site.btaMedia Review: February 6

HEADLINES

Not a single topic dominates the headlines of online and print media on Thursday. The morning programmes of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), bTV, and Nova TV host discussions on the Cabinet of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov.

POLITICS

President Rumen Radev remains the most approved political figure in the country with 45% approval, disapproval is 28%, according to a national survey, funded and implemented jointly by bTV and Market LINKS, conducted among 1,008 adults in the country between January 25 and December 2, 2025 using face-to-face interview and online survey methods. "In Radev's case, there is a stabilization of trust after the Donev cabinet - then his rating went down," Market LINKS sociologist Dobromir Zhivkov said. Parliament Speaker Nataliya Kiselova also had a positive rating - 31% approval against 29% disapproval. In the case of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov trust is 27% against 41% distrust. Among the party leaders with the highest trust is GERB leader Boyko Borissov at 24%. There is a stabilization and even an increase of 1-2% compared to December, the sociologist said.

* * *

What would the 51st Parliament look like if the elections were today, how do Bulgarians evaluate the work of the institutions and the work of the Zhelyazkov cabinet so far, and what is the political picture according to the latest Trend poll, Sociologist Dimitar Ganev commented on poll results in the morning programme of Nova TV. "A 32% approval rating for the cabinet is a relatively good start. We have compared how the approval ratings of different recent cabinets fluctuated in their first months in office. What is striking is that these figures are close to the results of Kiril Petkov's government, which were measured in January 2022. It almost evens out trust and distrust. But, for example, with other regular cabinets, such as that of Nikolay Denkov, this government started with slightly higher support," the sociologist noted.

ECONOMY

Bulgarian Employers' Association Innovative Technologies (BRAIT) Chair Dobroslav Dimitrov told the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) that industries in the tech economy account for 20% of GDP and are not part of the official conversation, meaning the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation. "We meet all the criteria. We have yet to find out how the state has decided that we do not meet them. We have not received a report," he said. On January 29, the Council of Ministers refused to recognize BRAIT as a nationally representative employers' organization, arguing that it failed to meet all criteria set out in the Labor Code, and did not include it in the composition of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC). It is the second time that BRAIT has been denied inclusion in the NCTC. After receiving the first one, the organization filed a lawsuit, which they won, but the decision did not take effect because of the expired term of the board that denied them entry into the NCTC. "We will file a lawsuit now as well. I am absolutely convinced that we will win it too," Dimitrov said.

* * *

24 Chasa writes that 64,38% of Bulgarians are willing to work without a contract. Just over 62% are willing to pay social and health insurance on lower sums than they actually receive. 71.47% are willing to be paid extra in an envelope, meaning they do not pay the taxes for the extra money. The daily quotes prof. Emilia Chengelova, director of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, who presented the study "Tolerance of the Bulgarian population to the shadow economy" in the Labour and Social Policy Committee in Parliament. "What is even more worrying is that respondents were not worried about working in the informal sector. What shocked us was that they not only shared, but were proud of not obeying the law. Some of them even admitted that it is shameful if you say you pay your taxes," Chengelova said. Employers, on the other hand, admitted that they reported only 30-40% of the sales actually made. This way they had money for "wages in an envelope". According to her, some EUR 300 billion are lost in this way.

Since 2004, Bulgaria has been ranked first in Europe in the share of the informal sector, which is between 33-35%. Romania and Greece were close behind. Tolerance of the informal sector is also very high. At a normal level of 20-30, this index in Bulgaria is 74.7%, while for Bulgarians under 24 it reaches 91.5%.

JUSTICE

Diana Rusinova of the European Transport Policy Centre told BNR that the measure to seize cars from drivers who have been driving after drinking alcohol or using drugs is bearing fruit. "Its purpose is not to take people's cars, but to make them think twice and not sit down to drive after they have been drinking. Adults are responsible for their own behaviour, but personal choices should not endanger the lives of other road users," Rusinova noted. "Its purpose is not to take people's cars, but to make them think twice and not sit down to drive after they have been drinking. Adults are responsible for their own behaviour, but personal choices should not endanger the lives of other road users," Rusinova noted. She stressed that the issue is not how much the breathalyser shows. "You should not get behind the wheel regardless of how (little) alcohol you have consumed. There are so many ways to get around afterwards - there are taxis, Drink and Drive, public transport," she said. The law is a social contract, it cannot apply only to some. The bad thing is that after this case other judges are referring to the decision of judge Miroslav Petrov, Rusinova noted.

* * *

Mediapool.bg has an article titled "The archive of Pepi the Euro [Petyo Petrov]: The puzzle that the state does not want to solve". The article reads that reading the documents from the archive of Petro Petrov the Euro is like solving a puzzle with missing pieces. You can never be sure that you are on the right track. You cannot know that there is a right path at all. You can't conclusively prove one claim and disprove another. You can guess - where right, where not so much. Where is the biggest problem? In the refusal of institutions to intervene and clarify the case. Instead, everything is left in the hands of civil society organizations and the media who, try as they might, cannot achieve this level of credibility in their checks. And the reason is very simple - they have neither the powers nor the tools of the state. All they have are a few pieces of the puzzle.

SOCIETY

BNT reported from Ruse where middle school pupils received an international award for saving their teacher. They were named Most Committed Class by the Fast Heroes 112 international initiative for 2024. This is a health education programme that teaches children how to recognize the symptoms of stroke and how to respond appropriately.