site.btaMedia Review: October 7

No single topic dominates Tuesday's news media.

Economy

Trud writes about disagreements between trade unions and employers over a proposal by the Labour and Social Policy Ministry to raise Bulgaria’s minimum monthly wage to BGN 1,213 (EUR 620) from BGN 1,077, a 12.6% increase, as of January 1, 2026. Employers’ organizations called for a freeze, arguing that labour costs have risen faster than productivity and that the business climate has worsened in most sectors. Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) warned that the minimum wage will have grown by over 55% in three years amid an economic growth of only 10%. 

Trade unions opposed the freeze, saying the increase will reduce poverty and raise purchasing power. Plamen Dimitrov, President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria called on the National Statistical Institute to develop a methodology for calculating a living wage to serve as a reference point for the minimum wage and overall income in the country, adding that claims that higher wages drive inflation are not true.

Labour Minister Borislav Gutsanov is cited as saying that under the current Labour Code, the minimum wage for the following year is set at 50% of the national average wage over a 12-month period covering the last two quarters of the previous year and the first two quarters of the current year. Applying this formula, the minimum wage for 2026 is expected to rise by 12.6% to BGN 1,213. In the summer months of 2025, multiple meetings were held with employers, trade unions, and Ministry of Labour representatives to find a fairer mechanism for determining the minimum wage, but no agreement was reached, Gutsanov said. He stressed that freezing income would be unacceptable.

Speaking on Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Atanas Katsarchev of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour mentioned the continuing increase of prices and emphasized that Bulgaria is at the bottom in both Europe and the Balkans in terms of minimum wage. BICA Chair Rumen Radev said that the average gross salary in the public sector has surpassed that of the private sector. Nevertheless, a significant portion of public-sector employees remain dissatisfied.

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Trud publishes the results of its seven-day survey among 2,056 participants on public attitudes toward taxation in Bulgaria. The survey shows strong support for a progressive tax system, with 67.9% favouring higher rates on higher incomes, while 27.9% back the current flat 10% tax and 4.2% said they do not pay taxes or are not interested in the issue.

The results indicate a significant shift in public opinion after more than 15 years of flat taxation, which many now see as socially inequitable, placing a heavier burden on low- and middle-income earners. Supporters of a progressive tax argue it would promote social justice and better fund public services, while critics warn it could discourage investment and increase tax evasion. The survey suggests growing public demand for a fairer, socially responsible approach that could bring tax reform back onto the political agenda.

Waste management crisis

Dnevnik reports that the waste management situation in Sofia is critical in the Lyulin and Krasno Selo boroughs, where the municipality introduced an emergency waste-collection system. Under the emergency system, residents continue to use the grey bins. When full, small trucks empty them into larger grey containers, placed at three locations in Krasno Selo and eight in Lyulin, which are then transported to a plant in the village of Yana near Sofia.

The city’s Municipal Enterprise for Waste Treatment, which manages the plant, was tasked with collection following a decision by Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev, after the previous waste-collection contract expired. The only bidder in the new public tender, the Consortium Cleaning Triaditsa, linked to a controversial businessman Hristoforos Amanatidis, nicknamed Taki, proposed a price of BGN 349 per tonne, more than double the projected BGN 166.9 per tonne.

The Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) interviewed municipal councillors Nikolay Velchev of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and Dimitar Dimitrov of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria about the rubbish crisis. Velchev said that from the start of Terziev's term in late 2023, the BSP councillors had called for the allocation of funds to strengthen the municipal company Sofecostroy: "Had that been done, we would not now be hostages to private interests." The municipal councillor said this would have made the real cost of waste collection per tonne clear. "The BSP would have been the first to stand with Terziev against the bin mafia. But his policy was to support the private cleaning companies that have long handled Sofia's waste," Velchev said. He insisted on creating a municipal enterprise, stressing that not only funding but vehicles and trained staff are also needed.

Dimitrov recalled that a foreign company had offered a lower price and its trucks were set on fire. The Turkish company that cleans a large part of Istanbul was intimidated and refused to have its bid for the Lyulin borough opened. The only remaining offer for Lyulin, rejected by the mayor, was BGN 420 per tonne (including VAT). By comparison, the Turkish company offered BGN 220 per tonne (including VAT) for the Nadezhda, Serdika and Ilinden boroughs. There are two municipal enterprises capable of transporting waste, Dimitrov said.

Speaking on BNT’s morning show, Sofia City Council member Tsvetelina Zarkin (Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria) commented on the topic, describing the situation as “extortion”. She criticized the contractor for offering triple the projected price for waste collection and praised Terziev for refusing to sign the contract: “The Mayor has refused to sign at that price and deserves praise for his courage, as he is defending the public interest. That money belongs neither to the municipality, nor to the mayor,” adding that the funds belong to Sofia residents. She noted that the public tender was well-prepared and competitive, but only one bidder participated, while another “mysteriously lost four of its trucks” (referring to the Turkish company), and that the tender has been delayed at the desk of the Public Procurement Agency for three months instead of the legal 14 days.

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24 Chasa reports that the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB) has proposed a three-year transitional period for implementing the “polluter pays” principle in municipal waste fees. Under the plan, municipalities ready to adopt the new calculation method could do so from January 1, 2026, while others would have more time to prepare, given the investments and administrative work required.

NAMRB Executive Director Silvia Georgieva said that both the current and new methodologies could operate in parallel during the transition, allowing flexibility for municipalities. The reform was previously postponed in 2024 after MPs amended the Local Taxes and Fees Act amid concerns that fees could rise two- to sevenfold in smaller towns, while decreasing in expensive urban properties.

Sofia is likely to use the transitional period. Deputy Mayor for Ecology Nadezhda Bobcheva said that preparations continue, with a proposal for fee calculation expected by the end of October. She noted that household fees have so far been artificially low, with businesses covering a disproportionate share, and that the reform aims to correct this imbalance.

Terziev warned that applying the principle without a phased approach could raise household fees five- to tenfold and said he would not approve contracts with waste companies at such rates. Meanwhile, some municipalities are already preparing with the necessary infrastructure to implement the new methodology.

bTV also covers the topic.

Floods

Mediapool publishes an article on the deadly floods that struck the Black Sea resort of Elenite on October 3, claiming four lives and causing severe damage, highlighting both the natural disaster and alleged mismanagement by investors, municipal authorities, and regulatory bodies responsible for construction and environmental oversight, in a pattern seen in previous tragedies in the village of Biser (2012), Varna's district of Asparuhovo and towns of Mizia (2014), and Tsarevo (2023). After each such tragedy, authorities announce high-profile inspections and vow strict consequences for those responsible, yet prosecutions rarely lead to convictions. Nature is usually blamed, while central and local authorities have legally permitted deforestation, neglected infrastructure maintenance, and allowed overdevelopment.

On October 3, at a briefing in the Council of Ministers, Environment Minister Manol Genov said that there was no river in the Elenite area and that the heavy rainfall caused the dry riverbed to overflow. The University Center for Geospatial Research and Technologies at St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia has published a map on Facebook showing that a river runs through Elenite, with a residential complex built in the middle of its course. In the water management information system of Genov’s Ministry, the river appears on the map under the name Drashtela River, with the identification number BG2SE500R012.

According to the media outlet, key figures linked to the river’s development in Elenite are Nessebar Mayor Nikolay Dimitrov, whose approval is essential for local projects, and investor Vetko Arabadzhiev, the informal owner of much of the area’s hotels, with an offshore company reportedly reselling homes built over the riverbed.

The construction in Elenite expanded between 2007 and 2019, spanning the governments of the Triple Coalition (Bulgarian Socialist Party, National Movement for Stability and Progress, and Movement for Rights and Freedoms) and subsequent GERB administrations under then prime minister Boyko Borissov. Throughout this period, Nessebar Mayor Nikolay Dimitrov, now in his fifth term, and Chief Architect Valentin Dimov oversaw all local construction projects, with locals noting that even small additions like fences required their approval. During this time, the Nessebar Municipal Council approved a detailed development plan for Elenite, worked on by several architects and design firms. The Black Sea Basin Directorate chiefs informed construction authorities about the location and boundaries of rivers’ coastal floodplains, and Burgas Regional Environmental and Water Inspectorate was responsible for assessing whether environmental evaluations were required. In 2015, a citizen reported that the river was being illegally covered and built over. An inspection found that a large part of the watercourse was covered, with attractions and a hotel built on it, but no action was taken, Genov said, adding that the authorities had already failed in their duties at that time.

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Commenting on the devastating floods in an interview with BNR, engineer Dimitar Kumanov from the Balkanka NGO said: “Sofia is in an even worse state than what we see in Elenite”, as much of the area that once formed part of a riverbed in Elenite has now been built over. Warning that a similar situation exists in the capital, Kuzmanov said: “In Sofia, many of the rivers are not even marked as rivers in the cadastre. That’s done deliberately, so construction can take place on top of them. A number of Sofia’s gullies have already been filled in – some with construction waste, others with excavated soil. The most recent case that made headlines was the Kalna River in the Gorublyane district. Many of the city’s drainage gullies have also been buried.”

Kumanov added that many of Sofia’s green areas which naturally absorb rainwater have also been developed, noting that “there are even ambitions to build over parts of South Park”.

“If such heavy rainfall were to hit Sofia, the bridge over the Perlovska River near the [Rakovski National] Defence College would collapse, and the river would overflow its banks because that is the narrowest point in the city,” Kumanov warned. The NGO Balkanka’s main mission is the protection and restoration of Bulgaria’s rivers.

Society

Telegraph’s frontpage headline reads that 1,600 children have been removed from their biological families by social services in Bulgaria since the start of the year, citing data from the Social Assistance Agency (SAA). The reasons include domestic violence, neglect, and abuse. Bulgarian Association of Adoptees and Adopters Chair, psychologist Velichka Dosheva, explains that Bulgaria still lacks an effective prevention system against aggressive behavior within families. “The biggest problem is that prevention is missing entirely. Parents often react to stress with aggression because they don’t know how to manage emotions or conflicts,” Dosheva says. She emphasizes the urgent need for programmes that support families before crises escalate into violence.

The paper points out that despite the efforts of the authorities, there is a critical shortage of foster families, especially those willing to care for children with disabilities, behavioral issues, or from minority backgrounds. These children are often sent to residential institutions instead of being placed in a family environment. According to the SAA, 847 children are currently waiting to be adopted. The agency notes that many of them have been declared legally available for adoption, but the process is delayed due to a lack of suitable candidates and complex administrative procedures. “We are actively working with the regional directorates to speed up adoption placements, especially for younger children,” the Agency officials told the newspaper.

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Telegraph publishes an interview with Vanya Grigorova, Chair of the Solidarity Bulgaria Association and member of the Sofia Municipal Council, on raising the retirement age in Bulgaria beyond 65, which, according to her, would make the pension system unsustainable. She warned that demographic decline and insufficient contributions already threaten the stability of the pension model. Grigorova argued that the current system cannot absorb further increases without deep social repercussions. “If the retirement age goes over 65, for most people retirement will remain only a dream,” she said, adding that the physical capacity of many workers, especially in heavy labour sectors, does not allow them to stay in employment until that age. 

According to Grigorova, over BGN 3 billion in social security contributions from Bulgarian workers have been redirected this year to the so-called second pension pillar, private retirement funds. Grigorova pointed out that this dual system is confusing for contributors and undermines trust: “People are paying, but they don’t know whether the money will secure them even a decent living when they retire.” Low incomes and short contribution periods remain among the biggest challenges to ensuring fair pensions. Many Bulgarians work informally or without proper social insurance, which leaves them unprotected in old age. “The so-called reform of the pension model has been done in fragments and without strategy,” Grigorova said. She emphasized the need for a long-term demographic and economic policy, warning that without it, Bulgaria risks reaching a point where there are two working-age people for every pensioner.

Life after captivity 

24 Chasa’s front-pages an interview with the mother of Bulgarian national Daniella Gilboa, who was abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, from the Nahal Oz base on the border with Gaza, where she was serving in the Israeli army. Gilboa survived the attack in which more than 60 of her fellow soldiers were killed. She spent 477 days in captivity and was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross on January 1, 2025.

Her mother, Orly Gilboa, tells the newspaper that two months ago, Daniella underwent surgery to remove shrapnel from her leg, but some fragments remain. According to her mother, Daniella suffers from survivor’s syndrome and feels guilty for having lived while others did not. “She is undergoing a long rehabilitation process but is on the right path to recovery. In her daily life, she tries to do the things she loves,” the mother said. Daniella has started writing and recording songs again, just as she did before the abduction. Her family expresses gratitude to Maria Gabriel, former deputy prime minister and foreign minister (2023-2024), and to Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Israel Slavena Gergova for their help and support in the efforts to secure Daniella’s release. The family hopes to visit Bulgaria soon.

bTV and Dnevnik also cover the story.