site.btaMedia Review: September 19

HIGHLIGHTS

No single issue dominates the news media on Friday.

The cover story of Capital Weekly explores Bulgaria’s deepening regional inequalities, showing that the country is developing at “three different speeds.” The outlet notes that Sofia is "in a different Bulgaria" from all the rest. The concentration of people and capital continues to drain opportunities from many other cities, the story says. At the top is Sofia, home to 1.3 million people, which concentrates 43% of the national economy and has far higher incomes, employment levels, and living standards, already above the EU average. The second group includes Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Ruse, and Stara Zagora, which have stable labour markets and growing industries but still lag behind the capital. The third group consists of struggling regions such as Vidin, Montana, Silistra, Haskovo, and Blagoevgrad, where unemployment is high, investment is scarce, populations are shrinking, and poverty levels are severe.

The cover story highlights how centralization, weak infrastructure, poor local governance, and underfunded municipalities have left large areas in decline. Key problems include the unfinished Hemus motorway, poor rail and air connections, and the concentration of state and EU funding in Sofia. While cities like Plovdiv and Varna show positive momentum, many northern and rural regions remain stuck in a cycle of depopulation and poverty. Experts warn that such disparities threaten social cohesion and political stability, mirroring trends in countries like Italy and the UK. Proposed solutions include decentralizing budgets, investing in infrastructure, and encouraging regional clusters, but little progress has been made in the past decade. “The question of to what extent regional disparities are a problem has several dimensions,” says Plamen Nenov. “From a political perspective, widening inequalities create instability, weaken social cohesion, and may lead to tension at the national level.”

Separate articles in this Capital Weekly are dedicated to Ruse, Burgas, and Vidin, each representing a regional case study.

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On its front page, 24 Chasa announced the results of a large-scale study by an international team of researchers, which concluded that flu and COVID can awaken dormant cancer cells. The study advises people with cancer in remission to protect themselves from these illnesses due to the severe course of viral respiratory infections, which trigger strong inflammation and an intense immune response.

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The top story on telegraph.bg reports that the German prosecutor’s office has filed charges against the self-proclaimed “crypto queen” Ruja Ignatova, wanted for years for her alleged role in the OneCoin cryptocurrency scam. The article notes that 600 pages document 17,500 victims and damages totaling EUR 57 million, with the German prosecutors rushing to prevent the statute of limitations from expiring while the FBI and Europol continue to search for her.

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A front-page article in Telegraph highlights that 150,000 Bulgarians have opted out of their second pension and transferred their funds from a universal pension fund to the National Social Security Institute (NOI), meaning they will rely solely on the state pension, according to data from the Financial Supervision Commission.

POLITICS

In an interview with Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), lawyer and political leader Tatyana Doncheva criticized the view that a no-confidence vote is a failure if it doesn’t topple the government. She argued that such votes are valuable tools for the opposition to voice concerns and highlight government shortcomings, especially in the absence of other platforms. Doncheva stated that if the opposition presents convincing arguments that resonate with the public, the vote can be considered a success, even if it doesn't lead to a change in power. She also criticized the overly long and unfocused justifications (referring to an 80-page document), suggesting that more content often means less substance. According to her, the real impact lies in how well the opposition uses the parliamentary floor and whether it can mobilize voters and unite against the ruling party—in which case, the effort is orthwhile. Finally, Doncheva warned against proposals to publicly elect the heads of national security services like DANS and the intelligence agency, calling it equivalent to organizing an open casting call for spies.

Also on BNR, political analyst Ognyan Minchev argued that the PP-DB coalition lacks the resources to act as a strong and functional alternative to the political status quo. While Continue the Change (CC) tends toward “naked radicalism,” Democratic Bulgaria (DB) appears more realistic in assessing the situation. However, Minchev doesn’t see any of the other opposition parties as viable alternatives either, labeling Vazrazhdane, Velichie, and MECh as political forces serving Moscow’s interests in Bulgaria. He described the ongoing political crisis as a continuation of one that began in 2020, aimed at breaking the long-standing dominance of GERB since 2009. Minchev believes this strategy backfired: GERB and MRF ultimately regained dominance, while CC-DB lost legitimacy and influence. The recent public protests by CC, including blocking access to parliament, are seen as desperate efforts to rekindle public support for radical change—but with weakened public backing and limited political capital. He criticizes this reliance on protest, stating that radicalism alone can't change society without broad public support or institutional leverage. Instead of repeated mobilizations, CC-DB should focus on developing a coherent political strategy based on sound analysis, which is currently lacking. He warns that Bulgaria remains stuck in a vicious cycle where traditional power structures remain dominant, increasingly supported by pro-Russian parties, and where deepening political fragmentation undermines stability and progress.

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On the bTV morning show, three persons commented a public exchange between Continue the Change leader Assen Vassilev and MRF -New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski as CC effectively prevented Peevski from reaching Parliament by car and made him walk a short stretch. Anton Kutev, a former caretaker cabinet spokesperson, said the exchange and especially Peevski’s profanity-laced remarks, were a "triumph of the repulsive." He likened their confrontation to a pre-fight boxing promo, orchestrated mainly by Peevski’s PR team to assert dominance. Kutev criticized the current government as powerless and dependent on Peevski, calling it a "government with disabilities" that could not function without his support—a situation he equated to "domestic abuse broadcast on national television."

Political scientist Petar Cholakov claimed that Bulgaria is effectively run by Delyan Peevski, with Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov being just a "second or third carriage" on a train driven by Peevski. He noted that Boyko Borissov now passively supports Peevski’s leadership. According to Cholakov, Bulgaria's institutions have never been weak when it comes to protecting the interests of the powerful, which he sees as the root problem in the country’s governance.

Journalist Valeria Veleva argued that what is currently unfolding is an attempt to recreate the 2020 anti-government protests. However, in her view, Continue the Change has failed to rally wider public support beyond its core base, as seen in their recent protests. She also criticized the overall decline in political discourse, pointing out that the aggressive and hateful language used by politicians is being reflected across society. While she supports protests as a democratic tool and agrees the government must be scrutinized, she believes the opposition is failing in its main role—to provide a real alternative, and that PP is not capable of being that alternative.

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According to political analyst Teodora Yovcheva (on BNR), the Thursday failed no-confidence vote against the government was meant to reveal the new configuration in parliament and the reformatted majority, rather than to present a new government alternative. She argued that while the outcome of the vote was predictable, what sets it apart from the previous four is that the opposition is voting together this time. According to Yovcheva, the morning action by Continue the Change around the Parliament aimed to broaden the debate beyond the plenary hall. “This political community has a strong protest-driven energy. One of its key strengths is the ability to organize demonstrations. From that perspective, the morning action by CC made sense to me—it’s meant to evolve into the evening march calling for the release of political prisoners. It wouldn’t be surprising if this protest has a stronger impact, especially if public tension against the government continues to build,” she commented.

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On Bulgarian National Television (BNT) PR Prof. Rosen Stoyanov criticizes the declining political culture, while political scientist Hristo Panchugov notes that participants in the recent no-confidence vote did not expect meaningful results, leading to such "performative actions". Stoyanov added that politicians often use verbal and non-verbal cues to appear stronger or weaker, exemplified by the MRF – New Beginning leader’s statement positioning himself as the government’s guarantor and emphasizing his role in shaping the state.

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A leading story in Trud (online) is a video in which Peevski emphasizes: "I expect GERB to report on the work they have done regarding the water shortage." The piece continues with the leader’s statement: "This government survives solely thanks to me, but there will be no elections," announced the party leader. "The most important thing today is for Mr. Borisov to instruct the Prime Minister, who is from GERB, to resolve the water issue. I expect them to report on the work they are doing, with a clear schedule, because people have no water. And they must carry out their tasks. I have a duty to the people to do work for them, and I will do it. I am constantly close to the people. DPS-New Beginning is the only party that is close to the citizens. This government survives thanks to me. Every day I raise the issues that concern the citizens. Otherwise, look at my party’s results—no one is more ready than I am for elections. But there will be no elections."

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The Trud daily’s frontpage story is about a new regulation for solar panels mounted on buildings. It explains that the goal is to facilitate the use of electricity from renewable sources, and that the Minister of Regional Development must issue rules for the design and construction of buildings, as well as schemes to support the use of energy from renewable sources.

ECONOMY

Segabg.com has a story titled “MPs Suspect Piecemeal Sell-off of State Railways, Bulgarian Post”. It says that heated debates flared up over recent amendments to the Railway Transport Act concerning Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ). The changes allow the railway infrastructure to be concessioned out to private managers, removing exclusive rights previously held by the National Railway Infrastructure Company to collect fees, schedule trains, and manage traffic. Opposition parties criticized this move, accusing the government of preparing to privatize profitable parts of the state railways while leaving loss-making lines under state control. They warned this would benefit private firms connected to corrupt interests, but the ruling majority pushed the amendments through without paying attention to the criticism.

A similar conflict arose over changes to the Postal Services Act affecting Bulgarian Posts. The law now grants the government the authority to decide which operator provides universal postal services, replacing the previous automatic designation of Bulgarian Posts. It also sets conditions for compensations to postal operators for the costs of providing these services. Opposition voices accused the government of undermining Bulgarian Posts to benefit private operators linked to powerful figures, calling the post office’s future “up for liquidation.” The parliamentary transport commission chair dismissed these concerns, sparking a heated exchange but offering no substantive response to criticism.

In an article titled "The Fund of Funds Bungled One Blunder After Another", Capital Weekly reports that the Fund of Funds rejected two of the three largest banks for the urban development funds. Two of the country’s regions went to UBB, while the third remains unassigned, and DSK and UniCredit Bulbank are appealing. The Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the Competition Commission must return the procedure, after the regulator initially refused to review the case.

In an article titled "Something Is Happening on the Gas Market", Capital Weekly highlights that the EWRC can now revoke the licences of gas companies if they have not invested in the network within five years. According to the sector, the Overgas amendment aims to clear the market for the entry of new players. The consequences could be a series of lawsuits and arbitration claims against the state.

SOCIETY

On bTV, psychologist Velichka Dosheva from the Bulgarian Association of Adopted Persons and Adoptive Parents highlighted ongoing issues with adoption transparency in Bulgaria. Each year, the association requests official adoption statistics from the Agency for Social Assistance but often receives incomplete data. Dosheva noted a decline in the number of adoptions, partly because many children removed from their biological families are not properly registered for adoption, limiting their chances of finding new homes. Older children, especially those over 10, face even greater challenges, as most prospective parents prefer infants and toddlers. Dosheva also pointed out a “legal vacuum” caused by delays in launching the National Unified Electronic Adoption System, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2026. Despite these problems, she praised the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and Deputy Minister Ivan Krastev for their active engagement and sensitivity to adoption issues, showing hope for future improvements in the system.

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In its morning programme, bTV reports on a protest by residents of Sofia's Druzhba 2 district following the announcement that, until the end 2025, there will be no heating or hot water in the district. The repair of the district heating pipes by the heating utility company will affect 120 residential buildings and nearly 40,000 people in the second, third, fourth, and fifth sections of the neighbourhood.

Nova TV reports that Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva has referred the matter to the Energy Committee in the National Assembly after more than 200 complaints were filed in a single day regarding the heating utility’s decision to carry out a 90-day repair of the heating network in Druzhba 2. In the report, the district mayor Petko Kraev states, “Both the citizens and we were notified only two days ago. It was not discussed at all with the administration. Yesterday, I went to a meeting with the director of Toplofikatsiya Sofia. He responded that the repair will not take the full 90 days and that the water supply will be cut off in stages. They will present the schedule on September 29, and residents will be informed. They said nothing about compensation, because this is a planned repair, not an emergency.”

Most news outlets have the story about disruption of water and heating supply in Sofia's Druzhba 2 neighbourhood.

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Trud reports that the Sofia Municipality is testing an experimental AI assistant to make public procurement more transparent, explaining that those preparing technical specifications will be able to pre-check their texts for restrictive conditions or non-competitive requirements. This reduces the risk of documents being returned for corrections at a later stage and shortens the procurement timeline. The tool automatically detects problematic texts, expressions, or parameters and guides employees to the exact places that need correction.

EDUCATION

Segabg.com has a story titled “Zero Chance to Win Battle against Plagiarism in Universities”. It says that over the past year, Bulgaria’s Academic Ethics Commission (AEC) under the Ministry of Education has undergone four reshuffles, most recently in July 2025. These frequent changes raise concerns among academics about the ministry’s true commitment to combating plagiarism in higher education. The resignations and replacements followed a controversial decision in November 2024 to terminate 12 ongoing investigations, including against university rectors, citing expired legal deadlines—a move later overturned by the Supreme Administrative Court, which ruled the legal justification invalid. This suggests the ministry may have used a flawed legal argument to halt key investigations, possibly to protect certain individuals. The repeated personnel changes and the halting of investigations—some allegedly under political pressure—have undermined the credibility of the commission. Experts say the current situation reflects systemic issues and casts doubt on whether the Ministry genuinely intends to enforce academic integrity. The Commission is legally required to include qualified experts across various academic fields, yet recent appointments reportedly occurred without consulting universities or civil society. While the ministry claims proper procedures were followed, the academic community remains skeptical, especially as critical plagiarism cases remain unresolved or in limbo.

24 Chasa published an analysis by financial planning and personal finance expert Ivan Dimitrov, who says that financial literacy should be taught in schools, as many people are unable to manage their money, fall victim to financial scams, and need to know how to control their spending to avoid ruining their lives as early as 18.