site.btaGERB Leader Welcomes Appointment of New National Protection Service Head, Warns of Wider Institutional Gaps


GERB leader Boyko Borissov has welcomed the appointment of a permanent head of the National Protection Service (NSO), describing it as an important step toward strengthening stability in Bulgaria’s institutions.
Speaking to reporters during a visit here on Sunday, Borissov praised Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov for acting “institutionally” by swiftly approving the re-appointment once the official proposal was submitted. “For a service, it is very important to have a permanent head,” Borissov said, noting that other key state bodies — from the Interior Ministry and the State Agency for National Security (SANS) to Bulgarian embassies abroad — have been left without permanent leadership for months. He urged President Rumen Radev to provide clarity on upcoming appointments to avoid further gaps.
President Rumen Radev said that he will announce his decision by the end of the month on proposals submitted by the executive within the coordination procedure for appointments in the security sector, the President’s press service said here on Wednesday in connection with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s remarks earlier on Wednesday that for months the only response to the Cabinet's letters with nominations had been that "the matter would be considered at a later stage".
This past Saturday, President Radev told journalists earlier in the week that effective interaction and dialogue between institutions is necessary, but it requires the government to emancipate itself from behind-the-scenes influences rather than legitimize them. His comment came in response to a question about institutional cooperation and the pending appointments of a Chairman of the State Agency for National Security, a Secretary General of the Interior Ministry, and ambassadors.
The GERB leader tied the decision to broader concerns about Bulgaria’s governance. He argued that the anti-corruption commission’s new composition is urgently needed, both to restore public trust and to secure access to billions of euros in EU funds under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Local authorities, Borissov added, are pressing for resources to invest in roads, schools, kindergartens, sports halls, and industrial zones.
Looking ahead to the autumn political season, Borissov said Bulgaria must focus on “continuing to build the state” and recovering from what he called “four wasted years of political deadlock.”
He also sounded an environmental warning, pointing to the looming threat of water shortages across Europe and in Bulgaria. “Water is becoming one of the biggest problems,” Borissov said, recalling mismanagement of dams and stalled municipal projects. He highlighted Pleven (North Bulgaria) as an example of how years of neglect have left infrastructure ill-prepared to meet the growing challenge.
/MY/
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