site.btaMedia Review: July 1

All media report on Bulgarian President Rumen Radev who Monday handed a cabinet-forming mandate to Rosen Zhelyazkov in his capacity as prime minister-designate of GERB-UDF. Zhelyazkov was ready with a cabinet proposal and proceeded to read out the proposed structure and composition. Following is the list of proposed lineup: Rosen Zhelyazkov (Prime Minister), Tomislav Donchev (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth), Lyudmila Petkova (Minister of Finance), Daniel Mitov (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Kalin Stoyanov (Minister of Interior), Nikolay Nankov (Minister of Regional Development and Public Works), Atanas Zapryanov (Minister of Defence), Mariya Pavlova (Minister of Justice), Krasimir Valchev (Minister of Education and Science), Temenuzhka Petkova (Minister of Economy and Industry), Kostadin Angelov (Minister of Health), Delyan Dobrev (Minister of Energy), Ivelina Vasileva (Minister of Environment and Water), Denitsa Sacheva (Minister of Social Policy and Public Works), Vladimir Temelkov (Minister of Electronic Governance), Lyuben Dilov (Minister of Culture), Georgi Tahov (Minister of Agriculture and Food), Georgi Gvozdeykov (Minister of Transport and Communications), Evtim Miloshev (Minister of Tourism), and Krasen Kralev (Minister of Youth and Sports).

At the early parliamentary elections on June 9, the GERB-UDF coalition won the largest number of legislative seats, 68, and has the right to the first attempt to put together a government.

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Discussing the topic, the Trud daily publishes an analysis on the possible outcomes for Bulgaria’s political future if the first and the second government-forming mandates failed to be fulfilled by GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), respectively. The analysis is titled "The President Can Throw the Country into Chaos" and argues that if it comes to handing the third mandate, Rumen Radev's move will be decisive for the fate of the 50th National Assembly.

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Nova TV aired a debate on the topic with political scientist Rumyana Kolarova, media expert Georgi Lozanov and journalist Ilhan Anday. Kolarova said that if GERB's draft cabinet does not get the necessary support, this will certainly be interpreted as a weakness of GERB. Lozanov stressed: "It is good that we have not reached the point to have to make a coalition with Vazrazhdane – here is something optimistic. But otherwise, of course it is good for GERB and Boyko Borissov to make a cabinet". In turn, Anday argued that the self-confidence demonstrated by Borissov and GERB's most authoritative man - Rosen Zhelyazkov, as well the cabinet proposal, shows that they have not wasted their time in recent days.

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Political scientist Georgi Prodanov told the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) that Rosen Zhelyazkov is the man whose level of public reputation is the highest among all GERB members. "But to what extent does the construction of this cabinet depend on him? We all know that Borissov stands behind him," Prodanov emphasized. In his words, GERB's cabinet proposal is either a desire to demonstrate that there is some period of calming of the political situation, for which GERB takes all the responsibility, or it is a move by Borissov to demonstrate that he is not in the arms of MRF leader Peevski and does not depend so much on the MRF. "For me, this cabinet carries messages aimed at the MRF [...] Peevski is put in a situation where there are two possible options. One is to support the cabinet with some standard explanation that stability is needed. The other is to refuse support - this is less likely, but should not be ruled out," the political scientist further commented.

NEW BULGARIAN CHURCH PATRIARCH

Online and print media report that Bulgaria’s new Patriarch, Daniil of Vidin, will celebrate his first liturgy as Head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) on July 1. Day earlier, on June 30, Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin was elected Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia by the delegates of the Patriarchal Electoral Church Council. The new Bulgarian Patriarch was elected on a ballot between Metropolitan Gregory of Vratsa and Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin. 69 delegates voted for Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin, 66 for Metropolitan Grigory of Vratsa, and there were three invalid ballots.

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In an BNR interview, theologian Prof. Dimitar Popmarinov commented on analysts' claims that new Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil is pro-Russian, and his position stands against the recognition of the Ukrainian Church. "I don't find any Russophilia in this respect. There are principles in the church. He [Daniil] is taking a purely canonical approach," he stressed. Popmarinov believes that Patriarch Daniil’s position does not put BOC’s independence at risk, but on the contrary - this is how he will strengthen it. "We are between two ecclesiastical powers - Constantinople and Moscow. It will take him a lot of effort to keep a balance in this regard," Popmarinov further said.

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In another BNR interview, theologian Prof. Ivan Zhelev said that the important thing is that the Bulgarian church has its new Patriarch. "In terms of relations with the other Orthodox Churches, we expect the new Patriarch to be more active, to maintain good relations with Orthodoxy, regardless of the regime in the respective country where a church lives and operates. We are servants of God. We should have good relations with the Russian Church, and with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and with other countries, to draw from them and be assisted by them," Zhelev underscored.

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The 24 Chasa daily publishes an interview with Prof. Klara Toneva of the Faculty of Theology at the Sofia University, who commented on the election of Bulgaria’s new Patriarch, Daniil of Vidin. According to Toneva, Patriarch Daniil is a strict monk who will involve the young, and his election is a sign that there is a generational change in the Holy Synod. He leaves the impression of an intelligent, theologically prepared and well-read shepherd, she says. "I am convinced that our entire Holy Synod will work with His Holiness as the first among equals. [...] His Holiness is young, which implies energy, drive and attitude to today’s problems, especially those concerning the younger generation. The Church is characterized by its adherence to tradition, but at the same time its gaze is forward, towards eternity. [...] The Patriarch is like our father, he is our spiritual leader, especially in times that are overwhelming and difficult, such as the last decade or two. That is why a steadfast man, zealous in his faith, faithful to tradition, should head the BOC. And tradition is not just holding on to the past, but looking forward as well. In that sense, we need a humble monk, a strong prayer leader, because prayer is a great power, even though it may not sound serious to secular people," Toneva adds.

PENSIONS

Another topic that is thoroughly covered in Monday’s media is that of pensions in Bulgaria being increased by 11% as of July 1. The increase applies to more than 2 million pensioners. The minimum retirement pension becomes BGN 580.57, and the social old-age pension is also increased to BGN 307.07. Payment of the higher pensions is due to start next Monday, 8 July.

HOME AFFAIRS

Speaking to the Bulgarian National Television, Andrey Yankulov, senior legal expert at the non-governmental Anti-Corruption Fund, argued that the Interior Ministry lacks a management plan and the institution takes it one day at a time. "The Interior Ministry has a tradition of wholesale replacement of all kinds of personnel every time the political leadership changes. Basically, the idea with such power structures of the state is that they should be as politically neutral as possible. And the people who lead them - yes, they will have some political profile, but it cannot be strictly partisan," Yankulov explained. "There is no plan for the Ministry’s management, everything is day-to-day and, therefore, we see the results of this mismanagement [...] Any such thing, like the Brendo case, is a political issue. Especially such a high profile one. He has been convicted in several countries for drug trafficking. In any case, it will stir up the political system here", the expert added, commenting on the Interior Ministry’s information that Evelin "Brendo" Banev had entered the territory of Bulgaria in the period from late March 2022 to early June 2022 by plane. Evelin "Brendo" Banev, known as Bulgaria's cocaine king, who has been wanted under Interpol Red Notices since 2018 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, surrendered to the Bulgarian authorities on June 24 and is currently held at Sofia's Central Prison.

ENERGY

Trud publishes an analysis on the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission's (EWRC) proposal to drop the cap on tap water prices. This would allow water prices for households to rise without limit, as long as the higher prices are justified by the business plan of the water company. Currently, there is a requirement for the price of water to be socially affordable so that all people have access to water. This means that for a minimum monthly consumption of 2.8 cubic metres per person, the price of water should not exceed 2.5% of the average monthly household income. The publication also discusses EWRC’s approval of a 1.77% average increase of the prices of electricity for household consumers in Bulgaria for the 12-month period from July 1, 2024, until June 30, 2025.

CONSTRUCTION

Trud has an interview with Savin Kovachev of the Bulgarian Construction Chamber (BCC) on BCC’s Roadmap for implementation of investment ideas related to construction. The Roadmap serves as a practical guide for citizens and companies from the very beginning of the process of purchasing or evaluating a site for construction, to its commissioning and subsequent insurance actions. Kovachev is among the creators of the Roadmap and an expert in legislation concerning the construction industry. One of the most common challenges faced by ordinary citizens is their encounter with the so-called grey sector in construction. For this reason, one of BCC’s main tasks is to counter the sector’s informal economy by recommending and following up on construction works that must be carried out by registered builders, Kovachev explains. In his words, there is a wide choice of registered builders in Bulgaria. There are some 7,000 companies that are registered in the Central Professional Register of Builders. Kovachev advises anyone who wants to choose a builder to check whether the company they are hiring is registered there. The platform is public, electronic and this way individuals and companies can check to make sure they are working with legitimate construction companies.