site.btaMedia Review: September 15

HEADLINES

Monday’s news media are dominated by stories about the start of the new school year across the country. 

Trud’s top story reports that preparing a student for the new school year in state schools costs families at least BGN 1,000, with the bulk of expenses going toward uniforms, PE kits, and backpacks.

24 Chasa leads with an interview with Deputy Prime Minister and Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Atanas Zafirov, who discusses issues of internal order, the longevity of the current Cabinet, his controversial trip to China, the recent incursion of Russian drones in Poland, and the upcoming state budget, among other topics.

Duma highlights income disparities in Bulgaria. Citing National Revenue Agency (NRA) Director General Roumen Spetsov, the daily notes that the highest income declared by a natural person in 2024 - over BGN 70 million - came from stock market trading. Between 20 and 30 individuals earned more than BGN 800,000 per month last year. Duma points to a rise in the number of salaried millionaires, while nearly 70% of Bulgaria’s 2.5 million workers – some 1.7 million people - earned BGN 2,000 or less per month in 2024. This topic is also covered by Telegraph.

Telegraph reports on a joint information campaign launched by the National Police General Directorate and the National Union of Locksmiths in Bulgaria with the aim to raise awareness and prevent residential burglaries.

INTERVIEW WITH DEPUTY PM ATANAS ZAFIROV

In an interview with 24 Chasa, Zafirov was asked to comment on the recent alleged assault on Ruse police chief Nikolay Kozhuharov and the response from Interior Minister Daniel Mitov, who described the incident as "an attack against the State." While Zafirov condemned the assault and expressed support for Mitov’s actions, he stressed that the case has become heavily politicized. As to youth violence, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that the State has been slow to respond to modern threats such as gambling and drug addiction, both of which are facilitated by new technologies. He added that "years of political instability have also played a decisive role."

"Speaking on behalf of all participants in the government," Zafirov said that the Cabinet is committed to serving a full four-year term. Despite ongoing challenges, the government is working to address long-neglected issues such as the water shortage crisis, securing payments under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), completing delayed infrastructure projects, and handling the country’s demographic situation.

Addressing criticism over his recent visit to China, the Deputy Prime Minister dismissed reactions from right-wing and liberal critics who say that "Bulgaria's place is not in this format and that they were in Putin's company". Zafirov called such reactions "political propaganda that keeps them afloat." He stressed the importance of maintaining dialogue with major global players, saying that China is one of them. Zafirov added that participation in international forums does not equate to "legitimizing foreign policies but rather to pursuing national goals: benefits for Bulgarian businesses, investment, tourism, and education." Zafirov noted that he had no meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin or North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, adding that no public funds were used for the trip.

Asked whether the recent incursion of Russian drones into Poland signals the approach of war, Zafirov said that "at present, there is no danger of Bulgaria entering into a war." He recalled that at the initiative of the BSP–United Left, Parliament had adopted a declaration on the non-participation of Bulgarian troops in the hostilities in Ukraine. "On the contrary, I believe we are closer to the end of this conflict," he added. 

On the upcoming state budget, Zafirov stressed that the BSP will push for increased social spending, as it traditionally does. He reiterated the party's support for a progressive income tax system, arguing that it is fairer than a flat tax. He also advocated for introducing an income tax-free threshold to better support the lowest earners.

POLITICS

Speaking on Nova TV’s morning programme, media expert Georgi Lozanov weighed in on the motion of no confidence in the Zhelyazkov Cabinet submitted by Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC–DB) and Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) over the government’s failure in the areas of internal order and security, justice, and state capture. Lozanov said: "When it comes to Bulgaria’s Euro-Atlantic policy and our joining the euro area, it is important to remember that we need a stable government. That is likely why a vote of no confidence would be seen as a threat. The motion may not receive enough support but it serves to promote a debate in Parliament. In a way, the arguments behind the motion also raise questions about [MRF-New Beginning's leader Delyan] Peevski’s role," Lozanov said. "He gives clear signals that he holds considerable power, but he speaks only for himself and does not reference his group. This motion could also be seen as part of this issue," the media expert added. 

Print dailies quote remarks made by GERB leader Boyko Borissov during a ceremony marking the opening of the final section of the 63-kilometre-long Europe Motorway connecting Sofia and Serbia Sunday. Telegraph quotes Borissov as saying that CC–DB "want to destroy rather than build," as he responds to a question about the no-confidence motion. 24 Chasa writes that this fifth motion of no confidence appears to have put an end to any prospects of a joint presidential candidacy between GERB and CC–DB. The daily notes that Borissov, who had previously promoted the idea, is now firmly opposed to it.

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Sega.bg reports that transfers from GERB to the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) - New Beginning are continuing, albeit indirectly. "The latest addition to Delyan Peevski’s political entity is Razgrad Regional Governor Vladimir Dimitrov. Until July, he served as a GERB regional coordinator, after which he ceased to be a member of GERB. He quickly reoriented himself and is now participating in closed-door meetings of MRF–New Beginning. Over the weekend, Delyan Peevski’s party convened a municipal council meeting, which Dimitrov attended. According to an official statement, the meeting brought together local leaders, town mayors, and municipal councillors to address key issues facing the municipality and set a schedule of initiatives for the coming months. No official explanation was given for Dimitrov’s removal as GERB coordinator or the end of his party membership earlier this summer. Apparently, his problems with GERB were not a reason for his removal from public office. He was appointed regional governor during the 'assemblage' [the ruling coalition of unwilling partners CC-DB and GERB, which fell apart before the agreed rotation of governance seats]. He was briefly replaced by Sevdzhan Sadkaev, who turned out to be Dogan's [former MRF chair] man," the media outlet says.

EDUCATION

Speaking on Bulgarian National Television on the occasion of the first day of school, Education and Science Minister Krasimir Valchev outlined several issues in the education system. Chief among them was low student motivation, particularly in math and natural sciences, with physics and chemistry showing the poorest results. Valchev also stressed the need to revise school curricula, noting that time constraints lead students to rely on rote memorization that leads to poor long-term retention. The Minister also spoke of the pervasive use of digital devices. "It has become a pandemic," Valchev said. "We cannot tear students away from their screens. They easily become addicted, especially to social media and content designed to be addictive, such as short-form videos. Teachers and parents are in an unequal competition for the children’s attention. This leads to a sharp decline in performance," he added. 

Prof. Galin Tzokov, Director of the Education Institute at the Education and Science Ministry and former caretaker education minister, told bTV that over 600 schools underwent renovation over the summer. By mid-2026, every school in Bulgaria - more than 2,300 in total - will have a STEM classroom. Tzokov noted that, in addition to upgrades funded through the RRP, two other renovation programmes (2020–2024) are underway. He said that new curricula are in development, focusing on key skills including social-emotional, digital, and entrepreneurial ones. A new legal framework is also being prepared to limit mobile phone use in classrooms. PISA data show that 46% of Bulgarian students report being distracted by their devices during class, Tzokov added. 

In interviews with Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Vasil Lozanov, Vice Principal of the Miguel de Cervantes Spanish Language High School, and Neli Kostova, Principal of a language school in Sofia, stressed the importance of cooperation between parents and teachers. Lozanov argued that youth violence stems not from poor education but from a "society that is a bit lost and needs to find a way to set good examples to young people instead of turning them into villains and antiheroes." Kostova noted that many young people struggle with face-to-face communication and said that a mobile phone ban for students up to fourth grade has been an effective measure in her school.

REGIONAL SECURITY

Trud features a front-page story reporting that Poland has found no evidence of a violation of its airspace. The daily recalls that on Saturday evening, the country placed its air defense on high alert due to "an activity of unmanned aerial vehicles near Ukraine’s border." The alert lasted for two hours.

Earlier in the week, multiple drones crossed into Poland during a Russian air attack on Ukraine, which prompted NATO to send fighter jets to shoot them down.

In an interview with BNR on Sunday, former Bulgarian defense minister Todor Tagarev described the case as a provocation designed to test NATO’s readiness and pressure those working to provide military aid to Ukraine. In his words, the goal is to influence NATO and EU Member States—particularly those on the eastern flank—by making their leaders and populations feel threatened, pushing them to invest in their own security rather than assisting Ukraine.

Asked whether Bulgaria’s airspace would be secure in a similar situation, Tagarev said: “Since Bulgaria is a NATO country, and NATO has a unified airspace surveillance system that relies not only on Bulgarian radars but also on many other resources, I suppose we would have sufficient timely information if such a scenario were to occur here.” However, he warned that Bulgaria is not prepared for a situation involving hundreds of drones: "There is no way we can respond, especially in the long term, without studying Ukraine’s experience." "The real solution is to work with Ukraine to build a joint system for protection against drones, as well as for air and missile defense," he said.

PLANNED CHANGES IN ELECTION OF NATIONAL STATISTICAL INSTITUTE LEADERSHIP

Mediapool.bg has published an analysis by Adrian Nikolov of the Institute for Market Economics, in which he criticizes amendments recently submitted to Parliament that aim to change the rules for electing the leadership of the National Statistical Institute (NSI). The stated goal of strengthening independence is a disguise for an attempt to remove an inconvenient directo - one who has refused to comply with the demands of political parties and institutions when those demands contradict the law and the principles on which the statistical institute is founded. Once such independence is undermined, the step toward "made-to-order data" becomes very small, Nikolov says.

The amendments propose replacing the current system under which the NSI chairperson and deputy chairs are appointed by the Council of Ministers, instead making them elected by Parliament. The justification given is to ensure greater independence of the institute from the executive branch.

In its 2022 Peer Review Report, the European Statistical System did recommend changes to the process for selecting the NSI chair but the recommendations referred only to improving the criteria for selection and increasing transparency in the process. Nowhere was there any mention of changing the body responsible for the appointment, nor of cutting short the mandate of a chair who has already been elected, just two years into a seven-year term. Nikolov argues that the real reasons for these urgent changes lie in "the domestic political context and in the unusually turbulent events surrounding the NSI over the past year - chiefly in connection with the introduction of the euro and the price data for goods and services."

Nikolov cited two cases in particular. One involved the Vazrazhdane party openly accusing the NSI of manipulating the data behind the consumer price index in order to make Bulgaria meet the inflation criterion for joining the euro area. The party demanded access to the raw price data but was its request was met with a categorical refusal. A few months later, the Commission for Consumer Protection made a similar request in an attempt to build a price-monitoring tool. NSI refused again, pointing out that providing such data would violate the law, regardless of the requesting institution’s intentions.

There is a glaring coincidence of these refusals with the push to change the rules for appointing the NSI chair and to hold a new selection process, Nikolov says. The parliamentary majority appears to be seeking a new (and more compliant) head of the institute – "someone who will not be constrained by details such as source anonymity, adherence to procedures, or research methodology when it comes to nationally significant issues like the publication of price levels," he adds.