site.btaMedia Review: February 26

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Most publications on Wednesday, including Trud, Telegraph, Mediapool report that Bulgarian National Bank Governor Dimitar Radev and Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova signed a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde containing a request for extraordinary convergence reports assessing Bulgaria’s progress for accession into the eurozone.

24 Chasa, Trud, Telegraph quote Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov who said that the convergence report will most likely be released in early June and all subsequent steps will follow from there. The Prime Minister noted that there still is a long assessment process ahead, by the ECB and the European Commission, EcoFin Council, the Eurogroup, in the European Parliament, before Bulgaria could be deemed ready to adopt the euro on January 1, 2026. Zhelyazkov also reiterated Bulgaria’s position on not sending armed forces to Ukraine.

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24 Chasa, Trud, Sega, Telegraph, Mediapool quote President Rumen Radev who sharply distanced himself from the European leaders in their position on Ukraine and expressed full support for the United States. Radev said that Europe should support US efforts to find the best peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine and that a military solution is a losing one. He stressed that “we are witnessing an unprecedented in scale and dynamics change in the security environment of the growing unpredictability in the geopolitical space”.

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Trud reports that Rumen Petkov, the leader of the ABV party, which is one of the partners in the BSP - United Left coalition in Parliament, met with Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova and the two discussed the possibilities of organizing joint events on the occasion of the anniversary marking the end of the Russo-Turkish War, the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army over Nazi Germany, as well as the common holiday on May 24 (Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture). Petkov expressed deep regret over the vandalism of the Russian Embassy building in Sofia on Wednesday. Petkov and Mitrofanova also discussed the state and development of the Bulgarian energy sector, including nuclear energy.

DEFENCE

Trud, Mediapool quote President Rumen Radev who said at the Annual Chief of Defence Conference, held in Sofia on Tuesday and Wednesday that the modernization of the army is late, but it is also stalling, because with the budget allocated for this year, the implementation of the modernization program cannot be continued due to the lack of sufficient funds. He explained that 2.5% of GDP “is not some limit that must be reached reach, but the beginning of an increase in defence spending”.

Mediapool, 24 Chasa report that Bulgaria will be able to purchase new 3D radars and Javelin guided anti-tank missiles in 2025 for EUR 142 million, but the military budget will not allow the launch of other military projects. The Ministry of Defence insists that the 2025 defence budget should be 2.5% of GDP but will receive close to 2.1%. 

Mediapool, 24 Chasa report that President Radev and Defence Minister Zapryanov plan to introduce military training, but there is currently no agreement in the ruling coalition. The topic has been on the agenda for a long time, and the debate is even allowing for the possibility of the return of conscription. Zapryanov explained that the Defence Ministry has proposed introducing mandatory military training for people who want to work in the security ministries and services, but the idea is not supported by an unnamed party in the ruling coalition and by the Interior Ministry due to fears that mandatory military training would narrow the circle of potential employees in the sector. "We will get to the point where military training for civilians will be introduced," said President Rumen Radev.

24 Chasa quoted Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov, who said that the Bulgarian Army is actively involved in ensuring security in the region, and that the political and military leadership of the defence unanimously appreciate the Alliance's efforts to guarantee the security of NATO's Eastern flank, while at the same time contributing to the development of forces and capabilities for collective defence.

POLITICS

24 Chasa, Sega, Trud report that a Central Election Commission (CEC) report, which analyzes the election process in 2024, advises the development of a new software for voting machines. The CEC recommended that voting machines should be given the legal status of "special-purpose items related to national security, and be considered a critical information system", as this will guarantee the security of the machine vote. Sega notes that the CEC is cautiously silent on the issue of where the risks come from and whether they are related to the politically motivated scandals surrounding the machine vote.

24 Chasa reports that former Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Korneliya Ninova has started the process of founding her own political formation, Defiant Bulgaria National Movement, on February 20. The following steps include collecting signatures and a constituent assembly.

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24 Chasa, Sega, Mediapool write that Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB MPs have officially filed a report with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) claiming a presumed incompatibility of Dimitar Glavchev as President of the Bulgarian National Audit Office (BNAO). The report is based on data indicating a potential conflict of interest, as Glavchev was also appointed caretaker Foreign Minister, a position that, according to the law, is incompatible with his current post. CC-DB insists on a quick inspection by the ACC and informing the National Assembly of the results.

Mediapool reports that the CC-DB party wants the National Assembly to condemn the actions of the Vazrazhdane party, during their Saturday protest against Bulgaria adopting the euro, as an attempt to undermine the democratic legal order in Bulgaria and divert it from its European path. Protestors vandalized the EC building in Sofia on Saturday, and several police officers were injured. According to eyewitnesses, some of the most active protestors were Vazrazhdane MPs. Two of them were detained, but then released due to their immunity.

Both BNT and bTV focus on the aftermath of the Vazrazhdane party’s protest on Saturday.

On the air of BNT, Prof. Tatyana Burudzhieva said that Vazrazhdane is strongly asserting itself as an opposition, and indicated that it might be good for the government to hold a referendum on the euro to determine the attitude of Bulgarians on the subject. She noted the lack of a communication campaign as a negative. Social anthropologist Haralan Alexandrov added that many people have genuine concerns and unanswered questions as a result of the lack of a good communication campaign on the introduction of the euro. 

On the air of bTV, Dobromir Zhivkov from Market Links noted a rise in radicalization on the matter can be expected in the coming months, which will create tension on Bulgaria's path to the eurozone. He noted that there have been claims that Vazrazhdane’s efforts have been financed by a foreign state, and while this cannot be proven, they are acting in full unison with the policy that the Kremlin which aims to weaken Europe, fragment Europe and create internal tensions. 

HOME AFFAIRS

Sega, Telegraph, Mediapool report that the Road Infrastructure Agency will impose penalties of nearly BGN 115,000 with VAT to road maintenance companies in the Burgas and Montana regions for a delayed response in clearing snow from the republican roads during last week's snowfall.

Sega reports that due to an unprofitable contract and the use of an intermediary, the Sofia city bus company Stolichen Autotransport buys gas for its buses at much higher prices than those the company would pay if it bought it independently. Municipal councillor Simeon Stavrev from the CC-DB - Save Sofia group, which supports Mayor Vassil Terziev, brought this information to light. The management of Stolichen Autotransport was elected with the votes of GERB, BSP and There Is Such a People.

Mediapool reports on a protest held by fathers in Plovdiv on Tuesday against the judicial practice in family disputes. The organizers explained that the court systematically violates the right of children to equal access to both parents, and fathers are often discriminated against in decisions on parental rights. The protesters demanded impartiality, responsibility and reforms in the name of children.

CRIME

Mediapool and Sega report that for the second time, the Sofia City Court has dropped the case against former investigator Petyo “The Euro” Petrov and returned evidence to the prosecution for the correction of violations. However, the court agreed to finally issue a European arrest warrant for Petrov.

Sega, Mediapool report that Lachezar Stavrev, accused of official misconduct and money laundering and a close associate of former finance minister Assen Vassilev, has been quietly released from custody. Stavrev was arrested in a case of a customs organized crime group, and CC gathered a protest rally in his support. 

BUDGET AND FINANCE

Sega quotes an estimation by the Fiscal Council of a risk of non-fulfilment of tax revenues in the amount of BGN 6.2 billion in the draft 2025 budget submitted. From VAT alone, a record growth in revenues of 33% is set, which provides for a potential non-fulfilment of BGN 4.2 billion. The Fiscal Council is an independent body established eight years ago to monitor and analyze the country's budget policy and to provide assessments for maintaining sustainable public finances and quality macroeconomic and budgetary forecasts

Sega also reports that the 2025 debt increased by an additional BGN 2 billion in the final version of the 2025 draft budget submitted to the National Assembly. When voting on the texts, the Council of Ministers increased the limit for newly incurred debt from BGN 16.9 to BGN 18.9 billion. Because of this growth, the limit for the total amount of state debt accumulated over the years is also increased from BGN 59.8 billion to BGN 61.7 billion. This increase is evident in a comparison between the draft budget published by the Ministry of Finance and the final texts submitted to the National Assembly. It is impossible to understand from the text what the increase is due to, Sega notes.

On Wednesday, BNT hosted a discussion analyzing the 2025 draft state budget. Former minister Hristina Hristova noted that in chasing the numbers for the important strategic goal, the eurozone, the budget is less focused on reforms, the redistributive role of the budget is increasing, additional loans are being taken, taking money away from working people and pouring them into some unreformed budget system. Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association Chair Vasil Velev noted that those receiving salaries from the budget are growing with a decreasing population and stressed that this budget is not without alternatives.

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Trud, 24 Chasa quote GERB-UDF MP and Chair of the Budget Committee in Parliament, Delyan Dobrev, who said on the air of bTV that Bulgaria is fully prepared to enter the eurozone. He explained that the country managed to curb inflation and has submitted a request for a convergence report. He also argued that Bulgaria's readiness for the eurozone is due to the reasonable fiscal policy of the caretaker cabinet and the Zhelyazkov cabinet, and was hindered by Assen Vassilev’s policies. 

Trud, Telegraph, Sega report that the Bulgarian National Bank has finally started an information campaign about the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria on its website, providing information on how prices will be recalculated and indicated, official exchange rates, changes expected in the dynamics of money in circulation, etc.

ECONOMY

Telegraph publishes an interview with State Commission for Commodity Exchanges and Wholesale Markets head Vladimir Ivanov, who stressed that bad trade practices inflate prices and dealing with this issue will attract people to agriculture. Ivanov commented on the recent boycotts of large retail chains, noting that the biggest effect is that it started a dialogue on food pricing issues. Ivanov also talked about ways to increase Bulgarian products in stores, how adopting the euro will affect food prices and services, and attracting more young people into the field of agriculture. 

Trud reports that new car sales in Bulgaria in January went down by over 30% compared to the same month of 2024, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. In January, 2,780 new cars were registered in the country, compared to 3,977 a year ago. There was a decline in sales of all types of cars, except for hybrids. In January, 78 hybrid cars were registered in the country, which is a 27.9% increase on an annual basis.

Trud quotes Eurostat data which indicate that men's salaries in Bulgaria are 13.5% higher than those of women. The gender pay gap in Bulgaria is slightly larger than the average for EU countries, which is 12%. In all EU countries, men's salaries are higher than those of women, with the only exception being Luxembourg, where women earn 0.9% more than men.

During its Wednesday morning programme, BNT, as well as Telegraph, explained that that since the introduction of the ban on sunflower imports from Ukraine, domestic production is not enough to fill all production capacities in the country. Currently, after last year's poor harvest and with the import ban in force, exports have decreased by about 70%, and oil producers are closing workshops, causing concerns about the price of sunflower oil. The current average wholesale price of sunflower cooking oil s is BGN 3.26 per litre.

Mediapool, 24 Chasa write that Nestle Bulgaria is investing BGN 44.2 million in chocolate production facilities in Sofia. From Bulgaria, the new production will be exported to 17 markets around the world, including the UK, France, Italy and Canada. The factory team, in collaboration with a Bulgarian construction company, is carrying out 30 months of joint work to rebuild part of the factory's building stock.