Bulgaria

New interim government, led by Andrey Gyurov, announced general elections for 19 April, the eighth in Bulgaria since 2021; polls predict a strong showing by former President Rumen Radev’s as-yet-unnamed new party

On 14 February Bulgaria celebrates Trifon Zarezan, the annual festival honoring vine growers and winemakers; the Executive Agency on Vine and Wine announced that the country's wineries produced 66 million litres of wine in 2025, despite weather challenges

Public attention in Bulgaria has been focused on an opaque criminal case, made more disturbing by lack of official information: in a week six people were found dead in Western Stara Planina, all linked to NGO National Agency for Control of Protected Areas

Bulgaria will hold early elections, President Radev announced after the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms became the third party to reject the president’s invitation to form a government to replace the last one which resigned amid widespread protests

Cabinet approved amendments to the Organ, Tissue and Cell Transplantation Act eliminating the requirement of explicit written consent during a person’s lifetime to the removal of organs, tissues and cells after their death

December 31 and January 2 have been proposed as non-working days to stimulate travel in Bulgaria over the holiday period and to give a full 5 days break to facilitate a smoother transition to the euro

Contracts for the use and transit of Russian natural gas will be terminated next year, with a complete exit from the Russian gas market planned by 2028, announced PM Rosen Zhelyazkov at UN Assembly, confirming that Bulgaria will align with EU decisions

Von der Leyen’s trip to Bulgaria included a visit to state-owned weapons plant in Sopot, where expansion is planned for a thousand new workplaces; as she praised aid given to Ukraine’s defence, supporters of Revival and Greatness party staged a protest