site.btaMedia Review: October 15

POLITICS/NATIONAL SECURITY

Thursday's news coverage is dominated by the government's planned increase in the minimum monthly wage from EUR 620 in 2026 to EUR 660 in 2027, representing a 6.4% rise. Mediapool.bg reports that the proposed amount is below both the EUR 672 ceiling under the revised formula and the level that would have resulted from the previous formula, amid broader debate over wage growth and purchasing power.

The Finance Ministry's latest forecast points to a further slowdown in wage growth, with the minimum wage expected to rise by just 3% to EUR 680 in 2028 and by 4.4% in 2029. By comparison, annual increases reached 19.6% in 2024, 15.4% in 2025 and 12.6% in 2026. Despite the substantial increases in recent years, Bulgaria remains the EU Member State with the lowest minimum wage, well below Latvia's EUR 780.

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Media outlets across Bulgaria also report that two foreign nationals, aged 20 and 21 and reportedly holding German passports, have been arrested in connection with the arson attack on Starlink satellite communication antennas at a facility in Plana Mountain near Sofia. Eleven of the 18 antennas were deliberately set on fire during the night of October 9-10. The suspects' identities and the details of their alleged involvement have not been officially confirmed. Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the investigation was being conducted intensively with the assistance of international partner services. The incident has raised concerns about the security of strategic communications infrastructure, particularly given Starlink's importance to Ukraine's military communications.

BLACK SEA SECURITY

Another leading story is the termination of the search-and-rescue operation for missing sailors from the cargo ship HS Dignity, which sank after being struck by a drone in the Black Sea on October 13. Mediapool reports that the operation was officially called off after deteriorating weather, including strong winds, poor visibility and rough seas. Eleven sailors remain missing. The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

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Media outlets across Bulgaria report that a tanker caught fire approximately 13 nautical miles off the Romanian coastal town of Sulina. Defence Minister Radu Miruta told Digi24 that an investigation will be launched and reports that the vessel was hit by a drone will need to be verified. The tanker is to be towed to the port of Constanta for examination.

Following the recent series of maritime incidents, Miruta proposed that Bulgaria and Romania send a joint letter to NATO leadership supporting the establishment of a joint Black Sea military command with rotating leadership and host locations among the coastal states, Mediapool reports. The proposal was discussed by phone with Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov. Romania expressed readiness to lead the command and host it on its Black Sea coast from 2028. Another proposal from Romania was to have the operation run from the Turkish coast until then, with Romanian and Bulgarian officers involved.

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In an interview with Bulgarian National Radio, former defence minister and former deputy foreign minister Velizar Shalamanov called on the government and the president to act more responsibly in defending Bulgaria's national interests, warning that delayed decisions and domestic political tensions are exhausting the country. Commenting ahead of the European leaders' meeting in Brussels on Thursday, where Black Sea security is expected to be discussed, he said the main immediate threat was to commercial shipping routes connecting Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine.

Shalamanov proposed an initiative to prohibit drone attacks on commercial vessels, backed by effective monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, as well as secure shipping corridors through territorial waters, potentially supported by naval escorts and joint exercises involving Bulgaria, Romania and Turkiye. He stressed that deterrence should prevent escalation into direct military confrontation. He added that Romania's strong NATO presence and potential leadership on Black Sea security offered Bulgaria an opportunity to deepen regional cooperation. Shalamanov urged the EU and Ukraine to reach an agreement on regional security and resilience, building on the EU's Black Sea security strategy and the planned Bulgaria-Romania security hub in Constanta and Varna.

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Ahead of the meeting in Brussels, President Iliana Iotova said that Bulgaria and Romania would call for a moratorium on all military action and drone use in the Black Sea, expressing confidence that the EU would support the initiative and reach a common position.

ECONOMY AND FINANCE

Media outlets report that the Commission for Consumer Protection held its first outreach reception outside Sofia, in Blagoevgrad, Southwestern Bulgaria, amid growing concerns over the cost of living and high prices of essential goods and services. Commission Chair Maya Manolova met residents who complained about soaring food prices, medicines and household services costing nearly twice as much, and about misleading promotions by retail chains.

Manolova told Nova TV that data from retail chains showed mark-ups of up to 141% on oils, fats and dairy products, while consumer complaints put butter mark-ups as high as 240%. By comparison, average dairy mark-ups in Europe are around 25%, while Bulgaria's purchasing power stands at 68% of the EU average, widening the gap between household incomes and food prices. She also noted that the international exchange price of butter was half the price on the Bulgarian exchange. The Commission is stepping up price controls from mid-August to mid-October, requiring retailers to justify price increases compared with early August. Measures include fair-value benchmarks for 17 essential products in the small consumer basket. Manolova warned that retailers unable to justify their prices face fines of EUR 10,000 to 50,000 per product, as well as turnover-based penalties. The Commission will initially seek voluntary changes from businesses in sectors receiving the most complaints but will enforce the law if they fail to remove problematic contractual clauses or address consumer concerns.

JUSTICE

Dnevnik reports that the national information system intended to centralize data on domestic violence cases and enable information-sharing between institutions remains unfinished, despite missing two successive deadlines for its completion. As of early October, no new launch date has been set.

The register is one of the key amendments to the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act adopted in the summer of 2023. It is intended to consolidate data on cases, victims, perpetrators, the type and history of abuse, and measures taken, helping institutions to identify repeated violence and risks to victims rather than leaving reports scattered across the police, courts, social services and other bodies.

"Non-governmental organizations working to protect victims of domestic violence have repeatedly written to the institutions to remind them of their commitment to establish the register. Yet it still does not exist," Bulgarian Helsinki Committee Co-Chair Adela Kachounova told Dnevnik.

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Dnevnik reports that Parliament has unanimously approved at first reading a full ban on fur farms, with no votes against or abstentions.

The amendments formally classify the breeding of animals for fur as an act of cruelty under the Animal Protection Act. Currently, there are no operating fur farms in Bulgaria, but the changes are intended to ensure that the practice cannot resume. Similar legislation is in place in 24 European countries. MPs acknowledged that the consensus had been the result of years of campaigning and sustained pressure from civic and animal protection organizations. The bill is expected to be put to a second reading in three days.

Meanwhile, volunteers from the Invisible Animals organization ended their nearly three-week, round-the-clock protest in a cage outside Parliament. Around 200 members took turns working 12-hour shifts to draw attention to the inhumane practice of keeping animals in individual cages. Although dozens of current MPs pledged their support before the elections, the governing majority has attributed the delay to the lack of an agreed financial support plan for farmers. Despite the demonstration and a petition submitted with more than 150,000 signatures, a bill to ban individual cages for calves is yet to be tabled.

HEALTH

Media outlets also covered proposed amendments to the Health Act. Trud writes that MPs have approved at first reading amendments introducing an AI-assisted system to flag potentially fraudulent medical disability assessments and requiring police officers to use defibrillators when they are first to arrive at the scene of a cardiac arrest. The defibrillator proposal, tabled by Progressive Bulgaria, passed without major objections from most parliamentary groups, with supporters arguing that police often arrive before ambulances and that automated defibrillators can be used without specialized medical training. The proposal to screen disability assessments, put forward by Democratic Bulgaria, would use health records and AI-based rules to identify anomalies for further review by the National Expert Medical Commission or the Health Ministry. MPs also debated, but rejected, a Vazrazhdane proposal concerning the transport of injured people to medical facilities.

SOCIAL AFFAIRS

24 Chasa reports that North Macedonian doctor Ivan Barbov recommended that Iva Mihaylova continue her treatment in Bulgaria for medical and health-insurance reasons, as she was not insured in North Macedonia and the prescribed therapy had proved insufficient. In an interview with North Macedonia's outlet Sloboden Pecat, Barbov said Mihaylova had health insurance in Bulgaria, but not in North Macedonia, and that the medication he prescribed failed to produce sufficient results. He explained that she suffered from spasticity following a road accident and that he had proposed considering the implantation of a baclofen pump, a treatment method he said was not available in North Macedonia.

Barbov also defended the medical reports he had issued and said they were lawfully prepared and registered in the relevant system. Although the court did not accept the documents in the proceedings, he argued that this did not invalidate the medical records or his professional obligations. He further expressed concern over the public disclosure of the medical document and said he felt targeted by a media campaign and was worried about himself and his family.