site.btaMedia Review: June 26

Thursday’s news media are dominated by the theme of the resignation of Kiril Petkov as MP and co-chair of Continue the Change (CC), announced a day earlier amid allegations of corruption.

All print dailies feature the story on their front pages. The chain of events began earlier this week with the mayors of Sofia’s Mladost and Lyulin boroughs, Ivaylo Kukurin and Georgi Todorov, and municipal councillors Dimitar Shalafov and Dragomir Ivanov announcing they were leaving CC, citing party pressure to manipulate public procurement procedures.

24 Chasa, Trud and Telegraph all quote from Petkov’s press conference at the Bulgarian News Agency on Wednesday, where he officially announced his resignation. Duma highlights that, also on Wednesday, recently dismissed deputy mayor Nikola Barbutov, a municipal official, and two employees from the Mladost borough administration were charged with being part of an organized crime group and accepting bribes.

POLITICS

bTV recalls that a day after Counter-Corruption Commission’s searches at Sofia Municipality, an audio recording was leaked to the media. It allegedly captures a conversation between Barbutov and Todorov discussing a scheme to rig public tenders. 

Appearing on bTV’s morning programme, Sofia municipal councillors Dimitar Shalafov said: “It is strange that it took him [Kiril Petkov] so long to resign. The entire [CC] Executive Council should have stepped down on Monday, when we brought the information to light.” Shalafov spoke of rumours about a meeting that had taken place on Monday, with “certain individuals admitting to irregularities.”  He added that Petkov rarely attended meetings with Sofia’s municipal councillors. "We have had regular meetings with most of the municipal councillors - Lena Borislavova, Venko Sabrutev, Venetsia, etc. This is not just about one person and I do not understand why only Kiril Petkov is taking responsibility. The entire Executive Council should be held accountable,” Shalafov added. 

Thursday’s episode of Bulgarian National Television’s (BNT) morning programme was titled At the Epicentre of the Scandal – What is Happening Within Continue the Change after the Allegations and Kiril Petkov’s Resignation?

Speaking on the programme, Atanas Atanasov MP of BSP - United Left said that “the situation with Kiril Petkov’s resignation is worrisome to say the least”. “This is a problem not only for Kiril Petkov, Continue the Change or Mayor [Vassil] Terziev but for the entire political class in Bulgaria,” Atanasov noted. He also pointed to the plummeting public trust in Parliament and state institutions. “Restoring trust in the State as a whole should be the mission of young politicians,” the MP said, adding that Bulgaria has suffered from a lack of political leadership in recent years.

Mediapool.bg reports that yet another CC member has left the party. In a Facebook post, Georgi Klisurski said that he was leaving CC "disappointed and repulsed." The media outlet recalls that Klisurski served as deputy finance minister in the Denkov cabinet and adviser to Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev during the Petkov cabinet. More recently, Klisurski worked with Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev on a vision for the sustainable development and preservation of Vitosha Mountain. 

ECONOMY 

Print dailies report on findings of a joint investigation by the Commission for Consumer Protection, the Commission for Protection of Competition and the National Revenue Agency (NRA), pointing to a 5% to 83% increase in the prices of staple foods across Bulgaria. The findings were presented at a news briefing by the heads of the three institutions, which signed an agreement in early June to conduct joint checks in the next 12 months at least. The aim is to identify unjustified price hikes potentially linked to profiteering around the planned euro changeover. The largest increases were recorded in Veliko Tarnovo, while Plovdiv and Burgas saw the smallest price hikes. In Sofia, a slight increase was observed for several products.

BNT features an interview with Commission for Protection of Competition chairperson Rosen Karadimov, who spoke about how the State plans to tackle speculative pricing ahead of the euro changeover. The NRA and the Consumer Protection Commission are responsible for monitoring not only price increases, but also the justifications behind them. They conduct checks and ask retailers to provide explanations for the price hikes, and based on this data, the Commission for Protection of Competition initiates an analysis of the fast-moving consumer goods sector to collect information on the entire market.

Telegraph’s top story is about an 8.6% pension increase that will take effect on July 1. The daily has interviewed pensioners, most of whom say they struggle to make ends meet with their current incomes, as they barely cover basic necessities like food, utilities, and medicine. One pensioner notes that the adjustment merely keeps up with inflation.

EURO CHANGEOVER

Dnevnik.bg carries an interview with Bulgarian MEP Eva Maydell, who authored a draft report on Bulgaria's adoption of the euro on January 1, 2026. The report was approved by the European Parliament Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on June 24, receiving 46 votes in favor, three against, and five abstentions. A vote is due at the Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg on July 8.

Speaking to the media outlet, Maydell expressed confidence that Bulgaria meets the necessary criteria for joining the euro area, noting that assessments from the European Central Bank and the European Commission serve as “a guarantee” of the country’s readiness. “I believe most of my colleagues will support us. I have taken into account feedback from all groups during the report’s preparation, so I do not believe there will be any problems with its adoption,” Maydell said. 

Asked about potential opposition from Eurosceptic groups, Maydell said that “such resistance is already a fact.” “We have had objections from them, both to the process and specific details. But I see this as part of the broader political game. These are positions they have consistently taken, both in Bulgaria and in Brussels,” she added.

Commenting on Bulgarian MEPs spreading fears about people losing their savings and the introduction of a digital euro, Maydell said “that this is a political stand that has also been taken by President [Rumen Radev].” “It aims to scare people and extract political dividends. Such political strategies must be opposed, as they would only lead to major societal divides,” she said.

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BNR has interviewed Velichie leader Ivelin Mihaylov ahead of a protest the party is organizing in Brussels later in the day against Bulgaria’s planned euro adoption. "Bulgaria is ruled by a mafia much worse than the Cosa Nostra. So far we have not heard the EU ask Cosa Nostra for data on the development of Italy's economy to use it as a basis for decision-making that can greatly affect the people of the country."

"Our primary cause is to oppose the mafia in Bulgaria. It would be nice if [GERB leader] Boyko Borissov and [Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader] Delyan Peevski were out of power,” Mihaylov said. 

Asked if there was a party Velichie trusted and was willing to cooperate with, Mihaylov pointed to a successful partnership with Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh), noting that “they are honest and honour their commitments”. 

TRANSPORT

Nova TV reports that Sofia’s public transport workers embarked on yet another strike on Thursday, driven by a delay in a promised wage increase. The additional BGN 300 raise has been held up pending the adoption of the city’s budget. A crucial meeting of the Sofia Municipal Council is scheduled for Thursday, which will determine whether the funds will be allocated and whether further strike action can be averted.

Speaking on Nova TV’s morning programme, Carlos Contrera, municipal councillor and deputy chairperson of the committee on transport and road safety, said that at its meeting later in the day the Council will decide on the budget and the workers’ salary raise. He noted that the delay stems from Mayor Terziev's decision to return the budget for reconsideration at the end of May, adding that workers they will receive the pay increase retroactively for April and May. Contrera also spoke of issues such as poor working conditions and staff shortages. "The reality is, unless there is serious investment in new rolling stock – mainly buses, trolleys, and electric buses - and in improving conditions in depots, new workers cannot be attracted,” he added. 

Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) has an interview with Alexander Shopov, chairperson of the transport unions federation at the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria, who comments on Thursday’s strike and the protestors’ demands. He criticized the deteriorating conditions in some depots and expressed hope that reason would prevail in Sofia municipality. 

Telegraph carries an interview with trade unionist and municipal councillor Ivan Kirilov, who also echoes these concerns. He warned that if the budget is not passed, above-ground public transport could be suspended as early as Friday. “For several months now, the Municipality has failed to implement a Sofia Municipal Council decision to allocate funds for improving working conditions in garages, sanitary facilities, air conditioning, lighting, etc.” Kirilov said. He added that at their proposal dedicated funds to address these problems have been included in the new budget.

DEFENCE 

Another highlight of BNT’s morning programme was the announcement that, on the final day of the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, member states agreed to increase their defense spending target from 2% to 5% of GDP by 2035. The segment was titled: “Following NATO summit: Will higher defense spending increase security?”

In an interview with BNR, Maria Simeonova, Head of the Sofia office at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the summit demonstrated the unity of the transatlantic community. Commenting on the new 5% spending target, she noted that 1.5% of it is especially important as it would be dedicated to cybersecurity. “The Alliance is increasingly recognizing that information warfare is also warfare,” Simeonova noted.