site.btaMedia Review: June 28

HEADLINES

On its front page, Trud cites a Eurostat projection according to which Bulgarians will live significantly longer, with life expectancy going up by 15-16 years on average for men and by 12-13 years for women. This will necessitate an increase in retirement age, the daily notes. For 2025, the life expectancy in this country is forecast to be 72 years for men and 79 years for women. Bulgaria is currently ranked at the bottom among countries in Europe in terms of life expectancy, Trud adds.

Another Trud headline says: "Borissov Will Take Responsibility for Cabinet, Conditional on Having 80 MPs after New Elections". The daily quotes Boyko Borissov, leader of GERB, the largest party in the new legislation, as telling the media in the National Assembly on Thursday that the Parliament is very fragmented. He said that "only a magician can bring together parties that want to fight each other". The GERB leader noted that he would assume responsibility for forming a Cabinet if his party had 80 MPs, as opposed to the 68 MPs it currently has. "The solution is elections in the autumn," he added. The story is covered by Telegraph. 

Trud reproduces a TASS interview with Russia’s Ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, dedicated to the upcoming 145th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Russia.  

Duma quotes BSP for Bulgaria Floor Leader Borislav Gutsanov as saying in a declaration in Parliament on Thursday that hate speech has become a state policy in the Republic of North Macedonia. The Socialists consider unacceptable statements made by new Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, which "call into question the efforts to find a path towards good neighbourliness and to open the door to EU membership for North Macedonia".

Telegraph leads with a story headlined: "Ruja’s Brother Revives OneCoin". The daily quotes a Facebook post published by an account in the name of Konstantin Ignatov, the brother of Bulgarian-born German citizen Ruja Ignatova. She was accused of embezzling more than USD 4 billion, which she tricked people into investing in her cryptocurrency trading company, OneCoin, that proved to be a scam. The post reads as follows: "OES – the new company that has emerged from the ashes of OneCoin, is led by leaders who have demonstrated their ability to innovate and transform the cryptocurrency world". Telegraph adds that the company OES (short for ONE ECOSYSTEM) has an active page that says it is a network marketing platform.

In its lead story, 24 Chasa writes about a forum on quality education and responsible business that took place in Sofia on Thursday. The event was attended by European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Iliana Ivanova, caretaker Education and Science Minister Galin Tsokov, rectors, and leading employers.

Capital’s front page bears the headline: "Why Does Not Bulgarian Organic Farming Grow". Clean farming is on the rise in Europe, while it is still a tiny business in Bulgaria, the media outlet writes, adding that organic producers can be supported by subsidies, but bureaucracy, excessive control, and low demand prevent the sector from developing. Capital cites Eurostat data, according to which Bulgaria and Malta had the lowest share of organic farming in the EU in 2021.

POLITICS

Capital has a story headlined "GERB End Up in Situation to Be Entirely Dependent on Peevski". Although his party came in first in the June 9 snap parliamentary elections, GERB leader Boyko Borissov seems to be increasingly weakening politically, Capital says. It appears that GERB do not have a viable move despite being the first political force, and they may even become a "subcontractor" of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), although they will be formally in power. "The scenario is plausible given Borissov's intention to propose a minority government, as he announced during the week. However, GERB are worried that this government can easily be elected and the election will be orchestrated by [MRF Chairman] Delyan Peevski," Capital writes.

In a commentary in Trud, Assoc. Prof. Natalia Kiselova said that the efforts to form a government since the 45th National Assembly can be compared to Sisyphus’s rolling of the boulder up the hill in Tartarus. She notes that "none of the proposed formulas so far seems to gather enough parliamentary support to ensure stability and predictability in the life of the government".

Speaking on Bulgarian National Radio, political analyst Milen Zhelev said that a regular cabinet can only be formed with the first mandate. He believes that a consensus can be reached, and negotiations are underway with MRF (47 MPs), and "six MPs needed for a majority". "A regular cabinet with a 4-year horizon could pave the way for our accession to the euro area," Zhelev said.

Political analysts Parvan Simeonov, Elena Darieva, and Lyubomir Stefanov were guests at the Nova TV morning programme, where they discussed why parties in the 50th National Assembly cannot agree on a cabinet formation formula.

Whether the political formations in Parliament will find a way out of the political stalemate and agree on minority, programmatic or an expert cabinet was discussed by journalists Valeria Veleva and Plamena Ignatova, and PR expert Nidal Algafari appeared.

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Trud, Duma, and 24 Chasa report that on Thursday the Anti-Corruption Commission notified the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) that it had adopted a decision ascertaining an incompatibility of Andrey Gurov for the position of BNB Deputy Governor in charge of the Issue Department. Trud notes that Gurov was part of Continue the Change’s (CC) leadership for several months, is a member of the governing body of a non-profit legal entity, and is a partner in a company that trades in precious metals. 24 Chasa writes that CC view the decision as a way of eliminating potential caretaker prime ministers.
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On the Bulgarian National Television, caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov commented on President Rumen Radev’s decision not to accept the Council of Ministers' proposal to lead the Bulgarian delegation at the July 9-11 NATO Summit in Washington, D.C.

On Thursday, Radev said that he does not accept certain aspects of the framework positions on Bulgaria's commitments regarding the war in Ukraine adopted by the Cabinet on Wednesday.

"There is nothing wrong with the position, and there is nothing new about the assistance to Ukraine," Zapryanov said. He added that Bulgaria provides Ukraine with military equipment, ammunition, and anti-aircraft missile systems that are no longer needed. The Minister pointed out that Bulgaria gets compensated for the aid it provides under the European Peace Facility and international financial assistance. The country also gets financially compensated by allied countries that cannot provide Ukraine with arms and equipment, he added. 

RUSSIA’S AMBASSADOR TO BULGARIA 

In a TASS interview reproduced by Trud, Russian Ambassador in Sofia Eleonora Mitrofanova describes Russia-Bulgaria relations as "non-existent". She notes that "officials aren’t in touch, and Bulgaria keeps sabotaging efforts to solve even pressing non-political problems, specifically the operation of our diplomatic mission". "On the international stage, Sofia strictly follows Euro-Atlantic guidelines, joining all the illegal restrictions that Brussels and Washington introduce against our country, and even taking the initiative," Mitrofanova says.

She believes that the June 9 snap parliamentary elections in Bulgaria have not changed the country’s political landscape much.

"Russia and Bulgaria share a long and rich history that goes back much further than the establishment of diplomatic relations. Our common faith, writing system and Slavic ancestry are the reasons for the especially close ties that persist even in these troubled times. In our shared past, we have been through periods of both cooperation and severed diplomatic ties, which is why the current state of affairs cannot be described as unique. Nonetheless, it’s a shame that we are approaching a major anniversary of diplomatic relations in a state of confrontation," the Ambassador notes. She adds that the deterioration of bilateral relations and the lack of direct flights have reduced tourism exchanges to a minimum: of the 5.3 million foreign tourists who visited Bulgaria in 2023, only some 96,000 were Russian citizens. Mitrofanova adds that the consular section of the Russian embassy issued about a thousand tourist visas to Bulgarians last year.

ECONOMY

Capital carries a story about the European Commission (EC) and the European Central Bank (ECB) Convergence Reports from which it transpired that Bulgaria will not be able to adopt the euro as of January 1, 2025. The reports said that this country only fails to meet the price stability criterion. Capital notes that meeting all criteria will not automatically lead to the country entering the euro area. This will require the approval by the Council of the EU based on a proposal from the European Commission after the European Parliament and the ECB have given their opinions. In short, the final decision will be largely political, the media outlet writes.

Another Capital article cites the updated Integrated Energy and Climate Plan of Bulgaria, which envisages increased renewable energy production, the transition from solid fuels to natural gas to reduce carbon emissions, and the promotion of hydrogen project development. А fall in energy consumption and a huge rise in electricity exports are also envisaged in the document.

EDUCATION

Citing National Statistical Institute data made public on Thursday, Duma reports that the number of published books and pamphlets (10,361) in 2023 has gone down by 1,467, or 12.4%, compared to the previous year. Adult fiction makes up the largest share with 2,995 titles, followed by scientific literature (2,136), popular literature (2,022), educational literature (1,345), children’s and adolescent literature (1,548). The number of published translated titles was 2,688, with more than half of them being from English (57.7%), followed by translations from French (8.4%), German (5.9%), and Russian (5.9%). The highest number of books and pamphlets published was in Sofia Region (6,887), followed by Plovdiv Region (756) and Varna Region (625).

TRANSPORT

Mediapool reported on Thursday that Sofia's Interior Ministry Regional Directorate had asked Sofia Municipality to fence off the parking spaces and bike lanes introduced in April with the traffic reorganization of Sofia’s Vitosha Blvd, Patriarch Evtimiy Blvd, and Fridtjof Nansen St. The Directorate argued that the area constitutes a construction site that cannot be used and should be secured by a solid fence. The police referred to a Supreme Administrative Court ruling dated June 20, according to which the Municipality should suspend the traffic organization because the capital’s traffic plan expired in 2017 and a new one has not been adopted since.
During an inspection of the area the same day, caretaker Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov said that if the police order is not complied with, a fine of up to BGN 7,000 would be issued.
Interviewed by bTV on Friday, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev was adamant that fences will not be put up or the parking spaces on the boulevards removed. He said that they will appeal a potential fine, and if they do get fined after all, he will take responsibility and pay the fine himself. Terziev noted that the issue has been largely politicized, adding that they have complied with the ruling of the court and have stopped the reorganization accordingly. 

Stoyanov also appeared on the bTV morning programme to respond to Terziev.

The topic was discussed on Nova TV’s show by municipal councilors Anton Hekimyan of GERB-UDF and Stefan Spasov of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria – Save Sofia.

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24 Chasa has an extensive interview with Hristo Radkov, head of the Bulgarian Drivers' Association, who says that increasing fines for drunk and drugged motorists will not contribute to road safety but only increase corruption. He notes that the digitization of driver training services and activities proposed by the Transport Ministry will only serve as a burden to the industry and will not bring about any positive change. Radkov also comments on the recent traffic reorganization in downtown Sofia, describing it as forced and ineffective. Identifying the roads as the major problem for road safety, he adds that the money spent on the reorganization could have been invested in the repair of some 20,000 potholes in the city that have formed since last winter.

CRIME 

Trud and Telegraph write that the chat website coco.gg, believed to be a channel of communication for organized crime groups, has been shut down in an international investigation joined by Bulgaria’s General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and prosecution service.

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24 Chasa reports that television producer Niko Tuparev was detained by the police on Thursday evening for 72 hours following a tip-off from a partner of his. Tuparev has been charged with embezzling BGN 1.4 million. He is behind blockbuster TV shows in Bulgaria such as "Big Brother", "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", "Dancing Stars", "Deal or No Deal", "I Love Bulgaria", to name but a few. The story is covered by other dailies.

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Speaking on bTV’s morning show, Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov commented on the case of Bulgarian national Evelin "Brendo" Banev, who was wanted under Interpol Red Notices for participating in an organized crime group for money laundering in Bulgaria and for setting up an organized criminal group and drug trafficking in Romania since 2018. Stoyanov said that the Bulgarian authorities had not stopped searching for Banev and had conducted numerous searches and investigations while he was on the run. The Minister said he cannot comment on whether anyone has received money to assist Brendo in avoiding arrest. He recalled that the fugitive appeared before Sofia Prison on Monday with a valid ID and surrendered to the police after having been absconding from the authorities since his six-year sentence for money laundering was pronounced by the Supreme Court of Cassation in 2018.
Capital also has a story on Banev, who has been sentenced for drug trafficking to 20 years in prison in Italy and 10.5 years in Romania. The media outlet said that based on information they have received from their colleagues in Italy, Austria, and Germany, Swiss investigators have concluded that Brendo has high level contacts in the Bulgarian government.