site.btaMedia Review: April 14

ROAD SAFETY – PROTESTS

The question of road safety continues to be in the media spotlight after the tragic death of a 12-year old girl named Siyana, who lost her life in a crash at the national road I-3 in the section between the villages of Telish and Radomirtsi in northern Bulgaria. On Saturday, protesters in cities across the country demanded the “war” on roads stop and called for legilsative changes and tougher penalties for those responsible for road accidents. Thousands gathered outside St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia Sunday for a peaceful protest in memory of the child. The event was held under the slogan “We are Siyana!”.

Trud: Four to five people die in traffic accidents in the 36 road sections scheduled for repairs each year by the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA). 

One such example is the Ruse–Byala road (Northeast Bulgaria). “If we could just reduce fatalities to zero in these 36 sections alone, we would save the lives of 150 Bulgarians. These are the 20% fewer deaths we were referring to when the government announced its safety measures,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadjov.

He expressed outrage at the work of the RIA, noting that back in 2022—when he stepped down as Regional Development Minister—there was already a project and allocated funding for repairs on the road near the village of Telish (Pleven region), where 12-year-old Siyana tragically lost her life.

“In addition to those 36 sections, the RIA is also taking on another 150 road segments that need to be brought up to required safety standards,” Karadjov added. He noted that these include parts of major highways like Struma, Trakia, and Hemus, which are plagued by surface waves, aquaplaning risks, and ruts caused by overloaded trucks.

“Because a highway isn’t just asphalt—it’s an entire system: guardrails, signs, markings. That’s safety. Anything else is just money wasted,” Karadjov concluded.

RIA’s action plan to improve safety at 36 problemactic road sections will not effectively manage the risk of traffic accidents, the newspaper further writes. 

This plan focuses solely on improving infrastructure, but at many of these hazardous locations, additional measures are needed beyond replacing signs, adding road markings, and patching potholes, Trud quotes representatives from the Institute for Road Safety.

In Bulgaria, there is no effective risk assessment for road traffic accidents, despite the existence of an international standard, adopted domestically as BDS ISO 31000:2011. According to this standard, the risk of traffic accidents is categorized as low, medium, or high—not just “elevated,” as state institutions currently label it, the Institute pointed out.

Their data shows that as of 2023, there are 1,380 locations across Bulgaria’s national and municipal road network with medium or high accident risk. For comparison, using the same methodology, Greece identified 7,000 high-risk spots in 2021 and applied for EUR 460 million in funding from the European Investment Bank to address them.

More than six years after its establishment, the State Agency Road Safety has still not conducted a proper risk assessment of traffic accidents. The so-called black spots have not been accurately identified, and the state’s actions have been reactive—merely aiming to calm public outrage, the Institute insisted.

Thousands of people gathered Sunday for the protest “I Am Siyana” in front of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in downtown Sofia.

“Thank you for being here today, instead of celebrating Palm Sunday with your children,” said Nikolay Popov, Siyana’s father, in tears. “Why didn’t the officials wake up earlier? Why didn’t they put a single sign on that dangerous road—a sign that probably costs BGN 50. Is that what a human life is worth? Bureaucrats must be held accountable for their negligence. Why is only the driver of the crash under arrest? Why hasn’t a single official been detained?” asked the father, who lost his child recently in the tragic traffic accident that sparked nationwide protests.

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Capital: People gathered in front of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral for a second day of protest against the “war on the roads,” demanding improved road safety, sparked by the death of Siyana Popova. On Saturday, similar protests were held in several cities across the country, with demands for dismissals at the Road Infrastructure Agency.

However, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov made it clear that this would not happen. According to him, many employees are already resigning under pressure, and there is no one left to perform the calculations required for road repairs.

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Duma contributes by writing that a map of road sections with a high concentration of traffic accidents has been published on the official website of the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) – www.api.bg.

An Action Plan for improving safety along these sections has also been made available and will be updated on a weekly basis.

The map and the plan are published in a specially created section titled “High-Risk Road Sections”, allowing citizens to quickly and easily access the available data and monitor the implementation of safety measures in these areas.

Every month, the Chairman of the RIA’s Management Board will submit a report on the undertaken actions to the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT WORKERS – PROTEST

Monday’s protest of public transport workers is covered by the media as well.

Mediapool: Public transport workers in Sofia, Varna, and Ruse blocked traffic at several key intersections in central Sofia:  The protest is held under the slogan: "Dignified Work – Dignified Pay! No Transport, No Economy!"

The base salary for public transport drivers in Sofia is currently BGN 2,105. The trade unions strongly oppose the proposed salary increase of BGN 100 BGN, offered by the Sofia Municipality. Protesters are demanding higher wages for public transport workers not only in Sofia, Varna, and Ruse, but also in the Executive Agency Automobile Administration.

According to their estimates, the following additional state subsidies are needed: BGN 29 million for Sofia, BGN 6.5 million for Varna, BGN 700,000 for Ruse and BGN 4.5 for the Executive Agency Automobile Administration.

bTV contributes by reporting that the reason behind the discontent is the ongoing negotiations over salary increases for all 7,000 employees working in Sofia’s municipal transport companies — including Sofia Public Transport, Urban Mobility Center, Sofia Electric Transport, and Metropolitan (the underground metro operator).

The municipality has proposed a BGN 100 BGN increase, which the protesters have called unsatisfactory and insulting.

“Our main demand is for a BGN 400 raise to base salaries. We will not accept BGN 100 - that’s a mockery of public transport,” said Draga Blagoeva, head of the Podkrepa trade union’s section in the Metropolitan company.

“BGN 100 doesn’t even cover a single bag of groceries. What are BGN 100 for public transport in Sofia? The work is extremely demanding — tight schedules, day and night shifts, train repairs at the metro. Our colleagues are being paid shamefully low wages,” she argued.

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GERB-UDF Municipal Councillor and unsuccessful candidate for Sofia mayor Anton Hekimyan told Bulgarian National TV that Sofia Municipality promises a BGN 100 raise in the salaries of public transport workers, which he considers an insult, directed by Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev, his deputy Ivan Vassilev and everyone responsible for making the profession of a public transport driver attractive in Sofia. 

"I believe the Municipality is obligated—just like in previous years when agreements were signed—to ensure that there is a clear plan for gradual salary increases over the next one, two, or three years. This should have happened now as well. BGN 100, in the context of rising prices and a potential crisis, is absolutely disgraceful toward these people,” he said, noting that Terziev is the one who needs to find that money—to ensure it comes from Sofia’s budget—so that this profession can become attractive again. “And I’ll tell you why: because it also concerns our safety—for those of us who use public transport and for everyone on the roads. There are nearly 200 driver positions currently vacant in the system.”  

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Bulgarian National Radio: Sofia’s Deputy Mayor in charge of finance, Ivan Vassilev, who was among the protesters, said that the Sofia Municipality currently does not have the necessary resources to meet the protesters' demands and noted that he is relying on dialogue with the involvement of the state. “I hope the city won’t come to a standstill, so we can find a solution to this problem together. The truth is, many sectors have been underfunded over the years, but this should not come at the expense of the city’s movement or people’s convenience. That’s why I am here today—to have an open dialogue with union representatives and transport workers, to engage in a conversation that leads to solutions.”

For now, the municipality plans to allocate 15 million BGN for wages, which amounts to about 100 BGN per worker.

Vassilev also emphasized the issue of a driver shortage.

HOME SCENE – PROTESTS - COMMENT

Capital: A protest took place on Saturday in the capital under the slogan “Peevski Out of Power,” organized by the Justice for All initiative. Hundreds of citizens voiced their opposition to the “widespread corruption that has taken over the state.”

Overall, the otherwise politically calm weekend was stirred by a decision made by Ahmed Dogan’s supporters—and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) Honorary Chairman himself—to hold a meeting of the National Council of the MRF’s Youth Wing at the so-called Boyana residence. According to them, they entered without disturbance. However, police stormed the premises and removed them, claiming they had broken in and overcome security barriers.

This prompted MRF-Dogan’s chairman Dzhevdet Chakarov to say that they may reconsider their support for the government. The building, where Dogan lived for many years, is owned by a company linked to former transport minister Danail Papazov, who has now sided with MRF-New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski.

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Former Socialist MP Anton Koutev, who has also served as a spokesperson for a few caretaker cabinets, told NOVA TV that he believes the current protests are sporadic, but nevertheless have a future. The public’s discontent will explode in the coming months, he projected.  

“I feel the anger of the people, their discontent, and the hatred toward everything that’s happening,” said Koutev. However, he emphasized that emotional protests, such as the one following the death of 12-year-old Siyana, do not offer real solutions to problems.

The former BSP (Bulgarian Socialist Party) MP did not deny that there are issues within the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works and the Road Infrastructure Agency, but stressed that the bigger problems lie within the justice system and the prosecution service.

According to Koutev, the most important thing in a protest is to identify where the weak point is and target it directly.

If the public relations experts can’t stop the public outcry, they’ll at least try to redirect it, said the former spokesperson of the caretaker government. “Yes, there are scoundrels in politics, but there are also conscientious and honest people. When you say everyone is a scoundrel, you’re helping the corrupt ones,” he added. 

F-16 FIGHTER – WELCOME CEREMONY

Sunday’s ceremony welcoming the first Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft at the Graf Ignatievo Third Air Base is covered by the media.

24 Chasa: An exceptional day for the Bulgarian Air Force! We are marking the beginning of its rearmament, said Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov while “presenting” the first Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 fighter jet. A total of 16 such aircraft are expected to arrive from the U.S. by 2027. The first one landed at Graf Ignatievo Air Base on April 2, but its official unveiling took place on Sunday.

The event brought together Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, top defence officials, Susan Falatko, Charge d'Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Sofia, and Lockheed Martin’s General Manager Michael Shoemaker.

“Today we are celebrating aircraft with combat number 301, but we are also marking the beginning of a clear, unwavering, and irreversible ideological modernization of the Bulgarian Army. This is an ideological shift,” said the Prime Minister. He added that without rearmament, Bulgaria would not be able to respond adequately to modern threats. Zapryanov recalled that 2.5 to 3% of the GDP needs to be allocated to defence as soon as possible.

The remaining seven aircraft under the first contract are expected to arrive by the end of the year. The new American tariff rates will not affect payments under the contracts for the second batch of eight F-16s. Falatko assured that no issues are expected regarding additional fees or delivery delays.

In 2019, Bulgaria paid BGN 2.2 billion upfront for the first jets. The payments for the second batch of eight F-16s are spread out in installments. In December, the government approved BGN 38 million for transport, VAT, customs duties, and other expenses related to the execution of the international contracts for the first eight fighters.

WORLD

Capital: Major news continued to come from the United States, where in a new twist, President Donald Trump excluded smartphones and other consumer electronics from his strict “reciprocal” tariffs against China—a significant relief for large tech companies. The decision is likely part of the White House’s efforts to calm global markets after launching a large-scale trade war. However, it significantly undermines the Trump administration’s earlier calculations.

The economic uncertainty and unclear policies of President Trump are already discouraging many Europeans from traveling to the U.S. Visits from Western Europe dropped by 17% in March compared to a year earlier, according to data from the International Trade Administration, cited by The Financial Times. Overall, foreign visits to the U.S. have fallen by 12%. This trend poses a threat to the American tourism industry, which accounts for 2.5% of the country’s GDP.