site.btaMedia Review: July 22

POLITICS

24 Chasa, Sega, Mediapool report that on July 21, 2025, according to the Judiciary Act, the term during which Borislav Sarafov could serve as acting Prosecutor General has expired. MPs have provided for an explicit provision limiting the time that the acting prosecutor general can remain in office to no more than six months. The provision was dedicated to the case of Sarafov, as he has been acting head since June 2023. Just a few days ago, however, the Prosecutors' Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) surprisingly said that the provision in question did not apply to Sarafov because it had not been given retroactive effect. This interpretation of the law was met with fierce opposition from lawyers.

24 Chasa, Sega, Mediapool also report that the Supreme Administrative Court and Cholakov decided on a completely different interpretation of the provision of the Judicial System Act. Deputy Chairpersons of the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) Marinika Cherneva and Lyubomir Gaydov will take over the leadership of the court, and Georgi Cholakov will be on leave until September 30, 2025. On November 12, 2024, Georgi Cholakov's seven-year term as head of the SAC expired. He was then appointed acting head of the court.

Sega publishes data from the latest annual report on the work of the state prosecution. According to the State Liability Act, the state is liable for damages caused to citizens by investigative bodies, the prosecution, or the court. In 2024, 287 convictions against the prosecution under the State Liability Act came into force. This is slightly more than in 2023, when there were 281. A year earlier, there were 248. The compensation awarded in these cases amounted to BGN 3,430,412 (compared to BGN 2,824,095 in 2023 and BGN 2,564,814 in 2022), i.e. the amount is increasing. The share of convictions for the prosecution in relation to the total number of cases decided under the State Liability Act increased to 81.9% in 2023 and 78.9% in 2022.

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Trud quotes National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova, who said that the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) - United Left is against holding early parliamentary elections. She pointed out that earlier in July, Parliament adopted an update to the state budget in connection with municipal projects to be implemented over the next four years, which is a clear statement of intent to serve a full term.

Mediapool quotes political scientist Ognyan Minchev, who said that current events are a new stage in the development of the political crisis that began in the summer of 2020. He explained that there are now three main political figures in Bulgaria who are claiming power. "The strongest is Delyan Peevski, who put an end to the hegemony of Ahmed Dogan and the old Movement for Rights and Freedoms and created a political and corporate structure personally subordinate to him. By supporting the government, he is effectively holding the entire structure of Bulgaria's governance hostage. The second figure is Boyko Borissov. He is trying to maintain the existing balance that determines his ability to remain in power. The third figure is President Rumen Radev," explained Minchev. The competition between these three figures prevents the Bulgarian political system from becoming authoritarian. "Boyko Borissov likes to play the classic role of mediator between the various conflicting parties. Meanwhile, Peevski and Radev are betting on concentrating their power as much as possible at the expense of the other two," the political scientist argued. He predicted that if the majority behind the government remains intact, there will be no government crisis and, consequently, no new snap elections.

HOME AFFAIRS

Sega reports that citizens from the BOEC NGO attempted to enter the building of the Counter-Corruption Commission in the afternoon of July 21 to file a report of corruption. The institution was locked. There was a clash with the police, during which BOEC leader Georgi Georgiev was knocked to the ground, according to the organization, which added that Lyubomir Ivanov from Kyustendil was also detained. The Ministry of Interior complained of injured police officers.

Mediapool writes that police and State Agency for National Security teams entered the building where the BOEC civil movement's office is located to conduct checks. The organization's chair Georgi Georgiev posted a video on social media and claimed that the officers failed to identify themselves. The Ministry of Interior denied that they were investigating the organization's activities. Interior Minister Daniel Mitov said that the police were looking for illegal migrants.

Sega writes that attempts are being made to expand the geography of the protests in support of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev. A demonstration was held in Plovdiv on Monday evening. A protest is planned for Wednesday evening in Veliko Tarnovo, and another will take place at the same time in Varna. A large event is expected in the seaside capital on Sunday, July 27, when the city celebrates its liberation from Ottoman rule. People from Ruse and several European cities have also protested in defence of the Varna mayor in recent days, with the largest demonstrations taking place in Sofia.

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Sega warns against purchasing vignettes from unauthorized online websites trying to inflate prices set by the state on websites such as Vinetki.bg and TollPass.bg, which are official partners of the Road Infrastructure Agency. Buying from an unregulated website not only costs more, but also carries the risk of incorrect data entry and not having a valid vignette in time for the upcoming trip.

Telegraph, Mediapool report that the National Health Insurance Fund, the State Agency for National Security, and two other agencies are inspecting six hospitals in Sofia for their activities. The hospitals include two state-owned, two private, as well as the Ministry of Interior hospital and the Military Medical Academy. They will also cover other medical institutions throughout the country, selected on the basis of objective criteria.

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A main topic in all morning talk programmes on the main networks like Bulgarian National Television, bTV and Nova TV on Tuesday was the incoming heatwave this week. Most interviews included the advice of health experts, fire safety experts, etc.

Nikolay Nikolov, advisor to the Minister of the Interior and former director of the Fire Safety and Population Protection Directorate General, said on the air of bTV that on Monday, July 21, 197 fires were extinguished across the country, with firefighters continuing to work hard at five locations. He specified that the fire service is preparing for a worsening of the situation due to the heat.

Duma, Trud, Telegraph, Sega report that the Municipality of Kostinbrod has declared a partial state of emergency due to a major fire that affected the villages of Opitsvet, Bezden, and Bogovtsi. By Tuesday morning the fire had been contained, but not localised, said Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov, Head of the Fire Safety and Population Protection Directorate General on bTV on Tuesday. 

Telegraph and Mediapool report that two fires broke out on the Trakia motorway on Monday, one one in front of a petrol station near Vinogradets in the direction of Burgas, and one on the motorway in the Sliven section near the town of Kermen. There, the fire started from a burning car and spread to stubble fields. Traffic in both directions on kilometre 73 of the Trakia motorway has been restored after the motorway was closed for hours on Monday afternoon due to burning dry grass and stubble fields in the Pazardzhik area. Six firefighting teams from Belovo, Pazardzhik, Septemvri, and Plovdiv joined the fight against the flames.

Trud, Telegraph write that the number of animals infected with pox in Bulgaria is growing. Since the beginning of the year, about 60 outbreaks have been registered. Authorities reassured the public that the disease is not dangerous to humans. The government is currently taking measures to limit the spread of the disease. These include a ban on gathering animals in one place (such as exhibitions or fairs) and a ban on moving animals within the country.

ECONOMY 

Telegraph and 24 Chasa write that Economy and Industry Minister Peter Dilov held a meeting with the Ambassador of China to Bulgaria, Dai Qingli. The two sides discussed opportunities for promoting trade and economic cooperation between Bulgaria and China. During the meeting, it was noted that bilateral trade totaled over USD 1 billion in the first quarter of 2025, marking a 27.8% increase compared to the same period of 2024. 

Trud, 24 Chasa, Telegraph report that over BGN 370 million under the Recovery and Resilience Plan are currently being spent on renovating 81 homes for the elderly in Bulgaria. Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Borislav Gutsanov, who visited a similar institution in Silistra to monitor the progress of its renovation project, explained that another 254 services will be provided for just over BGN 330 million.

On the air of bTV, Iliyana Tsanova, Chief Risk Officer of the European Commission, said that Bulgaria will receive EUR 22 billion from the European Union budget during the 2028-2034 period. This money will be granted in exchange for certain reforms which will be closely linked first to the recommendations of the European Semester. An important condition for receiving European funds is compliance with the rule of law, Tsanova said, arguing that no investor would come to Bulgaria if there were no certainty in its justice system. She also explained that the EU budget is Europe's response to a very changed geopolitical reality.

On the air of Nova TV on Tuesday, economist Rumen Galabinov and Mihail Krastev, head of the Union for Private Economic Enterprise discussed US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on the entire EU. Krastev said that Bulgaria's trade relations with the US are quite weak. ”If Bulgaria were an independent entity, it would be burdened with lower tariffs than as part of the EU. Bulgaria will suffer from a trade war between the US and Europe because of the economic relations we have with the big European countries, especially Germany. Bulgaria is already suffering damage because of the stagnation in the development of European economies," he argued.

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Trud reports that the consumer basket is currently BGN 101, compared to BGN 94 in the same period last year. The annual increase is BGN 7, said State Commission on Commodity Exchanges Chair Vladimir Ivanov.

Sega reports that all three mobile operators in Bulgaria have reported a decline in their customer base. At the end of 2024, A1, Vivacom, and Yettel had 7,978,000 subscribers. This is 0.4% less than in 2023. By comparison, in 2023, there was a 0.6% increase in contract subscribers and a 1% increase in users who purchased prepaid cards. Only short messages saw growth, as in 2024, Bulgarians sent over 425 million SMS messages. The Communications Regulation Commission reported a decline in total revenue, even though the three companies indexed their prices, raising them due to inflation. The main reason for the decline in revenues is the application of lower wholesale prices for voice call termination in mobile networks from EU countries and the European Economic Area. Landline phones continued to lose market share. In 2024, the three operators' revenues from fixed voice services totaled about BGN 60 million, down 14% from a year earlier.

Trud writes that with the introduction of the euro at the beginning of 2026, pensions and benefits paid by the National Social Security Institute will be paid in euro, but their value will not change. The NSSI is providing information to anyone who wants to see how much their pension or benefit will be in euros from January 1, 2026, this service will also be available through the institute's online services.

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Trud reports that Sveti Vlas Mayor Ivan Nikolov, and the Indian ambassador to Bulgaria, Arun Sahu, discussed opportunities for developing cooperation between the Black Sea town and India. The Bulgarian resort is attractive to Indian tourists, who mainly visit it individually, commented Mayor Ivan Nikolov. The Indian Ambassador said that he is in contact with a specialized company that assists in the integration of Indian workers in various sectors in Bulgaria and expressed his readiness to assist if there is a need for skilled labour. The Ambassador proposed the idea of promoting Indian films with Bulgarian subtitles. He added that he had already held talks on this topic with representatives of several other Bulgarian municipalities that are interested in promoting Indian cinema.

24 Chasa, Trud write that scientists from the two largest economic universities in Bulgaria, the University of Economics in Varna and the University of National and World Economy presented their analyses and forecasts on the impact of the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria. The forum was attended by Education Minister Krasimir Valchev, who stressed that the benefits of introducing the single European currency will be long-term and thanked the academic community for joining the discussion, as trust in them is higher than in the government. 

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BTV reported that over 40% of Bulgarians cannot afford a week's vacation once a year. Eurostat data shows that this country ranks third in this negative ranking, behind Greece (46%) and Romania (58.6%). Western Europe is at the other end of the spectrum, with only 9.3% of people in Norway unable to afford such a vacation. The EU average is 27%. National Statistical Institute data show that in 2024 Bulgarians spent more on tourism than in 2023, BGN 3.9 billion, compared to BGN 3.3 billion. Bulgarians also prefer domestic resorts to traveling abroad. Prof. Rumen Draganov, Chair of the Institute for Analysis and Assessment in Tourism, said that these numbers are not worrying, as many Bulgarians are unable to travel not because of money but due to illness or other obligations, such as work or caring for livestock.

Nova reported that Bulgaria ranked 61st out of 101 countries in terms of people who donate (57%), but that is very close to the European average (59%). The survey was conducted by an English foundation for the 16th consecutive year. Lyudmila Atanasova from the BCause Foundation said that Bulgarians donate most often under the influence of a wave of solidarity, usually in response to natural disasters or to support people in need. They donate least because of a sense of belonging to a community, and this is what sets them apart from other countries. Only 5% of Bulgarians donate to campaigns with which they have a long-standing relationship. Only 5% of people in Bulgaria are regular donors.