site.btaMedia Review: July 2

HEADLINES

24 Chasa leads with a story saying that Bulgaria’s anticipated entry into the euro area has prompted many people to convert their mattress money. Between January 1 and May 31, 2025, a total of BGN 1,008,178,389 was exchanged for euros at the Bulgarian National Bank's Cash Centre.

Trud writes that the government is planning what the daily describes as “a controversial sale” of 5,165 state-owned properties. The list includes parts of nature parks, architectural sites, and land near the country’s borders. The Green Movement has called on Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to stop the process, while the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works said that no privatization procedure has been launched, the daily notes. Trud adds that ministries and regional governments have listed properties that cannot be sold according to the country's Constitution and various other laws.

The daily also writes on its front page that Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev has asked the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to investigate suspected fraud in the capital's waste management system involving contracts financed with European funds during the tenure of the previous local government.

Duma reports that as of July 8, antibiotics will be provided free of charge for children aged 7 and under. The daily quotes parliamentary Committee on Health chair Kostadin Angelov, who spoke to reporters ahead of a committee meeting on Tuesday. Trud also covers the story, noting that BGN 10 million has been allocated for this in the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund.

Telegraph’s top story is about changes in police procedures for monitoring individuals deemed at risk. Under the new rules, police officers will operate in plain clothes and drive unmarked vehicles. The change follows public outcry over a viral video showing a marked police car with flashing lights tailing a luxury vehicle. The case sparked criticism over what many described as “the conspicuous way” the police are “guarding rich people,” the daily adds.  The Interior Ministry and the prosecution service have confirmed that there are currently 10 individuals deemed at risk in Bulgaria, Telegraph notes. 

POLITICS

Speaking on Nova TV’s morning programme, Ivaylo Kukurin, Mayor of Sofia’s Mladost borough, said that he left Continue the Change (CC) last week because he was offered a bribe of BGN 300,000 to approve a protocol allowing a specific company to build a kindergarten in the borough. Kukurin did not deny that the person who attempted to bribe him was Petar Rafailov, one of the individuals detained after аn investigation in Sofia Municipality on suspicion of corrupt practices involving the CC.

Telegraph features an extensive interview with political analyst Rumyana Kolarova, who discusses the fallout from the resignation of Kiril Petkov as CC co-chair and the arrest of the dismissed Sofia Deputy Mayor Nikola Barbutov, who was recently charged with participating in an organized crime group and offering a bribe.

Kolarova says the impact on CC will not be as “catastrophic” as some expect, arguing that the party’s supporters believe that the system works against them and many of “the serious mistakes made“ are the result of deliberate provocations by more experienced political players.”

The political analyst stresses the seriousness of the revelations, pointing out that Sofia is a CC stronghold and with Vassil Terziev serving as Mayor of Sofia, this is the highest position CC currently holds as an opposition force. She notes that the mayor of the capital is often viewed as someone who has the qualities to be a minister, even a future prime minister. 

She warns that if CC attempts to table a no-confidence motion against the government over corruption, it could backfire. People will ask whether CC has held itself to the same standards it demands from GERB, she notes.

Asked about the possibility of a joint presidential candidate nomination of CC, Democratic Bulgaria, and GERB, with the support of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) – New Beginning, as hinted by GERB leader Boyko Borissov, Kolarova dismisses the idea. She says it was unlikely that any party would openly negotiate a joint nomination with MRF – New Beginning. She adds that the group’s voters could be expected to support a pro-European candidate in a runoff.

Commenting on a potential political project around President Rumen Radev, Kolarova says it would only have a real chance of success if snap parliamentary elections are held before the end of his term. 

ECONOMY

All print dailies write about the increase in household heating and electricity prices that came into force on July 1. On Tuesday, the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission approved an average electricity price increase of 2.58% and an average heating energy price rise of 4.54%.

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Mediapool.bg quotes CC chair Assen Vassilev, who said on Tuesday that of the projected BGN 18.3 billion increase in revenues for 2025 compared to 2024, only BGN 3.2 billion has been collected in the first five months of the year. On Monday, the Finance Ministry released data showing a budget deficit of BGN 2.606 billion (1.2% of the forecast GDP), nearly BGN 700 million higher than in April, the media outlet adds. 

Wednesday’s edition of Bulgarian National Television’s morning programme is titled “A Budget in the Red: Are State Finances in Crisis and What Are the Risks?”

Adrian Nikolov, an economist at the Institute for Market Economics, described the Ministry’s figures as “very optimistic.” “Given general dynamics, the state of the economy and inflation, the increase in revenue collection is quite good,” he said. However, it still falls short of the expectations set in February [when the state budget bill was tabled in Parliament], he added.

Mihail Krastev, head of the Union for Private Economic Enterprise, and Shteryo Nozharov from the Bulgarian Industrial Associations also discussed the topic on Nova TV’s morning programme.

In an interview on Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Vazrazhdane deputy leader Tsoncho Ganev said that “joining the euro area will push us deeper into debt.” He added that loans are currently secured at 3-4% interest, while the European Central Bank would impose around 1% interest rates on Bulgaria, which, in his words, would fuel corruption schemes even further.

Dnevnik.bg features a story titled ”Experts Expect Problems with the Euro Changeover for Most Accounting Products”. According to Iliya Iliev, head of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and Georgi Trenchev, a member of the Institute’s Managing Board, most accounting software used by Bulgarian retailers - limited to about 5 to 10 companies - lack the IT capacity to reconfigure all the systems and the transition will be especially challenging for large retailers managing thousands of items, each of which will require price recalculation.

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Speaking on Nova TV’s morning programme, There Is Such a People (TISP) floor leader Toshko Yordanov said “it is not possible for postgraduate students to receive salaries equal to or higher than doctors’.” He criticized an initiative committee of students’ demands, calling it “incomprehensible” that trainees should be paid the same as those providing their training. Yordanov added that there is a proposal for young doctors to be paid according to a collective agreement.

He also addressed the backlash over remarks he made during a meeting of the Committee on Health on Tuesday. Referring to young doctors demanding higher pay, Yordanov said: “If you do not want to work here, we will be forced to bring in specialists from other countries who will gladly work for USD 500, which is what the state can afford.” 

In a BNR interview, Beloslava Tomova, part of a team of young medical professionals participating in a healthcare roundtable, responded to Yordanov’s remarks, saying that attracting healthcare workers to Bulgaria is not easy, especially given the poor working conditions in the sector.

On bTV’s morning programme, former economy minister and TISP prime minister-designate Nikolay Vasilev said the occupations most urgently in need of pay raises are doctors, nurses, university professors, and the military personnel.

FOSTER CARE

Duma reports that nearly one in three children placed with foster families has been a victim or witness of violence beforehand. The daily cites data from an anonymous, non-representative phone survey of 83 foster families in Bulgaria, conducted by the National Foster Care Association between May and June 2025. The main reasons children are placed in foster care include emotional and physical neglect by parents, followed by physical and mental abuse, emotional violence, parental alcohol dependence, parental incarceration, death of parents, migration abroad, or relinquishment of parental rights. Poverty is also a contributing factor.

LIFE EXPECTANCY

Interviewed by 24 Chasa, Stoyanka Cherkezova, a demographer at the Institute for Population and Human Studies of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, says that Bulgaria experiences excess mortality across nearly all age groups compared to the EU average. High rates of early death are particularly seen among children up to 5 years old, those aged 10 to 18, and men between 42 and 57. These age groups should be the focus of policies, especially when it comes to preventive health, she adds.

Cherkezova notes that regions with higher overall death rates include Vidin, Montana, Kyustendil, Pernik, Lovech, and Pleven. Sofia has the longest life expectancy at 77.3 years, followed by Blagoevgrad, Kardzhali, Varna, and Plovdiv.

She notes that the rise in mortality rates in Bulgaria is largely due to the growing share of elderly people in the population and a declining birth rate.