site.btaMedia Review: August 28

POLITICS

Trud covers President Rumen Radev, who visits Rheinmetall’s high-tech plant in Unterluess, Germany. Radev says that with Rheinmetall’s investment Bulgaria becomes part of the European defence ecosystem. “This is not only about joint production,” Radev says, adding: “More importantly, with this investment Bulgaria becomes part of the European defence ecosystem.”

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger says the company and the Bulgarian government plan two factories in Bulgaria – one for munitions and one for powder. “Rheinmetall will invest together with the Bulgarian government in two plants – one for munitions and one for powder,” Papperger says. He notes the planned shells plant targets 100,000–150,000 units a year, about half of Unterluess’s capacity, while the powder plant is strategically important amid Europe’s shortages. Papperger adds the project documentation is ready in three to four weeks, after which the decision rests with the Bulgarian government, and expresses hope powder capacity is fully operational by 2035.

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Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) covered military journalist Nikola Lalov (from Mediapool.bg), who said the Rheinmetall ammunition-plant project required coordinated efforts across institutions, with presidential support necessary but insufficient without the executive branch.  He outlined that the first facility would be for 155 mm shells, with a joint investment of about EUR 1 billion.

Lalov noted that Emiliyan Gebrev’s powder plant project had reached its final stage before the State Agency for National Security (SANS) revoked its prior approval, halting the project. The facility was intended to be located in Shumen.

Lalov noted that Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning Leader Delyan Peevski acts informally, relying on influence, while Rheinmetall would lead the process. “This investment requires coordinated efforts from all institutions,” Lalov said. “I do not expect a change of political leadership to affect such a project.” He noted that Bulgaria requires improved capabilities, with counterintelligence, SANS, and the prosecution service delivering tangible results to justify Rheinmetall’s trust and projected an optimistic two-year timeframe.

Lalov indicated that while recruiting staff for the future plants is possible despite nationwide labor shortages, sourcing raw materials remains a challenge. Cotton is an essential component for powder production, and since Europe does not produce it, Bulgaria would need to increase domestic cotton cultivation.

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24 Chasa covers a clash between the Public Procurement Agency (PPA) and Sofia Municipality over a fast-track negotiated procedure to pick a new servicing bank after Municipal Bank moves to terminate contracts. On Tuesday the four invited lenders, DSK, United Bulgarian Bank, UniCredit Bulbank and Eurobank Bulgaria, submit offers. The PPA opines there is no basis for a shortened procedure, while the Finance Ministry says the agency’s recommendations are not binding. The municipality says the procedure continues and publishes detailed motives citing imminent contract expiries and operational risk without a bank.

On Monday the Sofia Municipal Council unanimously authorizes Mayor Vasil Terziev to run a temporary bank selection; GERB-UDF backs the move but flags legal risk in the absence of a PPA opinion. On Wednesday Finance Committee chair Dimitar Vuchev writes that “the procedure is effectively illegitimate and should start from scratch.”

As a next step, a commission of officials and councillors evaluates the bids and holds swift negotiations; selection is followed by technical migration. Municipal Bank is instructed to continue service until October 1. The municipality says payments proceed normally and calls for responsible conduct amid claims to the contrary. A decision on the temporary bank is expected within about ten days.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Trud covers Serbia handing over Nikola “Paskal” Nikolov to Bulgarian authorities at Kalotina border checkpoint; under escort he goes for a medical check and then to the National Investigation Service, as prosecutors plan to seek permanent detention.

Nikolov faces charges tied to the April 2024 Customs Agency scandal for participation in an organized crime group for money laundering, bribery and cigarette smuggling; also probed are Petya Bankova, Zhivko Kotsev, Petar Subev, and businessmen Marin and Stefan Dimitrov.

Nikolov is detained in Belgrade in August 2024, spends four months in custody, is placed under house arrest, and is extradited after Serbia’s justice minister authorizes it; his lawyer Galya Galabova says he is in Belgrade for treatment and does not know the other defendants.

The Anti-Corruption Commission opens the investigation on April 4, 2024; prosecutors cite a trip with Stefan Dimitrov to Romania followed by a lorry seizure of contraband cigarettes; in October 2024 Bankova leaves custody after testimony implicating former ministers Assen Vassilev and Boyko Rashkov; the prosecution alleges Bankova and Kotsev use senior posts to remove inconvenient officials and to pass information to Nikolov.

A decade-old public allegation links Nikolov to large-scale cigarette contraband, including a month with goods worth BGN 130,000,000 via Kapitan Andreevo; he later lives near Kavala, is a former customs officer, and becomes a partner of murdered cigarette smuggler Ivan Todorov – the Doctor.

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Bulgarian National Television (BNT) aired a segment on Nikola “Paskal” Nikolov, interviewing BNT journalist Ivo Nikodimov and Chief Expert on Security in the Centre for the Study of Democracy Tihomir Bezlov.

Nikolov was well known to the services since the late 1980s from his time at the Kapitan Andreevo customs post. “He was considered the biggest cigarette smuggler not only in Bulgaria but on the Balkans,” Nikodimov said. “His first firms were registered with descendants of Greek communists… the first cargo deliveries were at the port of Thessaloniki.”

Tihomir Bezlov offered a different gauge of scale, saying Nikolov was a regional player rather than a top-tier figure like murdered cigarette smuggler Ivan Todorov – the Doctor, and “not a huge factor in recent years,” while noting he had caused “one of the biggest turbulences in the Customs Agency and the Interior Ministry,” Bezlov said. “Paskal operated discreetly, avoiding notice,” Nikodimov said.

ECONOMY

Trud covers Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova who announces a Council of Ministers decision to increase the capital of the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) by BGN 4 billion and adopt a decree adjusting the Finance Ministry budget. “This in no way affects the deficit,” Petkova says. She notes the acts implement the updated Medium-Term Budget Forecast for 2025–2028 and envisage the funds advanced for the capital increase being returned to a Finance Ministry account after registration.

The goal is to boost BDB’s capacity to finance priority projects. Petkova cites reindustrialization and industrial zones, rehabilitation and construction of water and sewer infrastructure, and green energy and energy efficiency. “We expect BDB to invest in really important, key sectors,” Petkova says.

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Dnevnik covers the cabinet increasing Bulgarian Energy Holding’s capital by BGN 1.5 billion. Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov says the funds go to repairs at the Chaira Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant and at Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant Units 5 and 6, and to the project for two new units. The move stems from Budget 2025, which enables additional capitalization of state firms via this year’s borrowing. Stankov notes the decision signals commitment to expanding Kozloduy with Westinghouse AP-1000 technology.

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Dnevnik covers Continue the Change (CC) criticizing the Cabinet’s decision to raise the Bulgarian Development Bank’s capital by BGN 4 billion, alleging the bank is turned into a tool for GERB Leader Boyko Borissov and Movement for Rights and Freedoms Leader Delyan Peevski. “The government turns the Bulgarian Development Bank from a bank supporting small and medium-sized enterprises into the personal bank of Boyko Borissov and Delyan Peevski, distributing money to state enterprises and ‘priority’ projects in an opaque way,” CC says. “These funds are part of the record BGN 16.5 billion debt that will be repaid by Bulgarian citizens,” CC adds. The party warns that past practice under GERB uses BDB as a “piggy bank” for friendly firms, with many loans left unpaid.

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Mediapool.bg says that after the early-August removal of the list of around 4,400 state properties for sale, the online register of their auctions also disappears. Civic activist and blogger Boyan Yurukov flags the takedown and the agency notice that cites “technical problems” and archiving, with the platform offline until September 12. “It will be interesting to find out what happened and whether the site was deliberately shut down,” Yurukov says. He notes 8 auctions have scheduled dates at the time of the takedown, with active auctions reaching 41 a week earlier.

The article adds that the Cabinet shifts responsibility for sales to Parliament, leaving the status of ongoing auctions unclear; MPs pass amendments enabling mass divestment, which President Rumen Radev vetoes.

The former party residence in Bankya appears on the list; “It is time for the municipality to take over the residence and bring life to this space of high cultural and architectural value,” Save Sofia, which is part of the opposition in the Sofia Municipal Council, says, proposing conversion into a high-class balneological and congress centre.

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Dnevnik covers that savings in Bulgarian banks exceed BGN 146 billion at end-July 2025, with year-on-year growth accelerating to 10.8% as Bulgaria receives the green light to join the eurozone. Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) data shows a drop in cash in circulation to a two-year low during peak summer months as households and firms deposit cash to benefit from automatic, free conversion on January 1; banks waive cash-deposit and account-opening fees in promotions.

Deposits rise by BGN 1.7 billion in July, two-thirds from households; in July 2024 the monthly increase is BGN 400 million. Household deposits total BGN 48 billion, while corporate deposits amount to BGN 94.4 billion. Household savings increased by 12.2% year-on-year and corporate savings by 7.8% year-on-year, despite near-zero interest rates on these accounts.

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Telegraph covers Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadzhov proposing a tenfold increase in fines for airlines and ground handlers via amendments to the Civil Aviation Act after a string of complaints against Ryanair. “I will table amendments that increase fines tenfold for airlines and ground operators,” Karadzhov says. He adds that he has written to an EU commissioner seeking an EU-wide solution that becomes a directive to curb abuses of passengers. He says denying boarding to a child over an oversized wheelchair is unlawful and notes the carrier receives the maximum BGN 10,000 penalty; “In Spain the fine for the same airline amounts to EUR 107 million,” Karadzhov says. “Ryanair allows itself to run riot in Bulgaria… its rules have overtaken European rules,” Karadzhov says, arguing the company pressures governments and incentivizes staff to hunt for excess baggage.

The article also addresses a safety package for leisure attractions. Karadzhov notes the fragmented legislation and suggests creating an electronic register, mandatory insurance for each attraction, a safety plan detailing identified risks, pre-opening equipment inspections by specialized companies, and criminal liability for false inspections.

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Capital publishes an analysis by food industry professional Deyan Kostadinov with PhD in Economics, arguing that flawed policy, not “speculation,” drives food-price anomalies. He labels the current approach “market communism,” passed via a “peculiar law,” and says it clashes with market principles. “The anomaly starts with per-decare farm subsidies; good European practice pays per kilogram produced,” Kostadinov says. He argues the area-based model favours large grain growers, stifles orcharding, vegetables, greenhouses and livestock, and helps entrench low efficiency.

The piece traces distortions along supply chains: small producers are pushed to licensed middlemen; private wholesale markets gatekeep access; and municipal “Pazari” firms are dysfunctional. He cites Austria’s model of a state-backed retail chain with a state lab as a benchmark that pressures rivals through market-based pricing rather than admin controls. Imposing markup caps, he writes, ignores operating realities (staffing, waste losses, energy costs around BGN 10,000 a month per hypermarket) and can backfire in a small market.

Kostadinov points out that local processors depend heavily on imports due to a shortage of raw materials, which results from current subsidy policies. He warns that imposing minimum "Bulgarian origin" quotas could lead to shortages and higher prices. He criticizes the tax structure for its reliance on VAT and excise taxes and supports targeted assistance for vulnerable groups. He also advocates shifting the tax burden through progressive property taxes and differentiated VAT rates for food and medicines.

As remedies, he proposes removing barriers to direct sales from producers to consumers; restructuring municipal markets into open, digitalized spaces with public reporting, as “the only rational move”; scrutiny by security and competition authorities of preferential supply contracts; and re-tooling subsidies to pay per kilogram sold to incentivize output and lower end-prices. He dismisses the People’s Stores venture planned by the State as doomed: “Its bankruptcy is more certain than its establishment.”

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Nova TV reported that the Labour Ministry put a draft decree to public consultation to raise the minimum wage to EUR 620 (BGN 1,213) from January 1, 2026, with submissions due by September 25.

Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria chief economist Lyuboslav Kostov backed the rise, saying: “This increase is justified, legally sound, and the only viable option. I am aware that the business will certainly oppose it,” Kostov said, noting that the minimum wage is still the lowest in the EU.

Bulgarian Industrial Association economic adviser Associate Professor Shteryo Nozharov opposed the move, warning it would spill over via taxes or higher public debt. “The net negative impact will amount to BGN 614 million,” Nozharov said, adding that assertions of increasing in-work poverty are misleading and calling for education reform to meet the demand for high-tech labor.

Former labour minister Hristina Hristova noted that EU legislation must be properly implemented. She explained that, according to EU rules, minimum wage levels are set through collective bargaining, which is not practiced in Bulgaria. She argues that the debate should be grounded in the principle that wages reflect both the quantity and quality of labor, aligning with each individual's contribution.

SOCIETY

Trud covers a government report that ageing in Bulgaria deepens. The 2023-2024 implementation report of the National Strategy for Active Ageing (2019-2030) is posted for public consultation on Strategy.bg, the Labour and Social Policy Ministry says. People aged 65 and up are 1,544,245, or 24% of the population, at end-2024; for every 100 in working age there are 61 in inactive age, up from 46.5% in 2011, national statistics show. The strategy targets active ageing through subsidized employment programmes, access to vocational training, social inclusion measures, health prevention and research. Under the Recovery Plan, BGN 750 million renovates 81 municipal elderly homes; after the upgrades more than 5,600 older people live in better conditions and receive higher-standard services, while 254 new services for people with disabilities are planned, expected to support at least 10,000 people and families. At a round table in Parliament, social minister Borislav Gutsanov says: “If there is one cause that can unite Bulgarians, it is demographic policy. A comprehensive strategy and national consensus are needed,” Gutsanov says.

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Duma covers Eurostat data showing Bulgarians rate their financial situation lowest in the EU in 2022: 4.6 on a 0-10 scale. Next come Greece (5.3), Croatia (5.7), Slovakia (5.8), and Hungary and Latvia (5.9). At the top sit the Netherlands and Finland (both 7.6), followed by Sweden (7.4) and Austria (7.3). The EU average stands at 6.6, slightly below overall life satisfaction of 7.1.

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Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) interviewed psychologist Teodora Angelova, who argued that a blanket ban on smart devices in schools in 2025 “sounded backwards.” She acknowledged research linking phone-free policies with better results but insisted technology should be integrated into learning: “We live in the era of artificial intelligence. We must integrate technology so that it serves the educational process, not isolate it,” Angelova said. “I do not think there is a school in the world that is ready for artificial intelligence – we are facing something that has never existed before,” she added.

Angelova cautioned that a total ban would create tension, especially in upper grades, and urged age-appropriate rules – no phones during lessons, but personal choice in free time. “A ban works when a person understands why they apply it,” Angelova said.

She also warned that compulsory classes in Virtues and Religion could be counterproductive despite a deficit in personal upbringing and widened the point to social inclusion: “A society is as developed and mature as the weakest among its members,” Angelova said.

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Bulgarian National Television (BNT) aired an interview with Chair of the National Association of General Practitioners in Bulgaria Lyubomir Kirov, who argued that exemptions from the General Practitioner user fee should not exist. "No one should have been exempt from the fee. Everyone was required to pay. If someone decided to exempt a person, they should have personally covered the BGN 2.90 cost, ideally with a receipt," Kirov said. He added that Bulgaria is “a very social state,” noting that minors, retirees and chronic disease patients use services without any contribution.

Kirov said the fee served two purposes: “to limit overconsumption” and to co-finance practices’ income. He noted the fee had remained unchanged since 2011 while the minimum wage had quadrupled.

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bTV reported that a new Health Library module had been added to patients’ electronic dossiers in the National Health Information System and the eZdrave mobile app. Developed by Information Services and located in the Health section, it gathers vetted materials from the Health Ministry, partner institutions and experts.

The library launched with 70 plus publications ranging from baby care, diseases and vaccines to healthy nutrition, smoking and alcohol risks, child road safety, obesity and physical activity, with content set to expand continuously. The report identified existing features in eZdrave, such as the Long-term Care module, which provides customized check-up schedules based on age and gender. It also offers dossier access to visits, referrals, test results, prescriptions, vaccinations, and hospitalizations. Parents automatically have access to the records of their minor children.

The Health Ministry and regional inspectorates are conducting a summer awareness campaign, deploying mobile teams across the country to assist citizens through September. The outreach schedule is available on the Health Ministry’s website.

WATER SHORTAGES

Trud covers the Regional Development Ministry publishing 21 measures with timelines to tackle Pleven’s water crisis, grouped into short-, medium- and long-term actions, with responsible institutions and funding sources listed. Immediate steps include network zoning and pressure management, SCADA upgrades, test drilling and well cleaning, plus works on channels from the Dubnishka Bara. Continuous tasks target leak-prone segments, repairs, checks against illegal use, and studies for alternative or backup supplies in Lovech and Pleven regions.

By September 1, Pleven Municipality prepares parameters and costs for pump-hydrophore systems, and tenders launch for a pre-investment study and detailed plan for the Cherni Osam project. By September 15, rehabilitation covers ~330 m on Georgi Kochev St., then 1.1 km on Lyulyak St. From September through June 2026, building service lines are replaced (including Doyran St.), alongside design for 21 km in Druzhba (Low Zone).

By end-2026 (subject to funding) Vit River weirs are restored; municipal projects reconstruct 2.5 km on Doyran and 3.5 km on Shipka/San Stefano, plus 18.7 km in Druzhba (High Zone), with further sections through end-2027. By end-2029, upgrades cover 6 pumping stations, 12 reservoirs, ~6 km of mains and 234 service connections, with full network zoning, pressure control and SCADA modernization. Long term, the Cherni Osam water system is built. Water tankers serve the hardest-hit neighbourhoods until supply is restored.

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Dnevnik also covers the Pleven water shortage situation. Pleven endures a severe water regime with households receiving water only for a few hours daily, protests mounting, and institutions trading blame. Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov criticizes local authorities, threatens to replace the regional governor, and orders the Regional Development Ministry to publish a public schedule of remedial works; a crisis staff forms and a temporary parliamentary commission moves to set up a national water board.

The outlet reports no quick fix as causes are structural: an ageing network with 60-80% losses, lack of a major resilient source, and prolonged drought. “This is a foretold tragedy,” former minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov says. “Groundwater horizons are depleted, and high temperatures accelerate evaporation,” Emil Gachev, head of the Water division at the Climate, Atmosphere and Water Research Institute with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences says. Early-August data from the Regional Development Ministry show 243,181 people affected nationwide, over 100,000 of them in Pleven.

Responsibility is diffuse across the Pleven Water Utility Company, the municipality, the regional administration, the Regional Development Ministry and the Environment Ministry. “To claim that only climate change causes the dry taps is a disservice; water is lost and stolen,” engineer Dimitar Kumanov says, urging criminal penalties for water theft.

Immediate steps focus on emergency leak repairs and new drilling; a disaster declaration would speed procurement. Medium-term measures include pipe replacement, metering and system zoning modelled on Sofiyska Voda; long-term options involve tapping the Sopot and Gorni Dabnik dams or building new assets. Pleven Water Utility Company files projects for state funding, and a BGN 142 million programme running to end-2029 targets major renewals in Pleven and Knezha, though Mayor Valentin Hristov objects that the allocation favours Knezha.