site.btaMedia Review: June 17

POLITICS

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadjov will host a public discussion on the procedure for awarding passenger rail transport services. He will confer with trade unions, MPs, representatives of the scientific community, rail transport operators, NGOs and experts, Nova reports. On June 2, the Ministry of Transport and Communications published for public consultation a draft of the conditions and procedure for awarding public rail transport services. Prior to the publication of the document, Karadjov made a commitment to discuss the details of the upcoming procedure with all interested parties before it was launched.

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British Minister for EU Relations Nick Symonds is visiting Bulgaria on June 17, Nova and other media report. He will be welcomed by Minister of the Interior Daniel Mitov at Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia, where a bilateral meeting will take place. During the visit, there will also be a demonstration of technical equipment for checking vehicles and cargo, provided to the Customs Agency by the British partners. The demonstration will take place at Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia immediately after the bilateral meeting.

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Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev and Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will present the organization's report on the Bulgarian education system. The event will include panel discussions with experts from Bulgaria, France, Poland, Norway and Latvia, 24 Chasa reports.

A final conference on Bulgaria's accession to the OECD in the field of education will be held in Sofia on Tuesday.

In February 2024, Schleicher visited Bulgaria for the first time. “You are undertaking an important reform in education, aimed at developing competencies, and you have the support of the OECD... When we talk about social and emotional skills, we are talking about courage, bravery, empathy, opportunity, and the ability to manage our emotions, live with others and communicate with other people. Social and emotional skills make us human in the world of artificial intelligence,” said Schleicher at his meeting with former Bulgarian Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov and his team back then.

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President Rumen Radev will hold a meeting with Ljupcho Georgievski, the press office of the head of state said, quoted by Trud. The meeting is scheduled for 1:30 pm in Radev’s office.

Ljupcho Georgievski, a prominent representative of the Bulgarian community and former head of the now-closed Ivan Mihaylov Cultural Club, received a suspended sentence from the court in Bitola.

Later, Georgievski will also be heard by the parliamentary Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds.

ECONOMY

Dnevnik reports that United Group, owner of telecoms company Vivacom and media group Nova Broadcasting Group, has new management. Founder Dragan Solak and CEO Victoriya Boklag will step down from their current positions, with the tone of the announcement suggesting that they are leaving the company altogether.

Stan Miller has been appointed chief executive officer to lead United Group as it strategically refocuses its business on EU markets following the successful sale of its non-EU operations, according to the official statement.

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Bulgarians are spending significant amounts of money on property purchases on the Greek peninsula of Halkidiki, according to local estate agents, Trud reports. Housing prices in this region of Greece are quite high, but this does not diminish the interest of buyers from Bulgaria. About 30% of the properties purchased by Bulgarians in Halkidiki are luxury villas on the seafront, priced between 500,000 and one million euro.

The majority of Bulgarians spend significantly less on housing in Halkidiki. Around 60% of purchases by Bulgarians are priced at up to EUR 150,000. These are smaller homes, relatively far from the coast, which need major renovation. Bulgarians invest mainly in properties in northern Greece because the journey there is shorter.

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Hundred-lev bills are replacing 10 and 20-lev banknotes, according to data from the Bulgarian National Bank, Trud reports. In May, the use of 10, 20 and 50-lev banknotes by individuals and businesses decreased compared to the same month last year, while the use of 5-lev and 100-lev banknotes increased. The trend of a decrease in the number of 10-lev and 20-lev banknotes used compared to the same month last year is characteristic of all months of the current year 2025. However, in the last three months, the use of 50-lev banknotes has also decreased.

Five-lev banknotes are being used more and more often because shops need to give change to customers. The increase in the number of 100-lev banknotes is due to rising prices. Every time people go to the shops, they need more money to pay for their purchases, Trud writes.

CULTURE

The stage of the Sofia Music Weeks International Festival once again becomes a platform for cooperation between Bulgarian and Korean musicians, the national radio reports. The concert “Korean Musical Kaleidoscope” combines traditional Korean music with contemporary compositions.

The audience will enjoy nine pieces, all performed for the first time in Bulgaria: six new compositions by Korean composers and three traditional Korean pieces. The concert combines unique Korean instruments – gayageum, haegeum, piri, daegeum, janggu – with classical Western instruments such as piano, viola, cello and percussion.

The concert will take place on 18 June in the Bulgaria Chamber Hall.

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A forum entitled “Diplomacy of Wonders” took place last night in Sofia, BNR and other media report.

This year's forum featured the most ancient wonders of Bulgaria and Turkiye. It was organized by the Cultural Heritage Society and the Turkish Embassy in Sofia.

Turkish Ambassador to Bulgaria Mehmet Sait Uyanik said that the embassy is committed to organizing cultural events, including concerts, exhibitions, seminars, conferences, film screenings and theatre performances.

CRIME

The trial against Kristian Boykov for the theft of personal data of 6 million people from the National Revenue Agency (NRA) in 2019 is about to start, Dnevnik, BNT and other outlets report. The case will be heard in the Court of Justice.

Over the years, the trial has been postponed several times due to various procedural violations. The investigation into the massive breach of the agency's database and the leak of personal data on the internet in the summer of 2019 was completed in March 2022. Initially, there were three defendants, but currently only Tad Group employee Kristian Boykov is on trial.

So far, the prosecution service has twice attempted to reach an agreement with Boykov. The Sofia City Court ruled against this due to the high public danger and negative impact on Bulgaria's reputation.

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Vasil Mihaylov gained notoriety in 2022 for videos shared on social media showing him beating up men in the western town of Pernik. The case caused a public outcry due to suspicions that, as the son of a prosecutor, he was receiving protection. After public pressure and protests, including from the mayor of the town, legal proceedings began. Mihaylov has already received suspended sentences in some of them. His four-year effective sentence is the first severe punishment for a series of eight proven crimes, including beatings and threats, Nova TV sums up.

Mihaylov’s lawyer told BNT he doubts that his client has fled the country, after the 21-year-old was declared wanted nationwide. The arrest warrant follows up a report by a 31-year-old man who claims he was beaten and threatened by Mihaylov and his 22-year-old friend (already detained) to sign a document stating that he owed them a large sum of money. 

In April, Mihaylov received a four-year sentence on more than eight charges of causing moderate bodily harm to various people in Pernik. However, he was released from custody on bail pending the sentence coming into force. According to his lawyer, it is normal for a prosecutor to seek permanent detention in custody. Neighbours of the prosecutor's son in Pernik told BNT that they were afraid to comment on anything related to Mihaylov.

Mihaylov made threats and attempted to extort BGN 5,000 from the owner of a car repair shop in Pernik. A month later, another property was set on fire, and Mihaylov was arrested as a suspect in the arson. This was revealed exclusively on Nova TV by lawyer Zornitsa Kostova, who defends people who claim to be victims of Mihaylov.

According to Kostova, after he was released on parole, Mihaylov was involved in new cases of aggression and extortion. She stated that she is currently preparing an official complaint in a case of extortion, and that she has video recordings with audio.

Kostova also said that Mihaylov is taking over the town, and anyone who wants to run a business must report to him.

According to Deputy Minister of Interior Toni Todorov, Mihaylov is in Bulgaria and all necessary measures have been taken to prevent him from leaving the country.

He told bTV that two people have been detained in connection with the case and are providing detailed information, but they have not indicated where Mihaylov might be hiding.