site.btaMedia Review: June 24

HEADLINES

The main topics in Bulgarian media on Monday are related to politics – the newly elected Parliament following the June 9 two-in-one elections and potential regular government formation between the seven parties in the 50th National Assembly. 

The discussion topics on the morning programmes of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), bTV, and Nova TV were mainly political. Other topical issues were a recent pipe spill in Bulgaria’s northern Black Sea shore, the Dobrich Region, the alarmingly hot weather and fire outbreaks in southeastern Bulgaria. 

The Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) had an interview with former defence minister and Founder and Chairman of the Sofia Security Forum Yordan Bozhilov. He commented on Bulgaria’s representation in the upcoming NATO summit on July 9-11, 2024. 

Trud’s main frontpage headline reads that a regular government is possible no earlier than July, otherwise snap elections will follow in October. 24 Chasa leads with extreme weather conditions and what rules the state is to follow in preventing heavy hailstorms. Its political highlights are on the possible political moves of the last two parties that entered Parliament – There Is Such a People (TISP), and the party Velichie (Grandeur). Telegraph’s top story is on the price of preparing a child for the start of the school year in September.

Internationally wanted Bulgarian Evelin "Brendo" Banev turning himself to the police was all over Bulgarian online media on Monday. Banev has been absconding from the Bulgarian authorities since his six-year sentence for money laundering was pronounced by Bulgaria’s Supreme Court of Cassation in 2018. He was not found on the territory of the country when the sentence was handed down and was declared wanted. The Sofia City Prosecution Office subsequently issued a European Arrest Warrant for Banev. 

ECONOMY 

BNR has an interview with Blagovesta Vasilieva and Nikolay Vasiliev, whose organic cattle farm, the largest in Europe, is affected by new rules for renting pastures. “The farm is facing its biggest challenge yet - to survive,” Vasiliev said. The reason is that as of 2024 Bulgaria’s National Parks introduced new rules for renting high mountain pastures for cattle, which severely limited the available land. Their farm has 2,000 animals, but they only have 293 permits to graze high in the mountains this year.

HOME AFFAIRS 

BNR has an article on the wrap-up of the tenth edition of an educational programme of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Education Ministry entitled "Judiciary, Informed Choice and Civil Trust, Open Courts and Prosecution Offices". Kapka Mileva from the Investigation Department of the Sofia City Prosecution Office told BNR that since 2023, the programme has worked with eighth-graders from all types of schools. “We don't lecture, it's a bore. The kids are constantly asking questions related to their daily lives, things that interest them,” she noted. Mileva said that in the first years the programme was mostly oriented at the general conduct of the topics on the structure, functions, and organs of the judiciary. She emphasized that over the years the direction has shifted a bit in Bulgarian society, and accordingly, the initiative changed its focus. “Recently, we have witnessed an increase in aggression, which has led us to have conversations with them aimed at preventing child violence, preventing hooliganism," she said. Mileva pointed out that many young people are unaware that every right is associated with a certain duty. According to her, once they understand what a duty is, they will change their worldview. 

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The top story in 24 Chasa highlights that a rare phenomenon was the cause of an unprecedented hailstorm that fell over the town of Shipka on June 13 and caused extensive damage. In the words of Stefan Georgiev, director of the Regional Hail Fight Directorate, the phenomenon can be compared to a tornado. The owners of 10 car dealerships in the village of Sheremetya suffered the most. Over 400 cars, vans and caravans were smashed. The sellers announced a sell-out. Older and mainstream models - at half price, and shiny limousines up to 30% down in price. Georgiev said that an unusual hailstorm cloud originated in the region of Botevgrad, and moved southeast along the ridge of the Balkan Mountains. “Its parameters grew to a horizontal plane of 20 km and its height - up to 16 km," Georgiev said. The range of the directorate north of the village of Sheinovo was shelled with 107 rockets within an hour. The cloud then entered the area of the range in Staro Selo, where it was also shelled. Because of the size and height of the cloud, it was very difficult for the rockets to deter it. Georgiev made the clarification that at the time when it was over the town of Shipka, they were not allowed to fire for the safety of the people.

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Caretaker Tourism Minister Evtim Miloshev commented on the morning programme of Nova TV the presence of intestinal enterococci and Escherichia coli found by the health authorities. He said that within 2 or 3 days it will be possible to swim in the sea near Kranevo without any constraints. Samples are expected to return to normal. Miloshev said repairs to the treatment plant will be completed in 10 days. "It is a kilometre inland. The collector pipes go from there, go under the beach and have a discharge point where the treated water is poured - 300 metres into the sea. Twice every month there is monitoring of the purity of the Black Sea water, which is reported to the European Commission," he added.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Rumen Radev and caretaker Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dimitar Glavchev will participate in the upcoming NATO Summit on July 9 - 11 in Washington, it became clear on Friday, June 21. Former defence minister and Founder and Chairman of the Sofia Security Forum Yordan Bozhilov told BNR that "It has come to this state because of domestic political situation in Bulgaria. From NATO's point of view, there is no issue because each country has only one seat, regardless of who is in the delegation. That is why participation is so important, because the votes of the countries are equal and even if only one country disagrees with some of the documents, a decision cannot be adopted." He noted that no matter who the prime minister is, he will be representative of Bulgaria at the NATO summit. According to Bozhilov, there are no major differences on key NATO issues such as building up defence, spending more on armament for the Bulgarian army. There is also no divergence in the positions that NATO's Eastern flank should be bolstered. The main differences are over the issues of Ukraine. 

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Nova TV had a live interview with Vladimir and Margarita of the family name Shurupov, who escaped Russia when the country attacked Ukraine. Invasive cardiologist Dr. Vladimir Shurupov from Tomsk came to Bulgaria after the war. He disagrees with the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine. "I escaped to Armenia, and I got a Czech visa, but we chose Bulgaria because we have family members here," he says. Margarita is a journalist for an independent media in Russia and faced danger if she remained there. Vladimir is 42 years old with a PhD degree. He has been studying and practicing his profession in Tomsk for over 15 years. Fleeing from the Russian Federation to Bulgaria, he started his life all over again. "For a year and a half I worked on a construction site - hard physical labor, but with very nice Bulgarian people. I practised my Bulgarian," he adds.

JUSTICE

Two of the worst crashes in the country are being investigated by the Sofia District Prosecution Office - in the Echemishka tunnel and near Svoge, where 20 people died. Prof. Hristina Lulcheva-Gugumanova, spokesperson and deputy district prosecutor of Sofia, talks to 24 Chasa about the difficulties encountered by the prosecutors, what distinguishes these cases, what needs to be changed in the legislation in order to have speedier justice in road accidents, and what other crimes the district prosecutors are working on.