site.btaMedia Review: April 25

ECONOMY & HEALTH

“Brain Drain Hampers Our Economy”, caps the main story in Trud. It says that the emigration of highly trained and qualified people from Bulgaria is one of the reasons for the country to lag behind the other EU member states in terms of economic indicators, according to an analysis by the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA). Many skilled people leave the country mainly because they find better career opportunities and higher pay abroad. BIA has compiled an Economic Policy Effectiveness Index, based on 25 indicators. It puts Bulgaria at the bottom of the EU table in terms of average life expectancy at birth but gives the country first place for low taxation for businesses. Foreign direct investment is 4% of GDP, which, according to BIA, shows moderate foreign investor interest. But for a country like Bulgaria, which wants to catch up with the average economic indicators in the EU, such a foreign investor interest level should be described as low, BIA says.

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The government has earmarked over BGN 2.5 billion for the national home retrofitting programme, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said, as quoted on page one in Duma. Zhelyazkov, together with Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Ivanov, visited the seaside city of Burgas to launch a local house retrofitting campaign. According to the Prime Minister, the retrofitting effort should be funded entirely by public sources. “This is the only viable model because it inspires people’s trust,” he said.

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“The Bulgarian Road Toll Paradox,” caps the cover story in the Capital weekly. The magazine says that the government has no control over the computer software for the road toll system, it can neither change it nor manage it on its own. This is contrary to the law, holds risks for the future of the system and raises questions about national security. There is no way of proving who is watching the movement of all vehicles supposed to be monitored by the toll system; there is practically no control over the data. The government does not have the code which is indispensable for managing the system. A solution must be found as the contract with the system operator, Kapsch, expires at the end of 2025, the article says.

Another item on the same topic in Capital says that the road toll and vignette business is for a chosen few. Two privately run intermediaries, one of them linked to Kapsch, have monopolized the business and receive annual commission fees of BGN 50 million. The unsuccessful contract bid of Toll Bulgaria showed how competitors are held at bay. Despite the alerts submitted, the competent institutions have not reacted. National Toll Administration Director Oleg Asenov tells the magazine that an upcoming analysis in June will suggest how the system should be managed in the future.

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Glavbolgarstroy (GBS) Management Board Chairman Kalin Peshov met with Doug Burgum, US Secretary of the Interior and Chairman of the US National Energy Dominance Council, 24 Chasa reports. The talks were held in the framework of the strategic dialogue of the Bulgarian government and the technology sector with leading US energy companies. During a tete-a-tete with Burgum, Peshov presented GBS’ experience in building strategic infrastructure for the development of alternative routes for transmitting liquefied natural gas and upgrading regional energy connectivity.

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Older Bulgarians have always had one unbreakable rule: no outdoor shoes inside the house. Many younger people are irritated by this habit, particularly when it comes to guests. Removing shoes indoors may seem like a cultural custom or a personal preference. But mounting scientific evidence suggests it’s a smart – and even vital – habit that protects us from invisible, yet serious, health threats, 24 Chasa says in its main story, quoting Independent.co.uk. It says that, according to a University of Arizona study, a whopping 96 per cent of shoes tested positive for coliform bacteria, which is commonly found in faecal matter. Disturbingly, 27% carried E. coli, a bacterium linked to various infections – some of them life-threatening.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

A public discussion on the possible reintroduction of religious education in Bulgarian schools, hosted by the Ministry of Education and Science, is covered prominently in national media. The Head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Daniil, the Grand Mufti of Muslims in Bulgaria, Mustafa Hadzhi, and the Minister of Education and Science, Krassimir Valchev, took part in the conference. The matter has been in the public eye during most of April.

Duma says the question of whether religion should become a compulsory school subject has divided society into three camps. According to Education Minister Valchev, one of the camps holds that there should be no such school subject. Another group says that matters of faith should be taught in school, with a focus on religion, as suggested by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The third camp insists that if such classes are introduced, they should be centred on building cultural, ethical and historical competencies in children. Valchev said his ministry will seek a balance among the various groups and will propose that the subject of “virtues and religion” be aimed at “building virtues in children as an aspect of their upbringing, making them good persons.” The daily says that whatever the outcome of the debate, it cannot be expected to change the curriculum in the current school year, perhaps not even in the next school year beginning in September 2025, because the summer recess of the National Assembly is rather long – and the fish is still in the sea.

24 Chasa carries portraits of Patriarch Daniil, Minister Valchev and Grand Mufti Hadzhi side by side on its frontpage. The paper predicts that a compulsory subject of “virtues and religion” could potentially be introduced in the 2026/2027 school year for first grade if a corresponding bill passes in the National Assembly. “It should be phased in gradually. Part of the ongoing debate is about whether it should encompass all school grades, but we think it should start from first grade,” Minister Valchev said. According to a survey by the Trend Research Centre, unveiled during the conference, 60% of Bulgarians believe that the study of religion can contribute to instilling moral values in young people, the daily reports. It quotes Patriarch Daniil as saying that it is about time religion classes are reinstated in schools, and within the general subject parents should be able to choose a study profile for their kids. According to Grand Mufti Mustafa Hadzhi, teaching kids about virtues should hold a central place in their lives, and it is religious upbringing that ensures normal co-existence of ethnic groups.

POLITICS

Bulgarian Ambassador to the United States Georgi Panayotov confirmed media reports that he is resigning, SegaBG.com says. In a Facebook post, Panayotov says the early end to his stint comes after many successes in bilateral relations. He says he is leaving after Bulgarian defence companies carried out a successful transfer of technologies from the US, while US companies operating in defence, cybersecurity and the aerospace industry showed increased interest in working with Bulgaria. The Ambassador “brags” that the mission has organized hundreds of concerts, exhibitions, film screenings, lectures and other events popularizing Bulgaria in the US, the story goes.

It further says that Panayotov will return to Bulgaria at the end of the month. No official reasons have been given for his resignation, and it remains to be seen who will succeed him at this key position for Bulgaria’s relations with the US. The news was confirmed by the Foreign Ministry, which gave no details.

In 2022, Panayotov served as caretaker minister of defence, and before that, he was Bulgaria’s permanent representative to the United Nations. The website gives quotes from Panayotov on the US Global Magnitsky Act and US visas for Bulgarian travellers. It carries a comment the diplomat made in 2024 about who would be better for Bulgaria as US president, Joe Biden or Donald Trump. He said: “There will be no major difference for Bulgaria but there will be nuances, because they are different people with different approaches and views. I cannot say which scenario is better for Bulgaria.” Panayotov further commented: “What sets Biden apart is that his drive to defend democracy and freedom in the world, to have America defend democracy, is more visible. In Trump’s case, the approach is more business-like, perhaps.”

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The Supreme Court of Cassation has confirmed that the takeover of the lift building company Izamet 1991 by a shadow group linked to Petyo Petrov, a presumed power broker in the judiciary who is now a fugitive from justice, was illegal, SegaBG.com reports. The case centered around the illegal transfer of ownership and management of Izamet 1991 from its rightful owners, Yavor Zlatanov and his father Iliya Zlatanov, to a group of businessmen acting through proxies. This illegal takeover was allegedly orchestrated by the Eight Dwarfs, a notorious network centered round Petyo Petrov. The Eight Dwarfs group was first exposed in an investigation by the Anti-Corruoption Fund. The Supreme Court's decision came after it rejected an appeal challenging an earlier ruling, which declared the takeover null and void.

GLOBAL AFFAIRS

Recession warning signs are flashing red for the US economy, Capital says. The weekly magazine notes that analysts and business managers warn of growing risks for the US economy, and leading banks say the possibility of recession in the country is increasing. This is mainly due to the trade war which has an adverse impact on consumer confidence and corporate plans. Current scenarios still indicate positive growth, but uncertainty is high.

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In addition to being a national imperative, the survival of the United States is a global priority, political psychologist Iliya Iliev says in an analysis in Trud. He notes that approximately 100 days after President Donald Trump’s explosive start, the world is watching a divided America with curiosity and deep anxiety, trying to figure out whether its new leader will subjugate the system or will just shake it. According to Iliev, no one wants a social, institutional and nuclear catastrophe for one of the world’s three greatest powers. The global system still rests on the competitive balance among the three main loci. This shared need holds a chance for a new world order based on conscious survival together, rather than dominance. A restored trinity – three great powers competing with one another without hostility, arguing among themselves but needing each other. In 1925, as he approached the US on board a ship, Soviet poet Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote in his poem “Columbus”: “I would shut America and slightly clean it, then I would open it anew”, the analyst says in conclusion.