site.btaMedia Review: July 10

FOURTH NO–CONFIDENCE VOTE IN ZHELYAZKOV GOVERNMENT

The fourth no-confidence vote in the cabinet of Rosen Zhelyazkov is scheduled to take place on Friday.

Speaking on Bulgarian National Television, MP Vasil Pandov of Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria said that Continue the Change will support the no-confidence vote in the government, citing its failure in the environmental and water sectors. 

Pandov said that he does not yet know whether MPs from their coalition partners Democratic Bulgaria will back the vote.

This will be the fourth no-confidence vote filed against the Zhelyazkov government. It was submitted by MPs from the nationalist parties Velichie, MECh, and Vazrazhdane during the debates on the third no-confidence motion last week. Members from the parliamentary group linked to Movement for Rights and Freedoms founder Ahmed Dogan also announced their support for the motion.

CC previously pledged not to support any no-confidence motions before July 8, the date when Bulgaria received its final approval from the European Parliament and European Commission to join the eurozone on January 1, 2026. That has now passed.

According to Pandov, the party's leadership will meet on July 10 to discuss whether to initiate its own no-confidence vote against the government. "We have not abandoned the idea of launching a no-confidence motion and will consider it on July 10," he stated.

He described the current administration as "monstrous" and pointed to several issues that could form the basis for a separate no-confidence vote, including systemic corruption and lack of judicial reform.

As examples of mismanagement, Pandov cited the recent protests by young doctors demanding higher salaries. "This government drove young doctors abroad while banning us from traveling to Greece - just to free up money for their wages," he said.

He also criticized the high university tuition fees, which he claimed are depriving over 40,000 young Bulgarians of access to education.

Another major concern raised by Pandov involved the recent arrest of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev. He alleged the detention was politically motivated and amounted to repression of the opposition. 

"The government is losing public trust because its actions are instilling fear among citizens," he added. "The message they’re sending is this could happen to you too."

VARNA MAYOR ARREST

Sega.bg reports that the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office announced that it has formally charged the Mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev (of Continue the Change), along with three other individuals, as members of an organized criminal group. The charges include abuse of office, bribery, and money laundering. The four suspects have been detained for up to 72 hours following their indictment.

According to the prosecution, Kotsev and two of his co-defendants are accused of jointly demanding a bribe in August 2024 specifically, 15% (excluding VAT) of a public procurement contract worth BGN 1,523,446 (approx. EUR 779,000).

The pre-trial investigation was launched on November 19, 2024, initially focusing on bribery allegations. It has been conducted by the counter-corruption commission under the supervision of the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office.

The mayor was initially held for 24 hours before formal charges were brought.

***

24 Chasa reports that Dian Ivanov, former Deputy Mayor of Varna and longtime family lawyer of Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, has given crucial testimony in the ongoing corruption investigation.

Ivanov, once considered Kotsev’s “right-hand man,” abruptly resigned from his post on May 5, citing “health reasons.” At the time, both men publicly exchanged words of gratitude and denied that the resignation was due to work-related conflict. However, new revelations suggest a very different story behind the scenes.

Following his departure from Varna’s municipal leadership, Ivanov has become a witness for the counter-corruption Commission. In his testimony, he reportedly stated that Mayor Kotsev instructed him to participate in the extortion of businesswoman Plamena Dimitrova, the owner of a municipal catering company.

As Deputy Mayor, Ivanov was in charge of some of the municipality’s European and national operational programs, municipal property management, legal services, and oversight and compliance. He also oversaw the municipal investment Agency.

Before stepping down, Ivanov had said that since the beginning of 2025, the municipality had managed 63 projects totaling BGN 263 million.

***

In a bTV interview, Ivaylo Mirchev, co-chair of Yes, Bulgaria and MP from Continue the Change- Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) coalition, accused the counter-corruption commission of politically motivated actions against opposition figures, calling recent developments "unprecedented."

“The commission is acting like a madman with a machine gun,” Mirchev said. “We know very well that Delyan Peevski is pulling the strings, issuing orders to commission chairman Anton Slavchev.”

Mirchev stressed that his coalition's long-standing battle has been for the rule of law to apply equally to everyone: “There should be one law for all. Justice must be fair and anyone who breaks the rules should be held accountable—but in an honest and lawful way, and equally for all.”

According to him, in recent months, anti-corruption efforts have been systematically aimed only at mayors and councilors from the opposition, while elected officials from GERB and MRF remain untouched.

“It seems mayors and councillors from GERB and MRF across the country are unblemished, with no issues around public procurement,” he added with irony. “We want one law for everyone and are ready to take responsibility for our own mistakes.”

Mirchev argued that Peevski is using captured institutions to go after political opponents.

Mirchev commented on the arrest of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, describing the action as a political show and part of a larger effort to suppress the opposition. "Yesterday’s protest in Varna was largely in support of Kotsev," he said.

Mirchev stood firmly behind Kotsev: “From what our colleagues from Continue the Change have shared, we have no reason to doubt Blagomir Kotsev’s integrity.” Still, he urged institutions to fully investigate all claims and ensure accountability where warranted.

Mirchev acknowledged that the developments in Varna and Sofia are delivering a heavy blow to the CC-DB coalition. “What’s happening in Sofia and Varna is an extremely serious hit. I want voters to know we’ve asked for a coalition council three times. Continue the Change promised to take strong measures and to present a plan for addressing all these issues.”

INVESTIGATION INTO BOTAS DEAL

TrudNews.bg writes that the counter-corruption commission on Wednesday conducted surprise searches at the Ministry of Energy, the offices of state energy companies Bulgargaz and Bulgartransgaz, as well as the homes of former Energy Minister Rosen Hristov and former Bulgargaz CEO Deniza Slateva. The searches were carried out urgently to prevent the destruction of evidence, according to authorities.

The investigation, led by the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office, looks into a 2023 agreement between Bulgargaz and the Turkish energy company BOTAS. The probe aims to determine whether the contract caused financial harm to the Bulgarian state. The case was initiated on August 16, 2024, following a report by the State Agency for National Security (DANS).

According to prosecutors, the investigation is being conducted gross negligence in the management of entrusted state property resulting in significant financial damages to Bulgargaz. The suspected wrongdoing dates back to December 2022, during the negotiation and signing of the BOTAS deal.

Under the agreement, Bulgargaz committed to paying approximately BGN 1 million (about EUR 500,000) per month for access to BOTAS’s infrastructure and gas transmission network. However, payments reportedly ceased in late June 2024, and the Bulgarian company has since been attempting to renegotiate the deal—seeking to reduce the reserved annual capacity of 1.8 billion cubic meters and the associated fees.

The Ministry of Energy stated that it fully cooperated with investigators and provided all requested documentation.

***

Speaking on Bulgarian National Television, MP Stanislav Balabanov of There Is Such a People (TISP0) said that during a parliamentary hearing in May, it became evident that key information regarding the agreement between Bulgargaz and Turkiye’s BOTAS was deliberately concealed. According to Balabanov, former caretaker Energy Minister Rosen Hristov should take responsibility for the contract, which he signed.

"If I were the Turkish side right now, why would I renegotiate something that is extremely beneficial for my country? They are the winners. The problem lies with the Bulgarian side, and we must investigate why this was allowed to happen. Everyone involved must be held accountable," Balabanov said. "From the hearings, the conclusion we reached is that something highly controversial was done, and there was an attempt to cover it up. Now the institutions must determine who had an interest in that."

Also Balabanov criticized the motives behind the upcoming vote of no confidence in the government.

Of alleged cases of corruption among the municipal administration, he said: "It's frightening when politicians or political forces focus on their own corruption problems, wrapping them in something that looks pretty on the outside. Six percent support doesn’t make corruption acceptable. When your party faces serious corruption allegations, you should let the impartial institutions do their job," he said.

Balabanov also called for a thorough investigation into both the BOTAS scandal and alleged misconduct in Varna Municipality. He referenced the recent arrest of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev and added: "When your family lawyer and former deputy mayor becomes the main witness against you, there’s clearly a serious issue."

He accused various political actors of trying to take control of institutions and pointed to the need for genuine judicial reform and institutional independence. He criticized the previous government configuration for perpetuating interim appointments like Borislav Sarafov, the acting Prosecutor General.

“Continue the Change governed the country for a year in a coalition, changed the Constitution, and launched judicial reforms by entrenching Sarafov. TISP stood for a rule that no acting official should hold the post for more than six months, but their configuration made it apply to the next one. While CC-DB are thinking about no-confidence votes and how to topple the government, they are not pragmatically working toward electing a new Supreme Judicial Council,” Balabanov concluded.

The developments add further pressure to Bulgaria’s fragile political landscape, with institutional integrity and energy policy at the center of heated debate.

European Parliament Votes North Macedonia EU Accession Progress Report

All references to a “Macedonian language and identity” have been removed from a European Parliament’s progress report on North Macedonia, following a plenary vote in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Mediapool.bg writes. The report, which evaluates the country's advancement toward EU accession, was adopted with 461 votes in favor, 121 against, and 107 abstentions out of 689 MEPs present.

The final version of the document excludes the previously debated phrases after agreement was reached by the three largest political groups in the European Parliament—the European People's Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and Renew Europe.

The decision follows a failed attempt in the Foreign Affairs Committee to include Bulgarian amendments related to language and identity, which had been blocked with the support of Hungarian MEPs aligned with Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Bulgaria welcomed the removal of references to “Macedonian identity” and “Macedonian language.” In contrast, North Macedonia’s Prime Minister, Hristijan Mickoski, sharply criticized the move, accusing Bulgaria of seeking to "destroy the Macedonian nation"—a statement viewed by Sofia as a provocation.

“The European Parliament did not allow its report to be used as a tool in the domestic political debate of a candidate country,” said Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev.

Georgiev thanked Bulgarian political leaders and institutions for their united effort, specifically naming GERB party leader Boyko Borissov, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, Bulgarian MEPs, and representatives from all parliamentary parties who worked to ensure that “reasonable arguments were heard.”

North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski once again accused Bulgaria of obstructing his country’s European integration, following the removal of references to the "Macedonian language and identity" from the European Parliament’s progress report on North Macedonia.

“Bulgaria is blocking Macedonia on its European path. But this blockade didn’t start today, and it won’t end today,” Mickoski stated. “It began back in 1990, when Bulgaria made a gesture and recognized us as a state on January 15, 1992—but not our language, people, or nation.”

In a pointed speech, Mickoski accused Bulgaria of pursuing a long-term strategy to undermine North Macedonia’s national identity: “They have a clear agenda and plan—to destroy the Macedonian nation and identity.”

Reflecting on the past, he criticized earlier North Macedonian political leaders for failing to recognize Bulgaria’s alleged intentions.

“Our politicians should have seen even back then that Bulgaria had completely different goals and hidden motives,” he said. “Whether the idea that ‘time is on our side’ was right—history will judge. But the fact is that today, Bulgaria acted against us.”

Mickoski concluded by expressing hope that Europe now has a clearer understanding of the challenges facing North Macedonia on its EU path.

The European Parliament has adopted its first progress report on North Macedonia’s EU accession process in three years. The report drew criticism in Bulgaria over the initial inclusion of the phrase “Macedonian language and identity,” which was ultimately removed after political negotiations within the European Parliament.

North Macedonia applied for EU membership in March 2004 and was granted candidate status in December 2005. 

The primary obstacle to North Macedonia’s EU progress remains its reluctance to fulfill a key requirement: amending its constitution to include Bulgarians as a recognized minority. This step is viewed by Bulgaria as essential to ensuring equal rights for ethnic Bulgarians in the country and was explicitly set as a condition for further progress toward EU membership.

FOREST FIRES MANAGEMENT

Interviewed on Bulgarian National Radio, environmental activist and founder of Gorata.bg Nikola Rahnev warned that millions of acres of Bulgarian forest are being lost to wildfires because of inadequate prevention measures and poor organizational response.

"Right now, it’s barbaric to burn stubble or dry grass," Rahnev said, referring to one of the leading causes of forest fires during the summer. He stressed that most wildfires begin as a result of human activity and urged the public to avoid dangerous behaviors such as tossing cigarette butts from car windows or lighting open fires in nature.

Even something as seemingly harmless as a discarded water bottle can act as a magnifying glass and ignite dry vegetation, he explained.

Rahnev also criticized Bulgaria’s lack of modern firefighting equipment. “At the level of ground-based firefighting machinery, we are severely lagging behind as a country,” he said.

He highlighted a particularly painful example of inaction for the conversion of four decommissioned military helicopters at the Krumovgrad air base into firefighting aircraft. Although the plan had broad institutional support and Bulgarian factories could have restored their airworthiness, the project was ultimately shelved due to either bureaucratic apathy or lack of financial interest.

“We could have had four specialized firefighting helicopters since 2022,” Rahnev said. “Everything was in place. Everyone was in favor. We had a series of meetings. And then, suddenly, it all stopped. It was incredibly frustrating.”

According to him, having airborne firefighting capacity could make the difference between a small, manageable blaze and a catastrophic wildfire engulfing thousands of acres. “With air support, fires can be contained at the very beginning,” he stressed.