgaria's entire stretch of the river, and experts expect the decline to continue through August, with Nikopol being the only location where the level remains slightly above the critical minimum. 24 Chasa’s front-page article says that in 1969, the builders and designers of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant drew up an ultra-conservative design, which now enables the plant to cope without any problems with the huge drop in the water level of the River Danube. The water intake facilities are situated almost at the riverbed – at a depth of 17 metres. This ensures that cooling can continue even if the water level falls a further 40 cm below the current historic low. For critical situations, the plant has closed cooling pools and autonomous systems that are completely independent of the Danube’s current conditions. These structural and strategic advantages enable Bulgaria to supply neighbouring countries with electricity at this time, when demand is very high. On the same topic, Bulgarian National Television’s morning programme interviewed former environment minister Julian Popov who said the low water levels are part of a recurring climate-related phenomenon that is becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change. He explained that restoring the river's level would require substantial rainfall across much of Europe, including the Alps and Central Europe, not just Bulgaria. Popov noted that the Danube is crucial for cooling the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, as well as for shipping, agriculture, and biodiversity. He argued that there is little that can be done to reverse the immediate situation, and that infrastructure and the economy will need to adapt to increasingly frequent periods of low water. On energy, Popov highlighted Bulgaria's growing role in Europe, saying the country has rapidly expanded its solar power capacity (around 6 GW) and battery storage (around 5 GW/15 GWh). He said these investments allow Bulgaria to store renewable energy, balance electricity supply, and remain one of the EU's leading electricity exporters relative to its domestic consumption.

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Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Shishkov said in an interview for Bulgarian National Radio’s morning programme that future infrastructure projects would be subject to much stricter oversight. "In the very first days after our government took office, we stopped a methodology that would have allowed advance payments to be indexed. As taxpayers, that indexation for motorway sections would have cost us BGN 1.2 billion." He said that the government had uncovered a massive hidden budget deficit. "There were an enormous number of contracts and invoices that had to be paid. This is one of the reasons for the condition of the 2026 budget. We said from the beginning that this was not our budget. It is very strange that the political parties which brought the country to this situation over the past three years are now filing lawsuits. This is part of their political game, but they have taken it too far. They are trying to save what little electoral support they have left. This was the legacy we inherited. We were left with a budget full of holes, roads full of potholes, and a lack of motorways. Much as we would like to allocate more money for major infrastructure projects within the 2026 budget, those investments will have to be postponed until 2027. Huge advance payments had already been made for the Hemus Motorway and for the motorway connecting Montana and Vidin. When construction contracts were handed out and large sums of money were distributed without even having completed project designs, it is impossible to reverse all of that in just 100 days. What you can do, however, is begin changing the way the country is managed." Shishkov argued that the current problems on Bulgaria's roads are the result of years of underinvestment in motorways and poor management of the road sector. "Our first priority is to complete the Hemus Motorway as far as Veliko Tarnovo. The necessary designs already exist for that section. We believe it can be completed within two and a half years."

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Segabg.com says that management changes have reached the three mining operations of Mini Maritsa Iztok, Bulgaria's state-owned coal mining company. At the end of last week, the company's board decided to replace the directors of all three mines. Although the appointments have not yet been formally registered, the board's meeting minutes confirm the decisions. The leadership changes come as Bulgaria prepares a major restructuring of its state-owned coal sector. The government plans to remove Mini Maritsa Iztok and TPP Maritsa Iztok 2 from the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH), place them into a newly created holding company and likely include MMI – Rehabilitation of Mining Sites, a subsidiary established in April to handle mine land rehabilitation. The restructuring is expected to be completed by the end of August, as it is one of Bulgaria's commitments under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. According to Sega, preparations are on schedule, with parliamentary discussion and final decisions expected during the last week of August after lawmakers return from their summer recess. BEH’s reform is considered critical because Bulgaria could lose up to EUR 437 million in EU funding if it fails to meet its agreed commitments. The original plan called for removing the Electricity System Operator and Bulgartransgaz (gas transmission operator) from BEH. However, that proposal was renegotiated due to concerns about financial risks. Instead, the government adopted the current restructuring model, whose main objective is to eliminate cross-subsidization between state-owned energy companies while preserving the financial stability of the sector.

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Trud writes on its front-page that more than 800,000 pensioners would see their pensions reduced if the minimum pension were abolished, data from the National Social Security Institute shows. The issue has become part of a broader debate over whether pensions should more closely reflect each person's lifetime social security contributions. Some politicians and employer organizations argue that everyone should receive only what they have earned through their contributions, without a guaranteed minimum pension. 802,000 pensions have a calculated value that is below the legally guaranteed minimum pension. To bring these pensions up to the minimum level, the government spends an additional BGN 144.2 million (EUR 73.7 million) every month. 741,000 pensioners receive at least BGN 30 (EUR 15) more than their calculated entitlement because of the minimum pension guarantee. 45.5% of all pensions in Bulgaria are paid at the statutory minimum level for their respective category - old-age, disability, social pension. The article explains that Bulgaria's pension formula is based on years of insured employment, the individual's income relative to the national average and a politically determined coefficient (currently 1.35% per year of service). Because this coefficient is set by Parliament rather than being purely contribution-based, even people who have worked 40 years and paid social security contributions throughout their careers can end up with a calculated pension below the legal minimum. Since July 1, the minimum old-age pension is EUR 347.51 per month. The article also notes that not only low pensions are affected by government intervention. Some high pensions are capped. At the end of last year, 8,875 pensioners had calculated pensions above the legal maximum. By August 2026, that number had increased to 15,863, because pensions were increased by 7.8% in July while the maximum pension remained fixed at BGN 3,400 (EUR 1,738). The pension cap reduces government spending by about BGN 5.1 million per month, data for December shows.

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Telegraph.bg runs an article that says that inflation is eating out of a net income of EUR 1,000 of all Bulgarians EUR 54 a month. Telegraph’s calculations are based on data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on inflation in June 2026 compared with the same month in 2025. According to these figures, the cost of living has risen by 5.4% over the past year. In practice, the purchasing power of the monthly income of EUR 1,000, or EUR 12,000 annually, has dropped by EUR 648 over the course of the year. The latest figures from the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria on the cost of living in Bulgaria show that a worker now needs at least EUR 1,067 gross to cover their basic needs for food and household services. This figure does not include expenditure on social activities or holidays, but covers essential purchases and meeting minimum living standards. On an annual basis, this represents an increase of 6.1% (or EUR 48) and inevitably affects the population’s purchasing power. According to NSI data, the average gross wage for the first quarter of 2026 stood at EUR 1,407, whilst for the same period in 2025 it was EUR 1,249. This represents an increase of 12.7% compared with the same period in 2025. Over this period, annual inflation for March this year stood at 4.1% compared with 2025, meaning that the real increase in income was 8.3%. In June 2025, with a minimum wage of EUR 551, Bulgarians could buy 9.7 times the small consumer basket, containing 21 essential items. Now, a year later, in June 2026, with a minimum wage of EUR 620, the consumer can buy the products from the small basket 10 times. Despite the rise in the minimum wage, household purchasing power remains low due to food prices in Bulgaria being similar to, or even higher than, those in the other EU countries surveyed.

CRIME

Both Bulgarian National Television and bTV’s morning programmes interviewed General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime Deputy Director Darin Kostov about the large-scale operation carried out on Tuesday to dismantle an organised criminal group involved in the production of fentanyl. The operation began in April, when officers from the Combating Organised Crime unit in Ruse received intelligence, subsequently reported it to the prosecution office, and a pre-trial investigation was launched. "According to our information, the group had started operating shortly before this and had not been active for very long prior to our operation. Ten individuals have been arrested, and operations are currently ongoing. During the night, several weapons were found at one of the addresses linked to those arrested, along with around EUR 300,000," Kostov said. Charges will be brought against some of those detained by midday and further arrests are expected, Kostov added.

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On Nova TV’s morning programme medical experts and addiction specialists warned that fentanyl, an extremely potent synthetic opioid, is becoming a growing threat in Bulgaria. As little as 2 milligrams can cause a fatal overdose, and users often consume it unknowingly because it is commonly mixed with other drugs or counterfeit pills. Doctor Olimpiada Atmazhova from the Toxicology Clinic of the Dr. Georgi Stranski University Hospital in Pleven said fentanyl overdoses can lead to respiratory failure, coma, and death within minutes without immediate treatment. "Death can occur in a matter of seconds. Sometimes people don’t even realise what’s happening. If help isn’t provided in time, these cases end with death," she said. Alexander Kantchelov from the Methadone Treatment Association warned that the drug is spreading rapidly and could soon cause as many deaths as road traffic accidents. According to Plamen Yotinski, founder of an addiction rehabilitation centre, fentanyl has transformed Bulgaria's illegal drug market. Addiction specialists caution that it can be mixed into other substances without users' knowledge. The experts urged young people to be careful, particularly in nightlife settings. "This substance can be put anywhere – in a drink, in food – including in the food of people who have no intention of taking drugs. It is odourless," Yotinski said. Kantchelov stressed that methadone treatment remains the only proven therapy for fentanyl addiction. The experts argued that Bulgaria's public health response is inadequate and that the government needs to provide greater support for addiction treatment. Following the discovery of an illegal fentanyl laboratory, experts said the arrests are unlikely to significantly disrupt supply, as production and distribution networks are much larger than a single operation.

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Leaked surveillance records obtained by BIRD.bg and provided to Mediapool and other Bulgarian media reveal conversations between former Customs Agency Director Petya Bankova and Stefan Dimitrov, who is accused alongside her in a major smuggling investigation, Medaipool.bg reports. The intercepted communications, gathered by the State Agency for National Security before their arrests in 2024, show the two discussing meetings with senior police officials, the Interior Ministry's former secretary general, local politicians, and customs-related matters. They also refer to the release of a "Polish cargo" shipment, alleged payments related to customs personnel, and developments in Bulgaria's political crisis at the time. The case also involves former interior ministry secretary general Zhivko Kotsev and alleged smuggler Nikola "Paskal" Nikolov, who has since reached a plea deal with prosecutors. Proceedings against the other defendants remain ongoing. The leaked conversations add new details to the investigation but do not establish criminal wrongdoing. The prosecution has provided little public information about the case since the initial arrests.

JUSTICE

Dnevnik.bg runs an article on the twists and turns of Bulgaria’s legal system overshadowed by strong political overtones. The legal battle over 29% of the shares in the Plovdiv International Fair, which are owned by the Municipality of Varna and were effectively transferred to businessman Georgi Gergov during the tenure of former Varna mayor Ivan Portnih, has reached a critical procedural crossroads. The Supreme Court of Cassation ruled that the lawsuit filed by the state in 2023 was brought by the Economy Minister, who did not have the legal authority to represent the state in court. Under Bulgarian law, that responsibility belongs to the Finance Minister, unless another law explicitly provides otherwise. As a result, the Supreme Court of Cassation has suspended the proceedings until this procedural defect is addressed. The current Finance Minister, Galab Donev, will have one week after receiving the court order to decide whether to formally approve all the legal actions taken so far in the case. If he does not, the state's cassation appeal could be dismissed, ending the appeal process, if he confirms the appeal but not the original 2023 lawsuit, all previous court decisions could be annulled and the entire case terminated without any ruling on who actually owns the disputed shares. The state sued Varna Municipality, Plovdiv International Fair, and Gergov's company Paldin Tourinvest in 2023. It argued that the disputed shares actually belong to the state, not the municipality and their transfer to Gergov's company was invalid. Lower courts issued mixed rulings. They rejected the state's claim that it owns the shares. However, one court also found that the transfer of the shares into Gergov's company violated Bulgaria's Privatization Act and declared that transaction invalid. Later, the appellate court overturned that part and ordered a new review on different legal grounds. The Supreme Court of Cassation has now identified a procedural error that had gone unnoticed throughout years of litigation: the entire case was conducted by the wrong government ministry. Because of this technical issue, a legal dispute that has lasted nearly a decade and involved multiple governments, mayors, and court proceedings could now collapse without any court ever deciding the fundamental question of who owns the 29% stake in the Plovdiv Fair.