Average BTA Salaries Should Not Be Lower than Teachers', Says Vazrazhdane MP Yanchev

Gergana Nikolova, Metodi Yordanov

Vazrazhdane MP Angel Yanchev (BTA Photo/Minko Chernev)

Sofia,

22.05.2025 20:36

(BTA)

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Employees of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) should not have average salaries lower than those of teachers, said Angel Yanchev from the Vazrazhdane party regarding the report presented by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev for 2024 to the Committee on Culture and Media in the National Assembly on Thursday.

"We all know by now that even without the National Assembly, the Government is capable of achieving this for BTA, as well as for the other public media," Yanchev said.

According to him, BTA should employ at least 400 people, and he expressed hope that this would be achieved in 2025.

In response to his question about the Agency's revenue, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev noted that in 2024, the national news agency exceeded its planned revenue. "We were budgeted for BGN 600,000, and we've reached nearly BGN 900,000," he said.

He explained that thanks to this overperformance, more than 300 copies of each issue of the LIK magazine are distributed free of charge to national, regional, and university libraries, as well as cultural institutions.

"There will always be pressure for all the funds to be allocated solely toward raising salaries. I know that this year will likely be difficult. The trade unions, by the way, are demanding a smaller increase than I did before you last time. This is somewhat paradoxical. I based my position on a solid foundation – that the salary should be equivalent to that of a teacher, which would mean a 25% increase compared to the current average salary. The unions are asking for 15%. Some sort of signal needs to be given," Valchev said.

BTA Director General Kiril Valchev presented his 2024 report to the Committee on Culture and Media in the National Assembly. The committee members unanimously approved the report – with 12 votes in favor, none against, and no abstentions.

/MY/