site.btaMedia Review: March 8

POLITICS

Mediapool writes that the resignation of Prime Minister Denkov and his Cabinet, which was supposed to be the first step in the government rotation, could also be a step towards new elections or another government outside the current arrangement. The date fixed in the rotation agreement, March 6, came before Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and GERB-UDF had agreed on exactly how to continue the administration. Negotiations between them have not started, and time is pressing, the media notes, stressing that relations between GERB and CC-DB are far from predictable. 

Multiple publications on Friday, including Sega, Mediapool, Trud, Telrgraph, 24 Chasa describe the constitutional procedure that is to follow after the Cabinet's resignation. President Rumen Radev will first hold consultations with the political forces in Parliament on March 11 (GERB-UDF, CC-DB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms) and March 12 (Vazrazhdane, Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and There Is Such a People). GERB-UDF is the first party that would receive a mandate to form a government, and they have already made clear their nomination for Prime Minister would be Mariya Gabriel. If they fail to form a government, the mandate would go to CC-DB, who would also nominate Gabriel, and if they fail as well, Radev would choose to hand the third exploratory mandate to one of the other political parties. 

Multiple publications reported that ÇC-DB invited GERB-UDF to talks on Friday, but GERB insisted they meet on Saturday. On Friday, GERB's Mariya Gabriel will meet with outgoing Prime Minister Denkov and the outgoing ministers to discuss their work assessments for the past 9 months. A report is expected on March 8.

24 Chasa adds that the Democratic Bulgaria coalition also postponed the start of the negotiations, from Saturday morning to Saturday evening, due to the Yes Bulgaria (CC-DB Co-Chair Hristo Ivanov's party) national conference on Saturday. 

Trud quotes CC-DB Co-Chair Kiril Petkov, who outlined his party's negotiation priorities, including justice reform, reforms in the regulators, Bulgaria's entry into the Eurozone. Petkov noted that GERB leader Boyko Borissov's comments on replacing Finance Minister Assen Vassilev  at a moment when Bulgaria is months away from entering the Eurozone, is "an absolutely insane idea". Petkov said that he trusts Mariya Gabriel's vision for Bulgaria, but wants to ensure that behind this vision are "real processes".

24 Chasa writes that on GERB's side, negotiations will be led by Gabriel, Denitsa Sacheva, Raya Nazaryan and Temenouzka Petkova.

Trud also adds that GERB stressed that reaching an agreement on a governance mechanism is a condition for joint development of the legislative and governance programmes. This means that there will be no transition to regulatory appointments and changes to laws if CC-DB once again rejects the adoption of a decision-making mechanism.

24 Chasa and Trud quote Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, who responded to Boyko Borissov's reprimands for his hasty resignation, which he submitted on March 5, a day before the supposed deadline. He stressed that while both sides have submitted documents, the administration has greatly slowed down its work, the anti-corruption activities have stopped, and argued the need to accelerate the negotiation process.

Continue the Change MP Rosen Kosturkov said on Bulgarian National Television that CC-DB's  proposed memorandum and GERB's proposed  agreement are very similar, and that the two formations need to have a serious talk about stable governance of the country. He noted that the CC-DB do not mind going to new elections, but this will be harmful to the state.

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Sega reports that the conflict between the party leadership of the BSP and its Sofia chapter is deepening. On Thursday, the party press centre said that the preparations for elections of a new BSP-Sofia leadership of are going according to schedule. The decision on the internal election was taken by the National Council of the BSP. It was interpreted by the Sofia members of the party as a punishment because they supported the election of the Sofia Municipal Council Chair. 

Trud, Telegraph, 24 Chasa write that the BSP leader in the Sofia Municipal Council , Ivan Takov, called on the councilors from CC-DB-SS and GERB to stop petty squabbles among themselves and start working on matters of substance. He undertook to submit a report for additional funding of up to BGN 1 million under the Food and Basic Material Support Programme for the Hot Lunch Procedure, which provides food for the elderly. 

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On its morning programme, bTV focused on a national representative survey, financed and implemented jointly by bTV and Market Links that indicates that if the European elections were held this week, three political forces would increase their relative share - CC-DB, Vazrazhdane and BSP. The current five parties in the National Assembly are very likely to send representatives to the European Parliament, their share closely resembling their share in Parliament. Everyone else seems to have no real chance at it.  

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Mediapool, Trud, 24 Chasa write that NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Philippe Lavigne is on an official visit to Bulgaria from March 6 to 8. On Thursday, Lavigne conferred with state and defense officials among whom Bulgaria's Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov, Defence Minister Todor Tagarev, President Rumen Radev and outgoing Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, focusing on modern technological, economic and social aspects of defence and security. Bulgaria's contribution to NATO is crucial, especially regarding the Black Sea region and the eastern flank, said Lavigne.

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Trud, Telegraph, 24 Chasa quote GERB leader Boyko Borissov, who attended the European People's Party congress in Bucharest and argued in favour of Bulgaria and Romania being accepted in the Schengen area by land as soon as possible. Borissov also pointed out that Bulgaria has supported Ukraine much more than some big and rich countries in Europe, including with ammunition, with armored personnel carriers, with tanks, with artillery, etc. Borissov also noted that Bulgaria has diversified from Russian gas, from Russian oil, from Russian nuclear fuel. He praised the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as a person who has done a great deal for Europe in recent years.

Trud, 24 Chasa quote Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel, who also attended the European People's Party congress in Bucharest and argued for Bulgaria and Romania joining Schengen and by land as soon as possible.  She stressed that Bulgaria has a key role in protecting the external borders of the EU. From the rostrum, Maria Gabriel thanked EPP Chairman Manfred Weber for his support for Bulgaria and GERB "in the most difficult times of the last two years" and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for her support on key political topics such as Schengen, the Eurozone and The National Recovery and Resilience Plan. She outlined security in the Black Sea, the strengthening of the borders, continued support for Ukraine, and energy security as main priorities.

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Trud reports that Bulgarian MEP Angel Dzhambazki sent questions to the European Commission requesting an explanation regarding the reasons for the delay in payments under the Recovery and Resilience Plan across Europe. At this moment, the implementation of the Plan is delayed everywhere, due to a requirement to satisfy all the Commission's requests, which necessitates a revision of the plans, Dzhambazki's press office said. Bulgaria is entitled to EUR 5.69 billion under the plan has so far received only one payment of EUR 1.37 billion. No funds were received under the Recovery and Resilience Plan during the past year.

24 Chasa quotes President Rumen Radev, who,  at a meeting with the ambassadors of Arab countries in Bulgaria, expressed concern over the security environment in the Middle East and said Bulgaria backs any initiative aiming to restore peace in the region. The meeting was held on the initiative of the diplomatic representatives of the Arab countries accredited in Bulgaria.

24 Chasa quotes the Bulgarian Defence Ministry which congratulated Sweden on joining NATO. Outgoing Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov also congratulated Sweden on joining NATO.

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Sega reports that, according to Ukrainian media and as evidenced by photos on Bulgarian social media, Bulgaria is taking out of conservation decommissioned self-propelled artillery units 2S1 Gvozdika and BRDM-2 and sending them to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

24 Chasa and Sega note that the donation of this type of weaponry has so far not been commented on or announced by the authorities.  Defence Minister Todor Tagarev said last week in Parliament that the date and time of the shipment were kept on the down low to avoid a media frenzy. The decision to send howitzers was made as early as 2023. They were supposed to go to Ukraine as early as November. However, their shipment has been delayed,  which GERB a reason to demand Tagarev's resignation.

ENERGY

Multiple publications on Friday, including Mediapool,  focus on the July 1 transition of the regulated electricity market to a free market with retained state control over prices for residential consumers. The transition raises a number of concerns for almost everyone involved in the implementation of the new regulations.

Trud quotes Energy and Water Regulatory Commission Chair Ivan Ivanov who said that there will be no sharp increase in the price of electricity related to the upcoming full liberalization of the market after July 1.  The base price has yet to be determined by the Council of Ministers, but it will not imply a sharp increase in the price of electricity, he assured.

Telegraph publishes an interview with energy expert Elenko Bozhkov, who was less optimistic about the changes and predicted that there is a high probability that electricity prices will increase. In the context of the unpredictability of key factors such as the geopolitical environment, global energy demand and the actions of major central banks, there is no guarantee that the planned additional funds of about BGN 1.5 billion per year in the Electricity System Security Fund will be provided, Bozhkov stressed.

Sega, 24 Chasa report that the Electricity System Security Fund, which aims to finance the transition from a regulated to a free electricity market for Bulgarian households, is in deficit of BGN 1 billion. In February the fund has paid only 75% of the compensation due to public electricity supplier NEK for the purchased renewable electricity and for the long-term contracts with the coal plants. This transpired at a round table on the changes in the wholesale and retail electricity market. The problems for the fund were unexpected and until the end of last year it was always in surplus. The fund reassured that they had set aside a buffer to absorb the compensations to the ERPs in the first months after July 1. 

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Mediapool, Trud, 24 Chasa quote outgoing Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, who said during a visit to the Kozloduy NPP on Thursday that he expects a smooth transition to the use of American fresh nuclear fuel at the nuclear plant, which will be partially refueled with the new fuel in late April or early on May. The Westinghouse delivery should arrive on schedule. The schedule approved by Parliament for the construction of the new Units 7 and 8 of the NPP also using Westinghouse technology is also on time, along with talks about the construction of the necessary road infrastructure for the project, added outgoing Energy Minister Rumen Radev, who accompanied the Prime Minister.

Trud reports that Inspectorate of the Ministry of Energy has discovered violations in the government decision of Galab Donev's caretaker Cabinet regarding the 13-year contract with Turkish energy company Botas. Energy Minister Rumen Radev referred the ad-hoc parliamentary committee to a report by the Inspectorate  from late June last year, which described how, in little more than 24 hours and via a verbal order, the documentation was speedily issued for the caretaker Cabinet to approve the contract.

HEALTHCARE

Trud reports that Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva alerted Health Minister Hristo Hinkov, of complaints and signals from worried patients, doctors and master pharmacists, that from April 1 many elderly people, people with disabilities, and especially children, may be left without timely prescribed antibiotic treatment. The Ombudsman stressed that that there is no information as to whether the problems in the electronic system for prescribing and dispensing medicinal products have been overcome, but she was adamant that a large part of the issues remain unresolved in practice.

Sega, Trud write that the first emergency medical helicopter, part of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) system, which arrived in Bulgaria on February 1, is without a black box. An inspection revealed a number of other  irregularities with the helicopter, including a non-closing door and a lack of seals, a bTV report indicated. The issues with the helicopter began shortly after its arrival, when it became clear that it would not be able to be used for mountain rescue. Sega notes that Transport Minister Georgi Gvozdeikov "blatantly neglected" these problems when asked to comment. The publication adds that this comes at an extremely inconvenient moment, as the medical helicopter is ranked among the great achievements of the nine months of the Denkov Cabinet.  Despite the problems, the operator company assured that the helicopter will be operational by mid-March and that all the problems  have been fixed.

In a bTV interview on Friday morning, Minister Transport Minister Georgi Gvozdeikov said that helicopter is in good working condition. It is currently undergoing its certification process. He brought the aircraft's black box to the studio, and noted that it only lacks the software that works in sync with the autopilot, which will be completed by the end of March. Georgi Gvozdeikov also explained that the irregularities listed in the bTV investigation were found by a Bulgarian team on February 27 and 28, a few days before the helicopter left for Bulgaria and were removed by the manufacturer before the flight to Bulgaria.

HOME AFFAIRS 

Telegraph, Sega, Mediapool, 24 Chasa report on changes to the Civil Registration Act proposed by CC-DB that would prohibit changes to the Personal Identification Number, a unique number unequivocally identifying each individual, assigned at birth. Changes would only be allowed until a citizens reach 18 years of age, to allow for the correction of mistakes. The obvious reason for the bill is the controversy around Martin "The Notary" Bozhanov, who at the time of his death  had two Personal Identification Numbers. 

Sega, Mediapool report that foreign medical students at the Medical University in Plovdiv were mistakenly arrested by residents of the Rhodope village of Hrabrino. They were mistaken for illegal migrants and detained by local villagers. 

Mediapool reports that reflective markers to protect birds were mounted on an overhead power line near Burgas with the help of a drone. This kind of project is being implemented for the first time in Bulgaria by the EVN Bulgaria Group and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds,  financed by the LIFE programme of the European Commission. A total of 2,000 units will make overhead wires visible to birds to prevent collisions with overhead power lines. They will be installed in 2024-2025.

Mediapool writes that changes to the Spatial Development Act proposed by GERB-UDF will deprive landscape architects and urban planners of the right to design. In the future, this activity will be performed only by regulated architects and engineers in investment design. Students from the University of Forestry in Sofia indicated to Mediapool that they suspect lobbyist pressure is at the root of the matter.

Telegraph writes that there is a shortage of personnel in the railways. According to official data, in passenger transport, about 9.5% of locomotive personnel have already acquired the right to a pension. Only 4% of the workforce is under the age of 30.

ECONOMY

Trud, Mediapool, 24 Chasa report that the EC allowed Bulgaria to pay BGN 120 million from its budget in aid to Bulgarian grain producers for the damage they suffered from Russia's war in Ukraine. The aid will be for producers of wheat, barley, rapeseed, corn and sunflower and will be paid by the end of June.

Mediapool writes that the surplus reported by the Ministry of Finance at the end of February in the amount of BGN 1 billion is entirely due to accounting and was practically accumulated with money from last year's budget. An amount of BGN 1.2 billion set aside by Budget 2023 for municipal projects with a Cabinet decision days before the New Year, was transferred to Budget 2024 at the end of January and thus significantly inflated the balance at the end of February.  A few days ago, the Ministry of Finance  boasted an unexpectedly good implementation of the budget, as a result of which it has a surplus of BGN 1 billion (0.5% of GDP) as of February 29, given that on an annual basis it was voted with a deficit of BGN 6.2 billion (3% of GDP).

SOCIETY 

On the occasion of International Women's Day, March 8, Yanitsa Petkova, political scientist at Gallup commented on Bulgarian National Television  on the results of a study on psychological and domestic abuse conducted by Gallup between February 1 and 9, 2024. One in four people  knows a woman who suffers from psychological abuse at home, while 10 years ago it was only 10% of people. This does not mean that violence has increased, but that the topic has become less of a taboo subject, Petkova commented. She  pointed out that about a tenth of respondents also know men who have experienced psychological abuse  as well.