site.btaSave Sofia Threaten Protests Over Government Plans to Sell Off Key Public Properties

Residents of Sofia are ready to protest if the government does not reconsider its decision to sell off state-owned properties in the capital, warned municipal councillor Andrey Zografski from Save Sofia. At a news conference held at Sofia Municipality, Zografski was joined by architect Rositsa Nikolova and Rumen Kostadinov, mayor of Sofia’s Vrabnitsa District.

Zografski emphasized that if the state considers more than 4,400 properties as "no longer needed", it is unacceptable that among them are strategically important sites such as the ancient Roman amphitheatre just metres away from Sofia Municipality and a 5,5-hectare site in the Obelya District. These are properties that should not be put up for public auction or fall into private hands, he argued.

The Sofia Municipal Council recently passed a resolution requesting the transfer of 30 properties from the state to the municipality. These properties are among the 4,400 listed by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works as subject to privatization due to "no longer being necessary". On June 24, the Ministry published the list as part of its programme to manage state-owned assets, approved by the government on May 8, 2025. However, that list has since been removed from the ministry’s website.

Zografski warned that Sofia has long struggled to secure land for kindergartens and lacks the resources to expropriate critical plots. He accused the state of creating unnecessary problems for the city with hasty and uncoordinated decisions. “Putting these properties up for auction seems more like a way to plug a budget hole, or to benefit someone close to those in power,” he stressed.

Zografski called on ministers in Rosen Zhelyazkov’s government, specifically Georgi Georgiev, Miroslav Borshosh, and Ivan Peshev, all of whom previously served in the Sofia City Council, to defend the interests of Sofia residents and all citizens.

Nikolova noted that over 30 properties in Sofia are affected by the state's privatization list. She revealed that public tenders are already underway for 15 of them and questioned why the list has disappeared from the websites of both the Ministry of Regional Development and the Council of Ministers. Among these properties are key plots vital to municipal planning, including the Roman amphitheatre of ancient Serdica. First discovered in 2004, this amphitheatre was one of the largest of its kind in the Eastern Roman Empire.

Other threatened areas include land slated for Sofia’s future Green Ring project, a major urban initiative to enhance Sofia’s green infrastructure. “Losing access to these properties jeopardizes the entire green system plan,” she stressed.

Kostadinov reported that the 5,5-hectare former military site in Obelya marked for sale could solve long-standing land use problems in the area. “Currently, all inter-block spaces in our district, about 3 hectares, are private property. If this public land is transferred to the municipality, we could preserve these spaces, turning them into green areas, playgrounds, and sports facilities for children,” he explained.