site.btaMedia Review: January 23

HEADLINES

Duma’s top story is about the release of Bulgarian crew members from the Galaxy Leader ship – Captain Lyubomir Chanev and First Officer Danail Veselin – on Wednesday. The two were held captive for 430 days by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis after their vessel was seized off the Yemeni Red Sea coast in November 2023. The story is also on the front pages of Telegraph and 24 Chasa.

24 Chasa’s leading article reports that the European Union (EU) is considering offering cash incentives for consumers to purchase electric cars, aiming to support the EU’s struggling automobile industry. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the plan at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.

On its front page, Telegraph writes about a widespread issue of train drivers in the state-owned railway system stealing fuel. The daily notes that this not only harms the railways’ financial stability but also creates major safety risks, as key traffic safety rules tend to be violated. One way of saving fuel involves skipping "unnecessary manoeuvres" at stations – a practice that, according to the daily, was used by the state railway staff before last week’s deadly crash near Sofia occurred. The collision between a state-owned freight train and a private railway carrier resulted in two deaths.

Trud reports on proposed amendments to the Measures Against the Financing of Terrorism Act, which are currently open for public consultation. The changes would prevent real estate brokers and legal advisers from practicing their profession if they have relatives who have been convicted of deliberate crimes, have headed bankrupt companies, or if there is other questionable information about their reliability.

POLITICS

Mediapool.bg reports on the distribution of leadership posts in parliamentary standing committees Wednesday among government coalition partners GERB – UDF, BSP – United Left, and There Is Such a People (TISP), and the Democracy, Rights and Freedoms (DRF) Parliamentary Group, which backed the Cabinet during its election. The media outlet recalls that it was decided at the first meeting of the Joint Governance Council on Tuesday that opposition parties would not be given leadership posts, with only deputy chairmanship seats allocated to CC – DB, Vazrazhdane, MRF – New Beginning, and Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh). However, the nationalist Vazrazhdane party ultimately assumed leadership of the Committee on Policies for Bulgarians Abroad after TISP relinquished the post.

24 Chasa also covers the topic, noting that National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova will serve on two committees: the Committee on Direct Participation of Citizens, Citizens’ Complaints and Interaction with Civil Society and the Committee on Human Rights and Religion. Telegraph adds that GERB will head 10 committees, BSP and TISP will each lead 4, and DRF will lead 5.

Speaking on Nova TV’s morning programme, political analyst Tatyana Burudzhieva and journalist Vladimir Yonchev shared their views on how the National Assembly will function after the election of the leaders of the standing committees. Yonchev noted that "there is neither a clear ruling majority capable of pushing through policies nor an opposition that can serve as an alternative".

The newly formed government was also the main topic of an interview that deputy prime minister and finance minister Simeon Djankov’s interview gave for 24 Chasa.

Speaking on the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), GERB – UDF Deputy Floor Leader Denitsa Sacheva said that the political entities in the coalition have "many differences, both ideological and in terms of their views of what is best for the country," citing healthcare, education, and economic and tax policies as key areas of disagreement. She described the current government as "extremely fragile", noting that "each party is aware that they must make uneasy compromises to work together." She highlighted the critical state of the budget, adding that "difficult negotiations are yet to begin".

BSP – United Left MP Gabriel Valkov was a guest on the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) programme, where he said that the coalition’s "goal is to guide this country out of the political crisis". He added that the next major task will be the appointment of deputy ministers. Valkov noted that balance is sought after, adding that "each party has a representative in every ministry so that the parties can control one another".

Also on BNT’s morning programme, TISP Deputy Floor Leader Stanislav Balabanov said that the state of the country’s financial indicators is very poor. However, he added that the coalition partners have agreed not to raise taxes.

According to Dnevnik.bg, citing an Alpha Research poll conducted between January 15 and 20 among 1,000 adult Bulgarians, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s government began its term with 39% approval and 29% disapproval. The last government to start with relatively high approval was Kiril Petkov’s, which had 35% approval and 23% disapproval. Public opinion on Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov remains divided: 29% trust him, 26% distrust him, and 46% of respondents have yet to form an opinion, according to the poll. President Rumen Radev has seen a 5% increase in his approval ratings in less than a year, reaching 44% approval compared to 31% disapproval.

ECONOMY

Duma reports an increase in work-related accidents in 2024. According to the latest data from the National Social Security Institute, there were 2,823 occupational accidents last year, up by 114 compared to 2023. Most of these accidents involved workers in retail trade (299 cases), land transport (216), and public administration (190). The number of fatal accidents at work stood at 64 in 2024, down from 87 in 2023.

Citing Bulgarian National Bank data from the last quarter of 2024, Telegraph writes about counterfeit BGN 2 notes being still in circulation. The BGN 2 note was withdrawn from use in 2021 and replaced by a coin, yet two BGN 2 counterfeit notes were sized between October and December 2024. Similar cases were reported in the second quarter of 2021 and 2022.

FREED BULGARIAN SAILORS

The Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) features an interview with Bulgarian MEP Elena Yoncheva, who actively participated in negotiating the release of the two Bulgarian sailors. Speaking from Muscat, Yoncheva said that following their release on Wednesday, "an Oman Airlines flight landed at Oman's military airport in the evening. A government plane arrived here with a Bulgarian delegation led by Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev." The two sailors are expected to land in Sofia later in the day.

"A dialogue with the Houthis is possible," Yoncheva said, adding that "they not only listen to arguments but also accept them". The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas played a decisive role in securing the release of the Bulgarian sailors, she added.

Commenting on the topic on the Bulgarian National Television programme, Middle East and Islam expert Vladimir Chukov said that Galaxy Leader was operated by a Japanese company, which had "sent the vessel into the region with minimal security". In Chukov’s words, the company and the shipowner are to blame for the whole situation, as they failed to acknowledge that "this area of the Red Sea was dangerous". "The shipowner did not allocate funds to provide security" even after "being reminded by the insurance company," the expert added. Chukov also appeared on Nova TV’s programme to discuss the topic.

Journalist Nina Spasova and former deputy foreign minister Milen Keremedchiev shared their views on the issue on bTV’s morning show. Keremedchiev suggested that the sailors’ release was not only due to Oman's mediatory efforts but also involved a ransom payment.

CULTURE

Telegraph reports that the National Palace of Culture (NPC) has a new Executive Director, Prof. Nadya Mironova, who assumed office on January 21. In an interview with BNR, Mironova said that "the biggest challenge will be upgrading and maintaining the material base," adding that the NPC is currently in good financial shape.

TOURISM

Quoting Evelina Puleva, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Burgas Regional Tourist Chamber, Trud says the Southern Black Sea coast is expecting a 5-10% increase in tourist numbers this summer. Puleva noted that the influx of Romanian and Polish tourists is likely to grow, mostly due to Bulgaria’s full Schengen accession and the resulting border-free travel. Hoteliers predict that Sunny Beach, the largest seaside resort, will attract a great number of German tourists, one of the main reasons being the increased flights from Burgas Airport.

HEALTH

In an extensive interview with Telegraph, Kremena Parmakova, a Health Ministry expert, comments on the influenza situation in this country. She said that young children under five and older people with chronic illnesses and weakened immune systems are at higher risk of severe flu cases. Flu outbreaks have been declared in six regions in the country - Haskovo, Vidin, Yambol, Blagoevgrad, Plovdiv, and Varna, with Tarnovo and Dobrich also nearing epidemic levels, Parmakova said. She noted that proven flu cases now exceed those of COVID-19 in Bulgaria.

BOMB THREATS IN SCHOOLS

24 Chasa reports on a wave of bomb threats emailed to schools across the country on Wednesday. The daily quotes the Interior Ministry as saying that the threats were sent from several different e-mail addresses hosted by a foreign free email platform. Telegraph writes that classes were suspended, students were evacuated, and some schools were closed for 24 hours. No explosive devices were found. The General Directorate for Combating Cybercrime is investigating the case, working in collaboration with Interpol and a foreign IT company. The daily suggests that the hoax may be a prank, possibly tied to the flu break declared in some regions and the upcoming end of the first school term in about 10 days.

MEDIA

24 Chasa carries an interview with BNR Director General and European Broadcasting Union Executive Board Member Milen Mitev ahead of the radio’s 90th anniversary that will be marked on January 25. Mitev discussed funding models for the national radio broadcaster and emerging trends in European broadcasting, among others. He spoke about plans to transition BNR to a newer radio production system, replacing the version that has been in use for over 20 years. The radio also aims to develop a hands-on training programme for students.

SPORT

Trud features a two-page interview with Bulgarian Ski Federation President Tseko Minev, who spoke about the importance of the Alpine Snowboard World Cup that took place in Bansko (Southwest Bulgaria) last week, the achievements of Bulgarian snowboarders, and the future of ski sports in Bulgaria.