All politics is local. People do not live in countries, they live in cities. Think about it. Your most pressing concerns are not events on the other side of the imaginative territory you share with millions of citizens, but what happens nearby - in the streets and spaces you share daily with a significantly lower number of people (war and natural disasters are the only exceptions to this, but they appeal to basic human instincts on a larger than a country-scale).
Sofia was reminded of that in the past week, thanks to a 6-day transport strike, which rendered the Bulgarian capital immobile. What started as a sudden protest for money by the drivers' syndicates grew into a nearly full stoppage in a city of 1.5 million people who were only able to move around on foot or by car or metro. A colleague of mine described her desperation when trying to find a taxi to pick up her child from kindergarten, only to be told rather cynically by a taxi driver that she "could hardly afford it".
If you live in Sofia, such an event can turn your life upside down and is also much more important than anything you see on the news. If you live anywhere else, this is a joke - people in Plovdiv for example, cracked that they would hardly notice a strike like that given the tragic state of their own public transport.
Yet there are moments when the local becomes something more.
The case of Sofia was a murky story - transport workers wanted raises that were above what the mayor said they could afford. The negotiations stumbled. The mayor got no support from the local council, dominated by GERB and their cronies, or from the government for that matter. Then, suddenly, a saviour appeared - in the form of the ex-PM and current parliamentarian Boyko Borissov, who ordered the government to find the money necessary for the raise and deliver them. The government obliged, and GERB councilors got busy working out the details.
This power move, designed to impress people in the old style of Borissov, can backfire massively. For it lays bare what is at stake.
Borissov wanted to make sure that everyone knows he once again controls all the levers: from the national to the local. The only lever he can't control is the mayor Vasil Terziev. What started as a strike ended as a public humiliation, designed to show Sofians that their mayor is useless in such a configuration.
Yet such a strategy has one serious risk for GERB: it can easily turn Terziev into the next focal point for the opposition. In a tightly controlled space, where the old guard is back and demonstrating once again its invincibility, anyone in a position to challenge that can be a rallying figure. And the Mayor of Sofia is a lone player in that respect.
Look around. The major voices of opposition in Hungary and Turkey are the mayors of Budapest Gergely Karacsony and Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu. The current President of Romania is the mayor of Bucarest, the frontrunner for President in Poland is the mayor of Warsaw. The people who run the capitals (or the biggest cities) are a politically potent force on their own. They are recognizable, millions of people depend on their actions daily and they are independently elected, so have a popular mandate. This is not a small feat in countries where the opposition is usually squashed or disabled. And they usually win public approval when attacked by the government: when Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to rerun the elections for Istanbul mayor after his candidate lost by 13 thousand votes, he ended up losing by more than 800 thousand.
That's a lesson for his Bulgarian pal Borissov. After successfully disabling the challenge to his rule by the opposition parties, the worst possible outcome for him would be to help institute a new challenger as a popular force. Pushing too hard can prove counterproductive.
Terziev, has to be said, often looks rather inept politically and hasn't been able to shine since his election. He has been cornered by the ruling majority which takes decisions without him and installs whoever they choose in municipal companies. Yet his biggest enemy might have just offered him a way out of this impasse.
Politics this week:
On that note: the next crisis will be the trashThe municipality is ready to announce new public tenders for garbage collection and cleaning in 20 of Sofia's 24 districts as the old ones expire. However, the Finance Ministry had not given the green light for a month and a half (with a maximum deadline of 14 days), which blocked the process.
Russia which we still love
The National TV reported this week of dozens of school competition projects backed by the Russian state that remain on the Bulgarian Ministry of Education's calendar. According to the public broadcaster, some organizing committees have close ties to Russia and aim to promote Russian values and increase Russian influence among youth. Prizes for some contests even include trips to Moscow. Russian is still fairly popularIn Bulgarian schools, over 20% of pupils still learn Russian, which was once the dominant language. Yet learning Russian is one thing, connection to dubious organizations under the wing of Putin's government - quite another. One of the initiatives, the Festival of Russian Poetry, Song, and Dance "Let There Always Be Sunshine," is supported by the "Russian World Foundation - Moscow." Its website outlines the "ideology of the Russian world," describing a new identity and the belonging of all who study, teach, or are interested in Russia. It states: "The Russian world is the world of Russia. Every person's calling is to help their homeland. We must turn to the idea of serving Russia."
Moscow strikes back
Maria Zaharova - the infamous speaker of the Russian foreign ministry, branded this television report a "witch hunt". The Bulgarian institutions, she said, are following a totalitarian approach from the 20th century and are "cleansing" anything connected to Russia. This proved that journalism can still sting the Kremlin, if done correctly.
Economy:
BNB governor "certain" of positive Euro reportsWe are familiar in advance with the convergence reports of the European Commission and the European Central Bank. This is what National Bank (BNB) Governor Dimitar Radev commented at the opening of a new center of the Treasury Services Company in Pleven. Official reports are expected on 4 June. Radev claims that Bulgaria is fully ready for the euro and the goal is to have it ready by 1 January 2026. He expressed confidence that a year from now Bulgarian support for the euro will be much higher.
Foreign workers welcome
The government is working on a program to facilitate the import of workers from third countries, Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadzhov announced at a national discussion on the issue. Both financial and organizational measures (such as strengthening consular offices) and legislative changes are being considered. Bulgaria is at the end of the queue in CEE in the import of foreigners for work, as Poland and Romania are already seeing hundreds of thousands permits issued every year to feed the growing needs of the economy.
50% foreign
One of the boldest proposals is to allow up to 50% of each company's staff to be foreigners. Karadzhov expects objections from trade unions on this and adds that this import should not grow excessively. He expects the draft to be ready by 15-20 June and adopted by the Council of Ministers by the end of the month.
Figures:
2%The rate of expansion for the Bulgarian economy this year, slowing considerably from the 2.8% achieved in 2024 according to the European Commission's spring economic forecast.
12 billion levs
The total assets of investment funds that operate in Bulgaria, which increased by more than 1.9 billion levs in 2024.
Business:
M&A Telelink Business Services GroupThe Bulgarian tech company announced to the stock exchange that it has agreed to acquire 70% of the Slovenian technology company Actual I.T. for about 15.75 million euro.
Retail
Billa BulgariaThe supermarket chain announced it has invested 60 million levs in the construction of a warehouse near the village of Zagore near Stara Zagora, which will serve the stores of the chain in Central and Southern Bulgaria. The chain has also purchased a plot of land in Shumen for the future construction of a logistics base.
Watch out for:
People: Alexander VelichkovLukoil Bulgaria, the country's largest fuel retailer, has a new Bulgarian manager. This is Alexander Velichkov, who has been with the company for many years. He started as a legal advisor and has held key positions over the years and is also on the supervisory board of Lukoil Neftochim Burgas. This is the first Bulgarian manager of Lukoil Bulgaria since the end of the Valentin Zlatev era, which lasted 20 years. The change comes at an important time for Russia's Lukoil, which is in the process of selling the Burgas refinery and the rest of its local business from the end of 2023. However, the megadeal is on hold and may not happen after all.
Rosen Karadimov
The old hand of the Socialists, who was once head of the Bulgarian development bank and then twice a caretaker minister of innovation, is the sole nominee for now for a new head of the most important regulator - the Anti-Competition Committee. GERB seem to be ok with him, which makes him the favorite.
Yoan Zapryanov, Mila Cherneva and Rumyana Gocheva
The Capital Weekly trio received two top prizes and one second prize at the Web Report 2025 journalism contest in the economy, culture and environmental categories, respectively. Yoan's story about the BETL pyramid scheme is still the highest read ever on KInsights. Congratulations!
Dates:
26 MayThe day that the Spring Book Fair in Sofia kicks off. Stroll among 67 tents, browse thousands of book offerings, meet authors for autographs, listen to inspiring literary discussions, get acquainted with new titles and take advantage of good discounts. The tents will again be located in the park in front of the National Palace of Culture and the festival will last until 1 June.
27 May
This is when the Digitalk Conference + AI 2025 will take place. Aimed at entrepreneurs, executives, investors and professionals in technology and artificial intelligence, the event will showcase the latest AI trends, automation, innovation and new business opportunities. Hands-on demonstrations, strategies for the future of work and valuable networking with leading experts await.
Locations:
LovechThe first energy storage battery with a capacity of nearly 500 megawatt-hours was unveiled this Thursday. This is the largest energy storage battery in the country and will be part of the projects under the Recovery Plan, announced Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov. The plant is owned by a company connected to Domuschievi brothers.
58 Alabin Street in Sofia
Where the co-working company Puzl CowOrKing will open their new 5-storey location, which will add 175 work stations to the 1,000 already existing ones in their Vitosha factory location.
All politics is local. People do not live in countries, they live in cities. Think about it. Your most pressing concerns are not events on the other side of the imaginative territory you share with millions of citizens, but what happens nearby - in the streets and spaces you share daily with a significantly lower number of people (war and natural disasters are the only exceptions to this, but they appeal to basic human instincts on a larger than a country-scale).
Sofia was reminded of that in the past week, thanks to a 6-day transport strike, which rendered the Bulgarian capital immobile. What started as a sudden protest for money by the drivers' syndicates grew into a nearly full stoppage in a city of 1.5 million people who were only able to move around on foot or by car or metro. A colleague of mine described her desperation when trying to find a taxi to pick up her child from kindergarten, only to be told rather cynically by a taxi driver that she "could hardly afford it".
