site.btaMedia Review: April 8

OVERVIEW

No single topic dominates all media on Wednesday.

POLITICS

An op-ed by economist Boyan Durankev published by Trud lists the strategies implemented by the various political forces that have nominated candidates for the snap parliamentary elections scheduled for April 19. The text reads:

"These strategies are clearly distinct (some political forces employ several at once):

"1. Differentiating our leader and our organization is a vital task. This is followed by PB [Progressive Bulgaria], CC-DB [Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria], and the MRF [Movement for Rights and Freedoms].

"2. Loyalty to our party rather than the extent of our influence or participation in government reflects our strength. This is the view of GERB and the BSP - United Left.

"3. Retaining our loyal supporters is more important than gaining new ones. This is the view of Vazrazhdane and TISP [There Is Such a People].

"4. The impact of mass political marketing is meaningless. What matters most is positioning ourselves in front of our target audience. The MRF - New Beginning and the ARF [Alliance for Rights and Freedoms] are the undisputed leaders in this belief.

"5. Our voters have a special reason to vote only for us. This is the strategy employed by those criminal offenders who shower their target groups with money and goods (assuming them to be highly corrupt and even more gullible) to benefit a particular party.

"6. Our voters are a special kind of people, is what the BSP - United Left, Vazrazhdane, and CC-DB hope for.

"Twenty percent of our candidates for Parliament will bring us at least 50% more voters through their influence, relatives, and friends, which is why we will be putting popular names on our ballots. Which Bulgarian politician does not believe that?!"

Durankev describes these beliefs and strategies as wrong and failed, which is why PR experts and advertising agencies cannot explain to their clients why the promised results have not been achieved despite the high costs, which can reach millions of euro.

Commenting on Rumen Radev and his party PB, the author said: "All he needs to do is position himself against the 'old faces' from the other mainstream parties, as well as against the 'corrupt officials' in order to get noticed and remembered. No one believes that Radev will defeat the oligarchy, as he promises to do, [but people believe that] he will be able to rein in two or three of the other major 'players' – that is what is expected.

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In an interview for Nova TV quoted by Dnevnik.bg, Nadejda Iordanova, CC-DB's top-of-the-list candidate for Ruse's 19th multi-member constituency, said that Rumen Radev's attacks against the caretaker government show that he is aligning himself with the rhetoric of GERB leader Boyko Borissov and MRF - New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski. Iordanova criticized former president and PB leader Radev for taking a stance that distances him from the people protesting against the model of captured State instead of supporting efforts to ensure fair elections and to combat rigged elections. She stated that Bulgaria has Bulgaria has all the tools it needs to emerge from the political crisis, provided that the next Parliament focuses on ridding the system of dependencies and on defending democratic values.

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An article in 24 Chasa entitled "The competing parties: My Gen Z's are more than your Gen Z's" looks at the role that representatives of Generation Z play in the upcoming elections. The daily points out that hundreds of Gen Z members secured spots on the electoral ballots after coming to the attention of political parties during the anti-government protests in December 2025, when the streets were filled with young people, and political parties promised them greater representation on the ballots. There is not, however, a significant generational shift, since there is a total of 4,786 candidates for Parliament. Gen Z members account for about 11% of eligible voters.

The text reads: "Even during the winter protests, many were sceptical about how much young people understood about politics. Some even doubted whether they were fully aware of what they were fighting against, what they knew about the budget and coalitions, and what they envisioned happening once the government fell. Others, meanwhile, were eager for elections to be held as soon as possible so as not to miss the wave of protests and promised young protesters electable spots on the party lists to win their votes. In any case, the constitution allows any Bulgarian citizen who has reached the age of 21 to run for Parliament."

ECONOMY

In an interview for the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association Chair Svetoslav Benchev reported that crude oil prices are hovering around USD 95 a barrel on Wednesday morning, largely due to signs of a ceasefire between Iran and the United States. He said that while the prices are becoming stable, they are unlikely to fall back to their previous levels.

The expert warned that any drop in fuel prices at petrol stations would take time due to the damage to the energy infrastructure. He noted that Bulgaria is faring better than some Western European countries thanks to its own energy production and added: "We have a refinery that produces more than the country needs. Even a third of its capacity is enough to meet domestic demand." He warned of dire consequences, if the exemption allowing the Burgas refinery to continue operating is not extended. Benchev warned against implementing price caps, since those are non-market measures that could hinder supply.

The head of the Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association reported that natural gas price renegotiations with Azerbaijan are pending, and he expects contracted supplies to remain more cost-effective than spot market prices. He said that Bulgaria is in a better position than Western Europe in terms of gas reserves, because Bulgaria's gas storage facility is about 35% full, which is better than many countries in Western Europe.

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According to data from the Registry Agency cited by Trud, more than 600 residential properties are purchased across the country every working day. In the first three months of the year, 38,154 real estate transactions were recorded. That amounts to more than 420 purchases every day or to more than 600 transactions, if the non-working days are excluded. Sofia remains in first place in terms of the number of completed transactions, with 7,529 properties purchased between January and March. Plovdiv follows with 3,410 purchases, and Varna is third with 2,433. Home purchases are down compared to this time last year, since in 2025, there was a huge surge of excitement in the real estate market due to Bulgaria's upcoming entry into the eurozone, and many people rushed to buy before the euro was adopted at the start of 2026.

Bulgaria is among the EU Member States with the highest increase in housing prices, according to data from Eurostat cited by the daily. Across the EU as a whole, property prices rose by nearly 65 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to 2015. Over this 10-year period, housing prices in Hungary have nearly quadrupled with an increase of 290% and have more than doubled in 12 other EU Member States. Hungary is followed by Portugal with 180%, Lithuania with 168% and Bulgaria with 157%. Finland is the only Member State where housing prices dropped, specifically by 3%.

Commenting on the data from the Registry Agency, Dnevnik.bg wrote: "Even before the Agency announced the number of transactions, serious market commentators were getting on edge over hysterical analyses predicting a bubble burst, market crashes, and other such assessments. Gergana Tenekedzhieva, executive director of one of the major [real estate] agencies, Address, pointed out that, traditionally, every first quarter of the year is slow. But not in 2025, when the number of real estate transactions reached a 20-year high. With such a high baseline, any figure a year later will show a decline."

Tihomir Toshev, CEO of Credit Center LTD, also noted that 2026 started with the expected market slowdown and a decline in transactions of between 15 and 30% across the country’s various regions. Buyers are ready to purchase, but they are not buying at any price. Instead, they are looking for the best value for money.

BALKANS

In an interview for BNT, caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Nadezhda Neynsky stated that the current government of the Republic of North Macedonia is making every effort to circumvent the established European consensus on its potential accession to the European Union and to reopen related negotiations. She added that these efforts are primarily aimed at a domestic audience and ultimately constitute a waste of time, as such political manoeuvring takes precedence over fulfilling the commitments that have already been agreed upon. The Minister reported: "They [the government of the Republic of North Macedonia] claim that Bulgaria is constantly escalating its demands. That is not the case. And all well-meaning observers know this. Bulgaria simply wants to protect people who identify as Bulgarian. It wants to be sure that it has a neighbour with whom it can maintain normal political, economic, and cultural ties."

Neynsky said that the matter is not a bilateral one between Bulgaria and North Macedonia but a matter between North Macedonia and the EU, since North Macedonia wants to join the Union. She added: "It is only natural for a candidate country to align itself with this European consensus, which includes putting an end to hate speech and incorporating the Bulgarian minority, along with other minorities, into the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia."

TRAFFIC

In an article entitled "The court ruled that the Traffic Police's practice of revoking driving licences for unpaid auto third-party liability insurance is unlawful", Mediapool.bg reports that sanctions, revoking driving licenses, and removing licence plates are unlawful, unless the driver has by notified by the Traffic Police prior to having the sanctions imposed.

HEALTH

Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) Chair Nikolay Branzalov told the Bulgarian National Radio that the BMA is demanding a minimum 25% increase in the prices of all medical services provided to patients in Bulgaria. The professional organization reaffirmed its demand for immediate negotiations on an annex to the National Framework Agreement for Medical Activities and rejected caretaker Health Minister Michail Okoliyski's suggestion that this is a political demand.

Branzalov stated: "This is an extraordinary situation that calls for extraordinary measures. We can no longer use the lack of budget as an excuse. Healthcare cannot be an exception." He was adamant that prices can be negotiated. He added that if an annex cannot be signed now, then a bill to amend the law may be tabled in Parliament at the Minister's initiative.

On Tuesday, Okoliyski stated that updating the prices of clinical pathways is impossible without an allocated budget, and the entire process requires structural transformation. He emphasized that any actions must follow legal procedures and are initiated jointly by the BMA and the National Health Insurance Fund, with the Ministry acting solely as a mediator.

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In an interview for bTV quoted by 24 Chasa, the head of the Drug Enforcement Department at the National Customs Agency, Stefan Bakalov, reported that the level of drug use in Bulgaria is not much different from that in the rest of Europe. Marijuana and other cannabinoids are the most commonly used substances in Bulgaria, followed by amphetamines and cocaine. The trend in recent years has been toward semi-synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic opioids. Bakalov reported that while the mortality rate from fentanyl overdoses in Bulgaria is lower than that in the US, it is still high.

bTV reported that 47 people died of overdose in 2023, of whom five had used fentanyl. The following year, those numbers rose to 127 and 53 respectively.