site.btaMedia Review: March 28

HEADLINES

All media outlets report on the tensions within the ruling majority following the recent election of regulators with the decisive support of Delyan Peevski’s Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) - New Beginning. Ahmed Dogan’s Democracy, Rights and Freedoms (DRF) parliamentary group Thursday announced that it will decide this coming Tuesday whether to withdraw its support for the government coalition. The statement came after the parliamentary group refused to back the election of Financial Supervision Commission Chair Vasil Golemanski and Fiscal Council Chair Simeon Djankov.

24 Chasa sums up the situation with the headline “No Posts, No Majority – Dogan’s Camp; I Bring Stability – Peevski”. MRF - New Beginning and DRF are the spin-off parties formed after a rift in the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

Duma leads with the headline: “DRF Are Twisting Arms ahead of No-Confidence Motion.” The article quotes BSP – United Left Floor Leader Dragomir Stoynev, who spoke at an extraordinary briefing held by the ruling majority on Thursday in response to DRF’s move.

Capital Weekly’s front-page article focuses on the benefits and risks of integrating artificial intelligence agents into businesses.

24 Chasa reports that after four children were diagnosed with meningitis in one week, health authorities are urging people not to panic, as there are no outbreaks. The daily quotes the Health Ministry, which said that since the start of the year, eight people from various age groups have been diagnosed with invasive meningococcal disease. In previous years, the average number of cases was three or four per year. Other dailies also cover the topic.

Trud’s lead article notes the growing number of young people admitted to mental health hospitals with severe mental disorders due to drug use. The newspaper quotes Ivan Dobrinov, head of a unit at the psychiatric hospital in Radnevo, who identified methamphetamines and new, inexpensive designer drugs available online as currently being major culprits. He also warns about the potential introduction of nitazenes, a class of synthetic opioids that can cause overdoses even in small amounts.

Telegraph’s top story is about discounts for early enrollment in privately owned exam preparation schools. The daily says that physics, chemistry and geography courses are the most expensive, with Veliko Tarnovo (North Central Bulgaria) being one of the cities with the highest fees.

POLITICS

Speaking on Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), political analyst Milen Zhelev said that the motion of no-confidence against the government of Rosen Zhelyazkov, scheduled for this coming Wednesday will not be successful and is simply “a formality”. The motion was proposed by Vazrazhdane, Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) and Velichie, and concerns the Cabinet’s foreign policy. “This is not the first nor the last time [GERB-UDF leader] Boyko Borissov and [MRF-New Beginning leader] Delyan Peevski have worked together. They have a strong enough team of engineers to maintain the stability of the majority”, Zhelev said, dismissing the possibility of major turmoil.

Zhelev argued that the DRF would not benefit from toppling the Cabinet and would only lose if they “take radical measure”.  Even if DRF tries to bring down the government and shift to opposition, “the MRF- New Beginning would step in to make sure the Cabinet does not collapse”, the political analyst said. 

He also spoke of rumours of a "fratricidal war" within DRF, adding that "these scandals are meant to settle accounts within their own ranks". Dnevnik.bg and Mediapool.bg report that a rift in the DRF has come to light after Yudjel Atilla, one of Dogan's aides, publicly distanced himself from the formal leader, Dzhevdet Chakarov, accused those at the party's headquarters of waging a "fratricidal war" and demanded the immediate convening of the National Conference, the movement's highest body, and the election of "young and untainted leaders".

ECONOMY

Capital Weekly writes that AI agents are seen as “the next major step forward in the development of generative artificial intelligence”, which is expected to completely transform both businesses and the world at large. The media outlet defines AI agents as systems that can gather data and use it to perform tasks and achieve specific goals. Humans define the desired outcome, while the AI agent determines the best actions to take to reach it.

AI agents can serve two primary functions in business: optimizing internal processes or redefining products offered to customers. The article adds that AI agents bring enormous benefits to businesses, including improving employee productivity, reducing costs caused by process inefficiencies, eliminating human errors and manual tasks, and enabling quicker, data-driven decisions. The media outlet also identifies potential risks, including technical malfunctions, inconsistencies in objectives, opaque decision-making processes, misuse, and the automation of jobs and processes.

Capital Weekly says that according to Capgemini, by 2030, the market value of AI agents will exceed USD 47 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of over 44%. In comparison, the AI agent market was estimate at USD 5.1 billion in 2024.

BULGARIA'S EUROPEAN PROSECUTOR SUSPENDED

Mediapool.bg reports that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) Thursday evening announced that Bulgaria’s European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva had been suspended. The media outlet points out that this is an unprecedented case in EPPO’s four-year history. It quoted EPPO as saying that this suspension is the strongest measure available to prevent any risk or perception of compromised integrity of investigations. The EPPO added that no further details would be disclosed at this stage, and no interview requests would be granted.

Earlier that day, Georgieva said that she had felt threatened by Delyan Peevski in connection with an investigation into the expansion of the Chiren gas storage facility. The EPPO had been alerted to a change in the drilling technology, which was intended to save BGN 80-90 million on a contract signed with Glavbolgarstroy. This contract was later terminated, and a new public tender was initiated. Georgieva told Capital.bg that the EPPO’s investigation centers on her recusing from the Chiren case.

On bTV’s morning programme, former Sofia City Deputy Prosecutor Roman Vasilev criticized Georgieva’s statement as “premature and ill-considered.” He described her removal as a legal conclusion stemming from her actions on Thursday, which, he argued, raised more questions than answers.

Mediapool.bg recalled that Georgieva had recently told 24 Chasa that "there were data showing Delyan Peevski demanded BGN 20 million from subcontractors on the [Chiren] project." According to Georgieva, Peevski had arranged who would be awarded procurement contracts and pressured companies.

Responding to her words, Peevski said that he would appeal Georgieva’s allegations to the prosecution service. He said that she was "the personal commissioned prosecutor of [Continue the Change Co-Chair] Kiril Petkov, and that she had been elected to the post thanks to former investigator Petyo "The Euro" Petrov, who has been on the run since 2023 when it transpired that law-enforcers were after him

Earlier in March, the Sofia City Prosecution Office took action after hidden camera footage was leaked, allegedly showing a conversation between Georgieva and Petyo "The Euro" Petrov.

HEALTH

24 Chasa reports that the recent rise in meningitis cases has sparked debate on whether the vaccine for the disease should be made mandatory. GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader and Former Health Minister Prof. Kostadin Angelov Thursday said that “the problem is serious” and suggested that the immunization schedule might need to be revise or the meningitis vaccine included in the recommended vaccination list. However, National Centre of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Director Iva Hristova said that the vaccine does not need to be mandatory because the disease is extremely rare. Hristova also appeared on bTV’s morning programme, where she discussed the symptoms and spread of meningococcal disease..

In a BNR interview, Prof. Nina Yancheva, who heads a unit at the Specialized Hospital for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, said that the disease does not have a high incidence in Europe, with between 1,000 and 3,000 cases of invasive meningococcal disease reported annually and a fatality rate of about 10%. She noted that mandatory vaccination is recommended in countries where the incidence exceeds 10 cases per 100,000 population, or between 2 and 10 cases per 100,000.

EDUCATION 

24 Chasa carries an extensive interview with University of National and World Economy (UNWE) Rector Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov, who comments on recent changes announced by the Ministry of Education and Science. Starting this year, 15% of prospective students applying for Economics university courses will be required to take the mathematics matriculation exam, with this number planned to increase to 50% next year. Dimitrov also discussed the cooperation between business and universities, as well as efforts to attract foreign students. He shared that UNWE currently has 500 international students, joint programmes with Chinese universities, and plans for collaboration with Uzbek universities. Dimitrov noted that among UNWE's alumni are a Vietnamese vice president, a parliamentary chair, and a Ghanaian minister. He also expressed hope that Bulgaria will join the euro area by January 1, 2026, stressing the need for a strong information campaign to alleviate public concerns.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S AUTO TARIFFS 

All dailies cover Donald Trump’s recent decision to impose a 25% tariff on autos and auto parts imported into the United States. Financier and international markets analyst Dimitar Georgiev commented on the topic in a BNR interview, saying that this move would lead to decreased exports from Europe to the US, higher car prices in the US, and greater difficulty accessing auto parts. Bulgaria, which has car parts production, will be greatly affected, he added.

SPORTS 

Trud has an interview with Lyubomir Ganev, Vice President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC), who retained his position following the recent election of a new BOC leadership led by Vesela Lecheva. Ganev, who had been part of the team under Lecheva's predecessor, Stefka Kostadinova, for 20 years, said that the election was fair and conducted according to the rules.

The registration of the new BOC leadership in the Commercial Register was blocked by the Sofia City Court on Monday following complaints filed by members of the BOC Executive Bureau regarding decisions made during the BOC General Assembly when Lecheva was elected as President. As a result, Kostadinova remains the acting President until a final court ruling is issued.

On Bulgarian National Television’s morning programme, journalists Efrem Efremov and Georgi Banov appeared to discuss the potential involvement of politics in sports.

Telegraph features a two-page interview with Julio Velazquez, the current coach of PFC Levski Sofia. He discussed the potential for growth and improvement in Bulgarian football, particularly in terms of facilities. Velazquez stressed the importance of better infrastructure to foster the development of young talent.