site.btaMedia Review: August 1

POLITICS

Sega writes that at present, the chances of There Is Such a People (TISP) forming a government with the third mandate seem almost nil. So far, MPs from the group of the defunct Velichie party, loyal to Nikolay Markov, have expressed their readiness to assist in the formation of a government. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) MPs loyal to Ahmed Dogan did the same. Together with TISP, this makes a total of 47 people. Trud and 24 Chasa write that the number has gone up to 48. Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) said on Wednesday that they will hold a meeting to decide whether to support the third mandate. So far, however, the coalition has not announced its decision. On Wednesday, GERB-UDF reiterated that they will not support the third mandate, but argued that it is good that talks are being held now, because they can be a basis for the next National Assembly. TISP will hold meetings with the Bulgarian Socialist Party on Thursday, Vazrazhdane and CC-DB on Friday, and GERB-UDF on Saturday. TISP will not meet with MRF MPs loyal to Delyan Peevski.  Mediapool, 24 Chasa Trud, Telegraph also report on the negotiations.

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On the air of Bulgarian National Television (BNT) on Thursday morning, journalist Valeriya Veleva commented that the opposition at all levels of Bulgarian politics, between all players, between all institutions, speaks of a complete exhaustion of the political model. She predicted a very difficult period ahead in the next years. Political analyst Slavi Vasilev said that the exhaustion of the political model does not mean that the political elite is able to offer an alternative. He argued that the country is in a zugswang, a situation where whatever move is taken, it will be wrong because neither the political system can be changed nor are any players willing to leave it. The sociological data points to any new elections reproducing the same situation, said political scientist Petar Cholakov.

On Thursday morning, bTV presented data regarding a possible snap election in October from a survey by Market Links, financed and implemented jointly with bTV and conducted among 1,008 persons over 18 years of age in the country in the period July 20-28. Some 44% of respondents were in favour of October elections. GERB-UDF would receive 23% of votes and CC-DB would receive 15.3%, followed by MRF (12.8%), Vazrazhdane (11%), BSP (6.9%), and TISP (5.2%).

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Telegraph, Trud, 24 Chasa, Mediapool and Sega quoted National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan who stated that she would refuse if invited by President Rumen Radev to take up the post of caretaker Prime Minister. Sega explains that thus, the possible list of senior civil servants who can become caretaker prime ministers is getting shorter as more people drop out. Radev, in turn, warned about this in a comment before the media on Wednesday. Amendments to the Constitution adopted last year state that the president can choose a caretaker prime minister among a list of government positions, such the National Assembly Chair, Bulgarian National Bank Governor, etc. Radev recalled that when it came time to choose for the first time, some of the potential candidates for the post resigned or publicly stated that they could not take on the job. In his criticism towards the Constitutional changes, Radev also noted that in the future, the people who occupy the mentioned government positions will be chosen not only according to their professional qualities, but also according to the expectation that they might become prime ministers. This distorts the very process of appointing people to these positions, Radev argued.

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24 Chasa, Trud, Mediapool, Sega, Telegraph quote MRF leader Delyan Peevski, who found an "unexpected" culprit for the split in his party, blaming President Rumen Radev, whom he continued to call by the nickname "Mr. Cash". Sega recalls that the MRF split broke out after Peevski himself began to remove party cadres close to the honourary leader Ahmed Dogan from their posts. Peevski also accused Radev of trying to oust National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan from her post, due to her being a potential caretaker prime minister, and Radev wanting to secure a convenient head of the caretaker government. Later, Nazaryan herself refuted these claims.

Telegraph, 24 Chasa and Trud quote President Rumen Radev, who addressed Peevski's remarks, telling the press on Wednesday that he is unable to comment on other people's conspiracy theories. "Without a doubt, aspiring to govern an entire country while seemingly struggling to manage your own party would naturally induce nervousness," Radev said. "Do you not think that the media has been preoccupied with the personal anxieties and concerns of this gentleman for too long, trying to present them as a public issue? This is not a public issue but a personal drama that is naturally heading towards its conclusion," he added.

24 Chasa writes that the two fractions of the MRF may block each other from participating in the probable upcoming elections if they do not resolve their issues by then. Associate Professor Borislav Tsekov  said that the Central Election Commission cannot register two parallel lists of the same party. If all the documents are in order, they should register the first one on time. After that, those who are dissatisfied can appeal.

Trud quotes Timur Halilov, the unofficial spokesman of the faction of MRF MPs who were expelled from Peevski's parliamentary group, who said that Peevski was fired by MRF honourary leader Ahmed Dogan, has lost the trust of all regional structures of the party and only represents his own opinion. Trud notes that most of the regional MRF structures are actually on Peevski's side. Halilov refused to comment on Delyan Peevski's claims about interference by President Rumen Radev in the process of splitting the MRF. 

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Medaiapool, 24 Chasa quote President Rumen Radev, who criticized the caretaker government on issues related to aviation. Radev, who was formerly commander of the Air Force, spoke out against the appointment of the former head of the National Service for Protection, General  Todor Kodzheykov, as head of the government's Air Force 28, calling it one of the Cabinets's "unmotivated personnel changes". In addition, Radev argued that the Air Force should receive funds for aerial firefighting equipment, instead of  the Ministry of the Interior. Kodzheykov was quietly appointed at the end of June to replace General Zlatko Zlatev. 

Trud quotes Transport Minister Georgi Gvozdeikov, who defined Radev's comment as speculation and said that the reason for Zlatev's removal were systemic administrative violations. 

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

24 Chasa and Sega write that the caretaker Cabinet initiated a procedure for approving a memorandum that would allow Turkish fighter jets to fly into Bulgarian airspace during operations, including when pursuing violators. The government approved at its regular meeting a draft memorandum of understanding between the governments of Bulgaria and Turkiye regarding cross-border air policing operations. The agreement will also have to be voted on by the National Assembly. Bulgaria has had similar agreements for years with Romania and Greece. 

Telegraph reports that an organized criminal network for the trafficking of migrants through Bulgaria was broken up during an operation by the Romanian authorities and the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime at the Ministry of the Interior on Monday.  Eight people, Romanians and Syrians, were detained in custody. The suspects were transporting migrants from Bulgaria to Romania and then to Western Europe. Cross-border cooperation and coordination between countries was carried out with the assistance of Europol.

Sega reports that the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and Vazrazhdane, which are both known for their pro-Russian positions, successively held meetings with the Deputy Minister of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chen Zhou, who visited Sofia at the head of a party delegation. The representatives of the BSP and the CCP discussed the possibilities of deepening their cooperation.

Telegraph and Sega report that a sniper team lead by Major Plamen Nikolov and Senior Lieutenant Ane Anev from the Military Police Service took first place in the team standings in the Adjutant General Sniper Match, which took place from July 20 to July 31 at the Tennessee National Guard Range, in Tullahoma, USA. The team scored a total of 734 points. In the individual ranking, Senior Lieutenant Anev was in first place with 286 points. 

FIRES

A main topic in all publications on Thursday were still the raging fires ravaging the country. Trud and 24 Chasa quote caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, who defined the situation in the country and near the Slavyanka Mountain at the border with Greece as complicated. 

Telegraph, Sega and Mediapool report of a fire in a waste processing enterprise near the village of Tsaratsovo, near Plovdiv. BNT's morning programme on Thursday quoted Chief Inspector Dimitar Brishimov, Deputy Director of Fire Safety and Protection of the Population-Plovdiv, who said that the fire has been extinguished. 

Sega, Trud, Nova and bTV report that two Swedish planes are replacing the French ones in the fight against a fire in Southwestern Bulgaria. The situation with the fires in the Blagoevgrad region is quite serious, but there is no danger for the settlements and citizens there, caretaker Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov told journalists in the Council of Ministers. "Bulgaria is in dire need of an aircraft and helicopters for firefighting," Stoyanov stressed, quoted by 24 Chasa. 

Trud, Telegraph and Sega quote National Investigation Service spokesperson Marian Marinov, who said that there is some clarity as to what caused last week's fire at the warehouses for fireworks and pyrotechnics near Elin Pelin (Western Bulgaria), due to witness statements. Telegraph adds that the victims of the fire have have been identified as T.P., 22 years old, and S.M., 60 years old. The cause of their death was barotrauma. Pyrotechnics specialist Associate Professor Petar Shishkov and his 20-year-old daughter also died in the explosions.

Trud, Sega, Telegraph report that a dose for one shell exploded in a shell-filling machine in a subsidiary of TEREM Holding based in Kostenets (Western Bulgaria) on Wednesday afternoon. No one was injured. The subsidiary manufactures ammunition and pyrotechnics and repairs ammunition and weapons. The incident occurred during test activities. There is no danger to the population. An investigation was carried out and there will be no pre-trial proceedings, as there were no casualties and no property damage, stated caretaker Defence Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov. 

HOME AFFAIRS

Telegraph reports that the project for double-decker trains is being dropped. The reason is that no large manufacturer is hired to produce them in the extremely short period in which the state wants them delivered and certified, until August 2026. The country is obliged to complete the project in this period if it does not want to lose money from the European Union under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (nearly BGN 3 billion). The turn came after the Polish division of the global giant Stadler abandoned a signed contract for the supply of seven double-decker locomotives. This leaves the Transport Ministry with the only option to abandon double-decker trains altogether and direct the money to another type of train. 

Trud, Telegraph, Mediapool report that MPs adopted unanimously with 152 votes first reading changes to the Child Protection Act, introduced by Kostadin Angelov, Denitsa Sacheva and Lachezar Ivanov from GERB-UDF about limiting the use of vape substances for underage users. 

Trud, Telegraph and BNT report that customs officials discovered 1,407 liters of illegal ethyl alcohol during inspections along the Black Sea. Illegal alcohol with an alcohol content above 41 degrees was found in three sites, the Customs Agency reported. The largest amount of 922 liters of illegal alcohol in plastic bottles and cans was found in a restaurant and a storage room in an ethnic complex near the city of Pomorie. The alcohol was offered to customers as homemade.

ECONOMY

Trud, 24 Chasa report that Fitch Ratings has affirmed the long-term credit rating of the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) at "BBB", Outlook Positive. This is practically the highest possible rating for BDB. It reflects the possibility for support from the Bulgarian government, the bank's positive financial result, its strong capital position and its increasing role in financing public policies.

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Sega and Mediapool quote former finance minister Assen Vassilev who was the first to announce a specific amount of funds (BGN 1 billion) that the European Commission will freeze under the the second payment of the Recovery and Resilience Plan. This practically means that Bulgaria will receive a very symbolic amount. For the second payment, Bulgaria expected EUR 653 million or BGN 1.27 billion. If Vassilev is right, only BGN 278 million will go into the treasury. Bulgaria has a 6-month deadline to accept the delayed measures or lose the amount permanently. More and more MPs are admitting that no money will be received under the second payment, with speeches attempting to politically apportion blame and normalize the failure, Sega comments.

Former caretaker deputy prime minister for management of European funds Atanas Pekanov said on the air of BNT that the situation regarding the Recovery and Resilience Plan is catastrophic. "The reasons are complex. First of all, this instrument is difficult, and some institutions do not have the capacity to do their work. During the Denkov cabinet, even functioning institutions were changed, closed, directorates were moved from the Council of Ministers to the Ministry of Finance and this wasted time for the experts to work. This is the reason why we are not spending the funds already received," Pekanov explained.

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24 Chasa writes that caretaker Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov asked MPs to extend the negotiations with Ukraine for the purchase of equipment and reactors for the Belene NPP,  by 180 days. He recalled that he proposed it to the National Assembly with a report dated June 28. The Minister joined the debate in the parliamentary energy committee after the MPs rejected two proposals for the equipment - the BSP's proposal to stop the negotiations and actions on the sale of the equipment altogether, and TISP's proposal to remove the steam generators from the equipment for sale in order to provide them to the Kozloduy NPP, due to the frequent problems with the steam generator of Unit VI.

Trud, 24 Chasa, Sega, Mediapool write that from July 1 until the end of 2024, all non-domestic electricity users, including companies, hospitals, schools, public institutions, etc., will be compensated for electricity prices higher than BGN 180 per megawatt hour. The caretaker Cabinet approved this measure on Wednesday, after the National Assembly required adopting a new assistance programme following the sudden increase in the price of electricity on the stock exchange in the last month. The new compensations will be provided to consumers after approval by the European Commission.

Trud, Telegraph and Sega report on Wednesday's protest of vine growers and winemakers in Pomorie against the increased control in the transport of this product from the vineyards to the processing plants. The National Revenue Agency stated that grapes are among the high fiscal risk goods most often used in VAT fraud schemes and that is why they were included in the list of goods with high fiscal risk back in 2016. Grape producers and processors are against new requirements, which require for for each truck with grapes that departs from the vineyards to be electronically declared to the National Revenue Agency in advance in terms of quantity and destination. Their reasons are that there are no scales in the field, nor an Internet connection to send the electronic declarations. In practice, the new requirements are inapplicable.

Mediapool, 24 Chasa report that a project from the socialist era, which GERB attempted to revive during their first ruling mandate in 2009, to build a complex on the Danube between the Bulgarian city of Nikopol and the Romanian Turnu Magurele, producing electricity from the current of the river, managed to gain support before the European Commission. It has passed a successful evaluation and is included together with two other projects of member countries in the list of cross-border renewable energy projects of the European Union. The final approval of the list and its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union is pending.

Mediapool reports an increase in trust in digital assets and in the number of crypto users, according to a survey of the licensed financial institution Triple-A for 2024. In Bulgaria, a remarkable growth of the holders of crypto assets was reported - from 150,302 to 407,000 in just one year. Thus, 6.15% of the Bulgarian population owns and uses cryptocurrencies, almost as much as the world average. This significant rate of adoption shows the increasing commitment of Bulgarians to digital assets, especially against the background of the global surge of cryptocurrency holders, said the Bulgarian office of Binance, one of the global blockchain ecosystems and exchange for digital assets in the world.

HEALTHCARE

Telegraph, Mediapool report that due to the spread of whooping cough in the country, the period of anti-epidemic measures is extended until the end of the year. In the last reporting week of July 21-28, 88 cases of whooping cough were registered in the country, according to the data of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. Since the beginning of the year, 2,231 cases of the disease have been registered in the country. For the same period last year, eight cases were registered. At the beginning of April 2024, two babies who were infected with whooping cough died in two hospitals of the capital, and both children had not reached the age of two months.