site.btaMedia Review: October 21

The topics of the Government’s future and Bulgaria’s upcoming entry in the eurozone dominate Tuesday’s news media.

POLITICS 

Trud has an interview with Assoc. Prof. Stoycho Stoychev, political scientist, who comments that there will not be a governance crisis in the country. “The Cabinet is doing its job well. The Prime Minister is liked by the people, and when that is the case, the Government is working and there are no big problems in it. In fact, there are no problems at all,” Stoychev argues. Commenting on President Rumen Radev and his potential party, Stoychev said that Radev is playing the role of being one of the people, the person representing honest citizens against corrupt and thieving politicians. But people like him are “anti-democratic thinkers, because their egos are too big if they stand up in front of others and say that they represent the people.” In the expert’s words, Radev cannot represent the Bulgarian people. “The idea of modesty is a measure of leadership qualities. If a person is overly proud and pushes themselves forward and shows off, they do not have leadership qualities,” the expert argues. MRF – New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan Peevski is the only one who dares criticize Radev, thus showing people that he is entering the political game in a powerful way. If GERB are to govern with Peevski, that will happen after joint coalition agreements and an approval from the other parties in the ruling coalition -  BSP – United Left and There Is Such a People (TISP), who will most likely agree, because they have far fewer options now than they did when they backed GERB in the cabinet’s formation, Stoychev says in the interview.

Mediapool.bg has an interview with political scientist Dimitar Ganev from the Trend polling agency. According to Ganev, the real reason why Borissov announced on October 18 that GERB are seeking talks with MRF – New Beginning on a “government reformatting”, is not the results of the recent local elections in Pazardzhik but Borissov being in a losing position at a time when social tension might rise over expected budget cuts and rising prices. “He is well aware that in this situation, he is losing on many fronts. First, he is not the prime minister. What good is this government to him if he is not the prime minister? Second, not being the prime minister means he is still losing and will be in a worse situation in the long run,” the expert argues, noting erosion of the support for GERB as part of the Cabinet. Borissov continues to back the Government because the alternative – early general elections – would not be to the benefit of GERB, nor to the benefit of Peevski, BSP – United Left, and TISP. Borissov does not have a winning move, Ganev argues. However, Peevski will not take Borissov’s head and eat GERB, because he cannot find an alternative partnership to that with Borissov. Peevski and Borissov need each other, Ganev argues, adding that he currently sees nothing that could destroy that partnership.

Telegraf has an interview with political scientist Strahil Deliyski on the same topic, who says there is potential for stabilization of the Government. What is happening in Bulgarian politics is nothing dramatic. This government’s ultimate goal is for there to be a government, and that end will justify the moves that will be made, he argues.

On Bulgarian National Television’s morning show, sociologists Boryana Dimitrova and Yuriy Aslanov analyze whether there will be actual restructuring of the Zhelyazkov Government. According to Aslanov, GERB is losing supporters while not reaping much benefits from being in power, so they have to adapt to this reality, which will be ever more difficult. According to Dimitrova, all partners in the unpopular ruling coalition are facing difficulties due to the 2026 state budget and the euro’s adoption. Borissov feels that things are not progressing in his favour, and his statement on October 18 marked the start of a perfect storm. However, it seems that nothing major will change in the Cabinet, judging by the statements made since then. Aslanov thinks that whatever actions TISP and BSP – United Left take, these will not lead to much; those two formations made a major mistake by joining the coalition government, and are now limited in their power.

On Nova TV’s morning show, the same topic was discussed by sociologist Andrey Raychev and political experts Rosen Stoyanov and Milen Lyubenov. Raychev noted that Borissov has realized that he is in the worst situation: he does not head the Government but bears responsibility for its actions; he thus tried to make a deal with MRF – New Beginning: let them in the government and become prime minister. If this fails, the price will be new elections where President Radev will be able to join the game. Political scientist Rosen Stoyanov from Gallup International Balkan said that it is very important for him to monitor the words politicians use, because they are increasingly rarely uttered accidentally on air. "In the medium term, it is not impossible for the two generals to play a slightly more complex game so that they can overcome those allegations of some kind of dependency and give themselves a better chance of forming a coalition in the future. We are all aware that Bulgaria cannot be ruled by a single political party," Stoyanov commented. According to him, logic dictates that we should assume that Radev's conflict is with Peevski, not with Borissov, given that GERB still has a sufficient lead over the latter. "This is a political factor that everyone will undoubtedly take into account, even Radev, if he decides one day to embark on a political project," the political scientist explained. Lyubenov said he sees no rift between Peevski and Borissov. "If there were any grounds for that, it would have already been done, because Borissov had other options at the beginning of this parliament. But he chose the path that tied him to Peevski. It has reached the point where Peevski is actively interfering in internal political processes within GERB. We see how certain structures or figures associated with GERB are switching sides to MRF - New Beginning. I would not distinguish between Borissov and Peevski in recent years. Borissov himself has fallen into excessive dependencies that Peevski can activate at any time. And that is Borissov's main weakness," Lyubenov argued.

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24 Chasa’s front-page story reads that there are as many cars for “important” members of the state administration as there are at the Interior Ministry. A total of 4,953 cars are used by the state administration across Bulgaria – ministries, agencies, regional administration, while the Interior Ministry has 5,383 cars to protect citizens. The fuel for driving the administration around alone costs nearly BGN 50 million a year. The National Service for Protection has a budget of BGN 87 million for 2025; how many drivers and cars they have is a secret, but BGN 870,000 are set aside for fuel.

ECONOMY

A team of bTV’s morning show visited Vienna to check what challenges Austria faced ahead of adopting the euro in 2002 and what advice the country has for Bulgaria, which will join the eurozone in January 2026. Austrians do not regret their decision to replace the Austrian schilling with the euro, which came after 66.6% voted in favour of joining the EU in a 1994 national referendum. Before the entry in the eurozone, the Austrian government spent two to three years convincing people that the euro was to their benefit and they had nothing to worry about, former federal chancellor of Austria Wolfgang Schussel told bTV. "I admit that there were some difficult moments because the calculations were complicated. Keep in mind that one euro was 13.76 schillings... Imagine how that was calculated. That is why it was important to constantly explain the calculation tools to the population. We had dual pricing in the first few months, it was difficult, but we managed," he added. Inflation did not rise significantly in the year of accession, according to official data, which shows that the country has only benefited economically since then. "There were very few complaints about speculation. Price monitoring was really thorough. Professional unions, businesses. We all worked hard to keep prices under control," says Schussel. bTV’s team asked people in the street what they remember of the euro changeover. “There was control [against speculation] but they did not manage to apply it at 100%,” a seller commented. "At first, everything will be more expensive for you... I'm sorry to have to tell you this... but it will be for a very short time. Today, for me, this is the best decision we have ever made. It is one of the ways to unite Europe - to have a common currency. And it's great that Bulgaria is joining!" a lawyer said.

Nova TV’s morning show, too, looked at the economic effects of Austria adopting the euro. According to the reporter who visited Vienna, the 1994 referendum ended with 64% in favour of joining the EU; there was no separate referendum on joining the eurozone. An entire generation is growing up paying with the single European currency. However, even today there are adults who say they prefer the shilling. Statistics show 2% inflation in the first years after the introduction of the euro, but it seems that the expression "the euro is expensive for us" will remain forever. A street seller commented that there is high inflation now, but it has nothing to do with the euro; the situation is like that not only in Austria. Another person told Nova TV: “We adopted the euro and everything became more expensive. Everything. You can't turn back time. Years ago, in the referendum, when they asked whether we were for or against the European Union, I voted yes, but now I would vote no. If something used to cost 10 shillings, now it costs 10 euro. That is too much. Today, I would not agree to the euro – look at the Hungarians, they have their forint."

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Duma’s front-page article quotes National Statistical Institute (NSI) President Atanas Atanasov as reporting a 41% accumulated inflation from September 2020 to September 2025. According to the latest data, the annual inflation last month was 5.6%, but some goods and services appreciated by over 20% in one year, such as coffee, bread, and fresh fruit. The prices of cooking oil and flour went up by 10% to 15% and of eggs, by some 10%. Higher prices mean higher inflation rate, he told Bulgarian National Radio, adding that NSI data cannot be manipulated because they are under constant control from various institutions. Eurostat verifies everything and regularly sends missions at the NSI, he specified, as quoted by the daily.

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Segabg.com reports that from the new year, not only will taxi rides in Sofia be paid in euro, but they will also be more expensive. Representatives of the industry, Sofia Municipality, and municipal officials shook hands on an 18.6% increase in the minimum fare. The increase reflects three indicators: accumulated inflation, changes in the minimum wage, and the jump in fuel prices. The proposal is expected to be formally submitted and approved, but according to councillors, the request is reasonable and the necessary votes will be gathered for its adoption. This will be the first increase in the minimum day and night rates for taxi services in Sofia since 2023. With the increase, the minimum day rate will jump from BGN 1.20 to BGN 1.43 per km, and the minimum night rate from BGN 1.39 to BGN 1.65 per km. 

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Trud reports on its front page that online pharmacies allow clients to pay for medicine in installments. Stoyan Genov from tbi bank explained for the daily that for most products, there is an option without additional costs, within four installments, with 25% paid immediately and the rest of the payments spread over the next three months. If the product is more expensive and the customer prefers to pay for it in smaller installments, then there is a certain interest rate, explained the bank expert. Framar's online pharmacy explained that approval is also done online, within a few hours. The applicant fills out a form, the financial institution performs the necessary checks and gives approval or refusal. The maximum repayment period for the loan is 48 months and is usually granted for expensive medicinal products and medical devices. Another pharmacy, Revita, which specializes in selling supplements, offers deferred payment through a financial product called NewPay, provided by a quick loan company. For purchases up to BGN 400O, one option is to shop without any extra charges within 30 days. After that, there's a penalty fee of BGN 10.

HOME AFFAIRS

On Bulgarian National Radio, Bulgarian Judges Association (BJA) Board Chairman Atanas Atanasov said that for years now, there has been a trend of several consecutive prosecutors general being at war with the judiciary, including the BJA. Atanasov, who is a judge at the Sofia Appellate Court, specified that is "a combination of efforts by the prosecution service and certain publications to throw mud at the court and certain judges." There is a real danger of abuse of the institution of the prosecuting magistracy, its authority and powers by a person who considers himself affected by a complaint against him, Atanasov pointed out. According to him, acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov has attempted to exercise his personal rights through the institution he represents. In Atanasov’s words, it is unacceptable to mix these functions – the personal capacity of Borislav Sarafov as a possible interested party in criminal proceedings and the institutional authority of the prosecution service. If Sarafov is not replaced, the situation of illegality will continue, Judge Atanasov stated. There is only one solution –Sarafov must step down. He has been acting prosecutor general for more than two years. If he is elected to the position, he will have a seven-year term ahead of him. In other words, for nearly 10 years, one person will perform functions that the Constitution says can only be performed temporarily, within the term of office, Atanasov warned.

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Telegraf reports on its front page that 2,800 people have acquired a driving licence the same way that Yordan Nikolov, a recent victim of a car crash, did. Nikolov, 18, along with two other boys, aged 17 and 18, died after the car he was driving hit a tree late on the night of October 17. He had acquired his licence earlier the same day, after an expedited driving course and without having practiced night driving. The car crash is believed to have been caused by high speed and lack of experience behind the wheel.

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24 Chasa has an interview with child psychologist Donika Borimechkova, who comments on cases of children running away from kindergarten. Recent such cases are from July and August in Sofia and Sapareva Banya; in both cases, two children managed to sneak out of the kindergarten and were soon found by the police.