site.btaMedia Review: March 18

NORTH MACEDONIA NIGHTCLUB FIRE

All Bulgarian news media cover that the Council of Ministers declared March 18 a National Day of Mourning in memory of the victims of the tragic events in the town of Kocani, Republic of North Macedonia. The Government expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased. In their memory, the national flags of state institutions will be lowered to half-mast on Tuesday. A total of 59 people died and 155 suffered varying degrees of burns and injuries after a fire broke out at the Pulse nightclub in Kocani, North Macedonia, during a concert by the popular band DNK in the early hours of Sunday. Most of the victims were aged between 14 and 25. The fire was caused by sparks from pyrotechnics used for lighting effects at the concert. Hundreds of people rushed to the only exit as flames engulfed the roof of the building. Some of the victims of the fire have been admitted for treatment in Bulgaria. Fourteen of the victims were transported to Bulgaria by a Bulgarian Air Force Spartan aircraft and ambulances from the Emergency Medical Care Centre in Sofia.

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In an interview with Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), North Macedonian journalist Aleksandar Dimitrievski said that only 12 venues in North Macedonia are officially licensed to operate as nightclubs. According to him, "this is a ridiculously low number even for Skopje, let alone for the entire country". Following the tragic incident, North Macedonian authorities have maintained the position that they have only recently taken office, Dimitrievski noted. However, he argued that the tragedy is not the result of developments in the past few months but rather of issues that have persisted over the last 30 years in the country.

Bulgarian Viktor Stoyanov, Chair of the Macedonia Foundation, told BNR that if a nightclub operates without a license, it is an illegal establishment. He expressed disbelief that North Macedonia’s Interior Minister has not resigned in the wake of the incident. According to Stoyanov, North Macedonia faces a systemic problem related to corruption within the government and widespread fear among citizens to demand legality. He criticized the current administration for what he described as "wild populism". "In Ohrid, there is a similar nightclub that lacks a license and fails to meet any safety requirements. If North Macedonia does not take drastic measures, it is only a matter of time before another similar tragedy occurs," Stoyanov warned.

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The Telegraph tabloid daily reports on its frontpage that some 150 Bulgarians were among the first to donate blood for the injured ones in the Kocani disco fire.

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO PENAL CODE ON ANIMAL CRUELTY

Another topic, widely covered by Tuesday media is the Justice Ministry’s proposal to amend Article 325b of the Penal Code related to acts of cruelty against vertebrates. According to the proposal, the penalty for cruelty against a vertebrate should be imprisonment from two to eight years and a fine ranging from BGN 2,000 to 10,000. Stricter penalties are also being proposed in cases of extreme cruelty toward animals when the act is recorded for distribution or committed for financial gain. In such cases, the proposed penalty would be imprisonment from three to ten years and a fine ranging from BGN 5,000 to 20,000. The proposal follows the recent arrest of two individuals in Pernik on charges of killing animals for payment. The Regional Prosecution Office of Pernik, 28 km west of Sofia, ordered the arrest of a man and a woman for killing animals in a particularly cruel manner. The torturous acts were performed on various vertebrates such as guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs and albino mice, and the footage was sold to customers worldwide. The 26-year-old woman, who was the mastermind, and the 35-year-old man filmed the scenes in rooms rented by them. The authorities found a computer and a smartphone holding gigabytes of footage of atrocities committed on animals.

POLITICS

The Trud tabloid daily has an interview with political scientist Stoycho Stoychev, who comments on the October 2024 election limbo and claims that in Bulgaria, there is no state institution left in which citizens trust. "In the long run, democracy loses. There are many people in Bulgaria whose goal is this. They explain – look where democracy has brought us, to corruption, to crime, the elections are rigged, the parties are bribed, so democracy has taken us nowhere. This scenario has been playing out for at least a hundred years, and we see it not only in Europe but also in Latin America – how a democratic regime is accused of corruption, then of parties rigging elections, after which some authoritarian rule is established with the applause of the people, because when everyone is corrupt, we don’t need this regime. And the alternative exists, there are lessons to be learned. When such sentiments are strengthened and authoritarian rule is advertised as a possibility, it is clear that democratic institutions are losing," Stoychev believes.

ENERGY

Commenting on the upcoming liberalization of the electricity market for household consumers in a BNR interview, Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov assured citizens that state institutions are working to prevent any negative impact from electricity price fluctuations in the free market. He emphasized that households should remain calm, as there will be a protective compensation mechanism "not only for the first six months of liberalization but also beyond". Stankov also noted that the Electricity System Security Fund has never relied on state budget funds, which he believes is the right approach. He reassured that a balance would be found within the fund to ensure sufficient resources for compensation so that market liberalization does not affect household electricity bills.

AGRIFOOD CHAIN BILL

Mediapool.bg frontpages an analysis on the Agriculture Ministry’s bill that is supposed to cover all levels of the agrifood chain to protect local agricultural producers and farmers and ensure they get a fair price for their produce. The article states that the government will intervene deeply in the market economy by setting minimum and maximum markups between farmers, buyers, and retail chains. A new legislative proposal from the Agriculture Ministry suggests fixing markups between 10% and 20% for 22 products. Additionally, the current GERB-led government aims to revive mandatory quotas for Bulgarian products in retail chains—a policy previously attempted by Boyko Borissov’s third cabinet. That attempt led to infringement procedures from Brussels and ultimately failed, Mediapool.bg recalls.

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The Trud daily frontpages an article on the topic titled "Bill reduces prices of basic food products by 20%".

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24 Chasa also covers the topic.

HEALTHCARE

In a BNR interview, psychiatrist Vladimir Sotirov highlighted the severe challenges facing Bulgaria's psychiatry system. According to him, policymakers fail to invest in mental health care due to the prejudiced belief that mental illness is incurable. "There is this idea of hopelessness, a lack of a mission for investment, as if these people will never recover. But that is not true! These individuals are no different from the rest of us, the ordinary people who do not make decisions. And when decision-makers hold such views, they neglect the problem, believing that investing in mental health is pointless because the suffering are doomed. Prejudice! Simply put, it reflects a low level of health awareness," Sotirov stressed. He agreed with other experts who describe psychiatry as the "backyard of Bulgarian medicine," which explains the lack of investment in the system. As a result, many psychiatrists are leaving the profession en masse. Sotirov warned that this exodus of mental health professionals will lead to a rise in suicides, an increase in incidents, and a growing number of homeless and socially marginalized individuals.

EMPLOYMENT

The import of labour from non-EU countries is reaching record levels in Bulgaria, though it still falls short of the needs of businesses, Sega.bg writes. As of March 10, 2024, a total of 4,202 third-country nationals have been registered for seasonal employment, already surpassing 40% of the total seasonal employment recorded in 2023. The data was provided by Labour and Social Policy Minister Borislav Gutsanov in response to a question from MP Denitsa Sacheva (GERB-UDF).

In the past six years, over 108,000 foreign workers from 65 countries have come to Bulgaria for work. In 2024 alone, 34,720 foreign workers have been employed under nine different work authorization regimes. The most commonly used permit is the single residence and work permit, granting a three-year stay, used by 13,131 workers. The second most popular is the seasonal employment permit (up to 90 days), under which 10,403 workers have been employed in 2024.

The highest number of foreign workers in Bulgaria (2019–2024) comes from Uzbekistan – 10,514 people, mostly employed in seasonal jobs, construction, and manufacturing. In second place is Turkiye, with 10,441 workers, primarily engaged as posted specialists, engineers, and technical personnel, working mainly in construction and seasonal jobs. Kyrgyzstan ranks third, with 7,138 workers coming to Bulgaria mainly for seasonal work and employment in manufacturing. Nepal follows with 4,522 workers, mostly in low-skilled jobs in agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing. India is in fifth place, with 3,155 workers hired in manufacturing, transportation, and the IT sector.

The data shows a significant rise in the employment of foreign workers from non-EU countries. In 2019, their number was just 14,859. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it dropped to 8,284 in 2020. In 2021, the number of foreign workers in Bulgaria increased to 10,486. As the pandemic ended, the growth accelerated: in 2022, the number reached 15,072, rising to 24,945 in 2023, and peaking at 34,720 in 2024.

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The 24 Chasa daily frontpages an articled warning that construction workers and influencers are at risk of an imminent encounter with tax authorities. The publication analyzes which professions are most prone to tax fraud and what measures the National Revenue Agency (NRA) is taking to combat the issue.

MORTGAGES

"According to the measures introduced on October 1, 2024, to cool down mortgage lending, the expected result is being achieved, and there is no need for further calibration". This is how Capital.bg interprets a statement from the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) regarding its current review of the dynamics and developments in the segment. According to data from the central bank, in the fourth quarter of 2024, the volume of newly issued housing loans decreases to BGN 2.16 billion, compared to BGN 2.19 billion in the previous quarter. The difference seems negligible, but it is in the opposite direction to the previous acceleration, and according to the BNB, it "contrasts with the trend observed over the last three years, where the largest credit volumes were formed in the last quarter of the year," Capital.bg further reports.