site.btaMedia Review: August 21

OVERVIEW

While no single story dominates the news cycle, all media outlets report on the water shortages across the country and the recent parasailing accident on the Black Sea that ended with an 8-year-old boy dying.

POLITICS

An op-ed in 24 Chasa entitled "Have the reshuffles in the services begun with the appointment of General Emil Tonev as head of the NSP [National Service for Protection]" states that Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov was the first to "extend a hand and offer a truce" to President Rumen Radev in order to unblock the procedures for appointing a chief secretary of the Ministry of Interior, head of the State Agency for National Security, and new ambassadors. The article reads:

"Emil Tonev was appointed head of the NSP by presidential decree on July 28, 2020. His term of office is five years by law, and he is eligible for a second term. On June 27, 2025, the President's Chief Secretary officially submitted a proposal to the government for Gen. Tonev to be reappointed to his position. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister asked ministers to support the proposal. Under Tonev's leadership, there were several scandals and calls for him to be replaced.

"In recent days, the NSP has also been the scene of a 'war of words' between the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) – New Beginning and the President. Just two days ago, Kalin Stoyanov, an MRF – New Beginning MP, tabled amendments to the National Service for Protection Act in Parliament to prevent the service from transporting the president. This happened after Rumen Radev's motorcade blocked Varna on Sunday. The former minister of interior and current MP from the MRF first wrote on Facebook, then sent an official inquiry through the National Assembly to the presidency, but they are not obliged to respond. So far, there has been no official response, nor has Radev commented on the issue. But on Saturday, while criticizing the government, the head of State passed the buck to the security services, without naming names: 'Why are there members of parliament who are guarded by both the NSP and the gendarmerie? These guards accompany them on all their trips abroad.'"

The daily points out that the NSP guards the president and vice president, the prime minister, the National Assembly chair, and the prosecutor general and adds: "[The NSP] guards their homes, travels with them abroad, and is present everywhere while they hold important positions. That is why the NSP has long been known as the service that knows the secrets of those in power. [...] All this costs the budget over BGN 97 million, and by the end of June, BGN 47 million had been spent."

ENVIRONMENT

An article in Trud entitled "The water crisis in Bulgaria is a warning for Europe" reports that in much of Europe, water scarcity is a growing problem, with more frequent droughts caused by climate change exacerbating problems caused by aging infrastructure. In Bulgaria, the water supply network—largely built four decades ago by the communist government—is poorly maintained, and resources are poorly managed. Modernization is slow and underfunded, and organizations, including the World Bank, say the sector is prone to rampant corruption. Trud continues: "With the escalation of the national crisis, bathing, flushing toilets, and washing clothes and dishes has been difficult from around June to September for half a million people—or 8% of the population—in approximately one-third of the country, according to environmental organizations. As of August 17, authorities were restricting supplies to more than 260,000 people in 283 villages and several towns. Sunflower and corn production, key agricultural exports, could fall to their lowest levels in decades amid irrigation restrictions. Farmers say caring for livestock is becoming increasingly difficult. Without a radical change, Bulgaria's entire water system will collapse, exacerbating inequality in the European Union's poorest member state, with rising water and food prices and risks to public health, according to Emil Gachev, head of the Water Department at the Climate, Atmosphere and Water Research Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences."

The article concludes: "As water flows through the network, approximately 60% is lost due to leaks, the highest amount in the EU, which Bulgaria joined in 2007. Practically the entire system—from water supply to sewage and wastewater treatment plants—dates back to the Cold War era. At that time, a combination of trade restrictions, limited budgets, and a focus on rapid infrastructure expansion meant that communist governments preferred low-quality steel and iron, as well as cement mixtures that could pose health risks. Cracks, corroded metal structures, and clogged drains are now commonplace."

bTV reports that the situation is most severe in Pleven, North Central Bulgaria, where more than 100,000 people have no water supply, and the city is facing a state of emergency. Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov reported that the Prime Minister's orders to establish a crisis management team are already being carried out. The Chair of the parliamentary Committee on Regional Policy, Public Works and Local Self-Government, Nikolay Nankov, stated that the government needs a full 4-year term to be able to resolve the crisis. He specified for the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) that long-term measures such as building a reservoir take more than a decade to implement. He added: "This is a long-term measure, which I am convinced is not taken seriously by the people of Pleven at this stage. I am not optimistic that this measure will ever be implemented."

According to Nankov, short-term measures must be taken. He added: "I admire the efforts of the Zhelyazkov cabinet, who, as prime minister, ordered three ministers to take over the functions of the local government – the leadership of the Municipality of Pleven, the regional administration, and the water supply and sewerage company. He ordered the three ministers to take short-term measures." The MP was critical of the local government: "We have had serious mismanagement by the local authorities in Pleven for more than 10 years."

Entrepreneur and former economy minister Nikola Yankov said in an interview for the BNR that the same topic, the water shortage, pops up in Bulgaria every summer. He said: "The problem with water scarcity in Bulgaria is financial, not a lack of water – it is a lack of money to build the necessary facilities. We are talking about billions of euro in investments that the state cannot make at the moment, and the municipalities even less so. [...] In addition to not having money, municipalities and the state also lack the know-how to manage modern investment projects in the field of infrastructure construction and water system management." Yankov was adamant that money and know-how is available in the private sector. He stated: "There are large companies that do exactly that. They build and operate public infrastructure, including water and sewerage cycles in large cities, with their own funds. The only logical and practical course of action is to immediately launch concession procedures for the water and sewerage cycles of large Bulgarian cities, starting with those where there are water problems, so that in 5-10 years' time we will not be having this conversation."

ECONOMY

Wild mushrooms trader Slavcho Madanski told the Bulgarian National Television that one result of the drought is the lower yields from wild mushrooms. On the other hand, truffles and common morels are abundant. One kilogram of truffles today sells for BGN 100, however that price is expected to spike up to BGN 700 in the autumn.

PARASAILING ACCIDENT

Mediapool.bg quotes GERB leader Boyko Borissov who commented on the tragic accident in Nessebar that saw an eight-year-old fall from a height of 40 metres while parasailing and die. While the company that ran the parasailing business allowed for children over 3 years old to parasail, Borissov believes that responsibility should lie with the parents. The former prime minister said: "Thousands of experts will show up to talk about regulation. I can say that regulation is the family." He added that small children have no business being on such rides. Mediapool points out that the accident was caused by broken ropes, meaning that the victim could have been an adult too.

Prime Minister Rosen argued that it is the responsibility both of the adults and of the state to ensure prevention. He said that the state will introduce regulations even at the risk of being criticized for excessive interference.

Mediapool also reported that last year the Commission for Consumer Protection launched a programme entitled Summer 2024 dedicated to inspecting tourist services on beaches such as entertainment establishments, water attractions, accommodation facilities, and others. No such programme had been announced for this year.

HEALTHCARE

Dnevnik.bg writes that in response to a question from Vasil Pandov MP, Health Minister Silvi Kirilov reported that procedures were allegedly recoded but not performed in three hospitals between January 1 and July 31, 2025. During these seven months, the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and its regional branches received a total of 138 complaints from insured persons against healthcare providers. The patients found discrepancies in the information entered in their electronic health records in the NHIF's personalized information system, the National Health Information System.