site.btaMedia Review: August 6

POLITICS

On bTV’s morning show, sociologist Parvan Simeonov and political scientist Hristo Panchugov commented on the upcoming presidential elections next year. Simeonov predicted that GERB leader Boyko Borissov, despite publicly claiming he has no ambition to run, will make his decision at the last moment — only after seeing who the other candidates are. According to the sociologist, the candidate of the ruling coalition will likely be selected jointly by GERB and Movement for Rights and Freedoms. “Most likely, one of the candidates in the runoff will be the one supported by the Government. It’s not out of the question that the other might be a candidate backed by [Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan] Peevski,” he said. “Peevski’s support for any candidate in the runoff is far from guaranteed,” Panchugov added. “The failure of several candidates over the years has been key,” the political analyst continued. For him, the possibility of united opposition candidate is significant.

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Sega features an article on Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev’s complicated situation at the helm of the capital’s management. His tenure is halfway through, but progress has stalled – he lacks support from the Municipal Council majority, his team is crumbling and the administration is seen as ineffective, the media outlet writes. The article underlines the fact that key deputy mayors have resigned – Nikola Barbutov after a corruption scandal and Ivan Vasilev after internal conflict with the Continue the Change (CC) leadership over the efforts to replace the Municipal Bank as the bank operating the capital’s finances. Vasilev — considered one of Terziev’s most important allies — resigned, officially citing personal reasons. However, his departure followed a serious political clash with CC Chair Assen Vassilev. The dispute centered around a controversial report on the future of the Municipal Bank, which was criticized for being vague and poorly prepared. A city councilor from CC, Blagovesta Kenarova, opposed the report and called for it to be withdrawn — a move backed by Assen Vassilev. In response, Ivan Vasilev openly accused the CC Chair of not understanding the Public Finance Act, exposing a deep rift within the party. The conflict highlighted both the lack of coordination and the political tensions festering behind the scenes. The media outlet adds that public procurement reform has failed amid scandals, damaging Continue the Change’s image. Major sectors like construction and transport are suffering due to leadership gaps and Terziev has not managed to act as a political leader, losing support even from coalition partners, the article reads. Only the environmental sector shows signs of effective governance. The chance for turnaround is slim unless national political dynamics shift drastically, Sega concludes.

ECONOMY

Mediapool.bg published an article about the cost of the Vertical Gas Corridor in Bulgaria. The price of constructing the Bulgarian section of the Vertical Gas Corridor and increasing the capacity of the connections with Greece at Kulata-Sidirokastro and with Romania at Kardam-Negru Voda has risen by BGN 20.5 million. Additionally, the state gas operator Bulgartransgaz may invest nearly another BGN 370 million to further increase the transmission capacity of its network along this route if there is sufficient commercial interest. If such an investment decision is made, the total value of the Vertical Gas Corridor on Bulgarian territory will approach BGN 1 billion, compared to the initially announced investment of BGN 600 million. Where Bulgartransgaz will secure funding for this additional expansion is unclear. The company has already paid contractors in advance BGN 206 million and, a month ago, signed a loan agreement with the Bulgarian Development Bank for BGN 200 million to cover upcoming payments. Plans include seeking further credit at a later stage, the article says. Currently, the Bulgarian route for transporting liquefied gas from Greece to Romania and then onward to Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Ukraine is divided into three sections. Work has been underway since May on the pipeline from Kulata to Kresna. Activities on the Rupcha-Vetrino section are expected to start by the end of August. The pipeline segment from Piperevo to Pernik is planned to begin in December 2025.

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24 Chasa has an in-depth interview with financial expert Lyubomir Datsov, a member of the Fiscal Council. According to him, there is no need to panic about prices, as the market will return to normal as long as it is not interfered with. “If the Government behaves confidently and calmly, I do not expect any kind of apocalypse surrounding the introduction of the new currency. Let’s not go overboard with emergency legislation — our economy is stable,” he stressed. There is no reason for panic, he added, but the Government is behaving in an illogical and unstructured way. Datsov pointed out that Bulgaria has had a stable, fixed exchange rate between the lev and the euro for a long time, and he expects prices to adjust within about two months. “At the core of how the market functions is a basic principle — you cannot have price controls. It is through prices that the market finds its balance. If you adjust prices administratively, you strip the market of its functions and create conditions for imbalances,” he explained.

ROAD TRAFFIC ACT AMENDMENTS

On Bulgarian National Television’s morning show, Chief Inspector Lachezar Bliznakov from the Traffic Police Department at the National Police General Directorate discussed the amendments to the Road Traffic Act. “The scope of the changes is extremely broad, aimed at all participants in traffic, road operators, and assigns specific responsibilities,” he said. Bliznakov emphasized: “If we look at the Road Traffic Act as a tool that gives us the means to work more efficiently and enforce better control, then in its current form, it provides us with significantly more instruments.” According to him, the police’s authority to impose penalties in administrative and penal proceedings has been significantly expanded. “If people realize that driving is a truly serious responsibility and understand how severe the penalties are, the effect would be immediate.” He pointed out that many people are already serving prison sentences for traffic-related offenses — whether for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or for causing traffic accidents with injuries or fatalities.

On Nova Television’s morning show, lawyer Silvia Petkova and Krasimir Georgiev from the Association for the Qualification of Drivers in Bulgaria also discussed the amendments to the Road Traffic Act. Petkova emphasized that penalties alone are not enough to ensure effective control, and that prevention and public campaigns against driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs are necessary. “Imposing a sanction is not enough. It must be enforced promptly — within a few days after the offense,” the lawyer urged. Georgiev also stated that sanctions are not the only solution to the problem of repeat traffic offenders. He highlighted issues with road infrastructure: “Driver training, the exams, the quality of the roads, and the organization of traffic — these are also important factors contributing to road incidents.” According to him, the practice of monitoring average speed has proven unsuccessful in Europe.

DRY SEASON, WILDFIRES

Trud features an interview with Prof. Emil Gachev, head of the Water directorate at the Institute for Climate, Atmosphere, and Water Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. According to him, an increase in the number of settlements facing water restrictions can be expected, as the summer is “exceptionally dry.” He noted that precipitation in July was only 20% of the norm. The most threatened areas are Northwestern and Northeastern Bulgaria, as well as small towns and villages. While in Southern, Southwestern, and Southeastern Bulgaria reservoir levels are relatively higher, in the Northeast, they are only 40% full, and in the Northwest — below 30%.

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In an interview with Bulgarian National Radio, engineer Petar Dishkov, a forester and expert at the Branch Chamber of Woodworking and Furniture Industry, commented on the reasons behind the increasing number of fires in the country. “We need to reduce the fuel load. These are dry, fallen trees. When forests are properly managed, there is less accumulation of woody material that burns quickly,” he explained. “Another overlooked issue is that about 50% of our country has already become a demographic desert, and in fighting these fires it is very important to have population and volunteers who actively participate in extinguishing them. The damage caused by forest fires is underestimated,” Dishkov noted. “The loss of plants and ecosystems is not properly valued. A single fire can set a forest back 50 to 100 years in its development. When we lose forests, disasters follow.” He also pointed out that the forestry sector is currently in a serious crisis, linked to the increasing number of fires. “Our forests are permanently aging. That’s why so many are drying out. There is a wave of bankruptcies in the woodworking and furniture industry. This industry supports jobs in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas.”