Bulgaria

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

Political chaos has created a media vacuum in which citizens are vulnerable to disinformation and Kremlin-led narratives proliferate; with highest rate of news avoidance and lowest media literacy in Europe, a better enforcement of existing rules is needed

A sharp rise in counterfeit banknotes circulating has been registered, with the second quarter of 2025 seeing a record of fakes circulating, especially in the 100 leva bills, as Bulgaria stands on the verge of adopting the euro

Admirers of traditional Bulgarian carpet craftsmanship gathered for the "Iglika Kilim Fest," a celebration that turned the local meadows into an open-air museum of kilim, antique hand-woven rugs; 965 rugs were displayed across a ten-acre area