Bulgaria 2027 budget: child benefits up 16–56%, public pay +5%
Draft 2027 budget: child and family benefits up 16–56%, public-sector pay +5%, education +7.5%, pensions from mid-2027. Not adopted yet.
Bulgaria news: politics, economy and prices
National news that matters in Varna: elections, the 2027 budget, wages, pensions, inflation and fuel, and Bulgaria’s ties with NATO, the EU and Russia.
Sources: BTA · The Sofia Globe · Central Election Commission · NSI
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Bulgaria 2027 budget plan and tax changes explained
Bulgaria's draft 2027 budget: 4.3% deficit, €60,000 VAT threshold, €200 food vouchers, higher property tax, 33% windfall tax. All still drafts.
How corrupt is Bulgaria? Corruption index, EU rule-of-law report and judicial reform in 2026
Bulgaria scored 40/100 in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, joint last in the EU. What the 2026 EU rule-of-law report and the Sarafov exit mean.
Bulgaria economic outlook 2026–2027: IMF, Fitch and EY forecasts
The IMF sees Bulgaria growing 2.6% in 2026 with 4.9% inflation; Fitch kept BBB+ with a positive outlook. What the forecasts mean for Varna.
Fuel prices Bulgaria October 2026: diesel €1.91, A95 €1.65, up 42%
Diesel costs about €1.91/l and A95 €1.65/l in Bulgaria (21 Oct 2026). Fuel rose 42.2% in a year, the EU's biggest jump. No shortage, but supply is tight.
Housing loans in Bulgaria up 25% a year: what BNB data says about the 2026 mortgage boom
Bulgarian housing loans reached €19.3bn in August 2026, up 25.2% y/y, BNB data show. Rates stay near 2.4%. What fast credit growth means for Varna buyers.
Bulgaria inflation 2026: why euro prices rose 5.7% by September
Bulgaria's annual inflation rate hit 5.7% in September 2026. Fuel, transport and services drove it, not the euro switch: food rose only 1.6%. The data explained.
US troops, NATO and Bulgaria's military in 2026: bases, battlegroup, spending and F-16s
Bulgaria hosts rotating US troops at four Bulgarian-owned joint facilities. Explainer on the NATO battlegroup, Bezmer, defence spending and F-16s.
Bulgaria minimum wage 2027: €660 a month proposed, up from €620
Bulgaria plans a €660 gross minimum wage from 1 January 2027, up 6.4% from €620.20. That is about €512 net. The decree is not final yet.
Why is Bulgaria blocking North Macedonia's EU path? The dispute explained (2026)
Sofia says Skopje must keep its 2022 promises, starting with adding Bulgarians to its constitution. Skopje wants guarantees first. Status in October 2026.
Bulgaria's April 2026 election: results, seats and how Radev became PM
Final results of Bulgaria's 19 April 2026 snap election: Progressive Bulgaria won 131 of 240 seats, five parties got in, and Radev became PM on 8 May.
Bulgarian pensions 2026–2027: +7.8% from July, next rise mid-2027
Bulgarian pensions rose 7.8% on 1 July 2026; the minimum old-age pension is now €347.51. The next rise is due mid-2027, % not set yet.
Bulgaria's political parties in 2026: who is in parliament
Five parties sit in Bulgaria's 240-seat parliament after the April 2026 vote: Progressive Bulgaria (131), GERB-SDS, PP-DB, DPS and Vazrazhdane.
President vs prime minister in Bulgaria: who has the power?
Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic: the PM governs, the president has a suspensive veto, the army and caretaker cabinets. Why Radev switched jobs.
Does Bulgaria still depend on Russian energy? Gas, TurkStream and Lukoil explained
Bulgaria stopped buying Russian gas in 2022, but Russian gas still crosses it via TurkStream. EU ban dates, new supply routes and the Lukoil refinery.
Bulgaria and Turkey in 2026: relations, the Turkish minority and 1989
About 508,000 people in Bulgaria identify as Turks. The 1989 exodus, the DPS, and Bulgaria–Turkey ties in 2026: trade, Black Sea and border, with sources.
Does Bulgaria still help Ukraine? Weapons, the Coalition of the Willing and EU sanctions in 2026
Bulgaria stopped giving weapons from army stocks in June 2026, but commercial arms sales continue. A dated timeline of aid, the coalition and EU sanctions.
Bulgarian politics explained (2026): who runs the country, the parties, Russia, NATO and the EU
Who runs Bulgaria in 2026, which parties sit in parliament, where the country stands on Russia, NATO and the EU, and what the 1 November runoff decides.
Is Bulgaria pro-Russian? Bulgaria–Russia relations in 2026, explained
No simple yes or no: Bulgaria stays in NATO and the EU, but the Radev government seeks dialogue with Moscow. The facts, the polls and both readings.
Lukoil Bulgaria sanctions licence extended to April 2027
The US licence for Lukoil Bulgaria runs to 24 April 2027; the UK extended its own to 26 February 2027, so the Burgas refinery and stations keep running.
Delyan Peevski and the Magnitsky sanctions: what is being investigated
Why the US and UK sanctioned Delyan Peevski and other Bulgarians, what the 2026 flights dispute and Audit Office probe are about, and what both sides say.
Why has Bulgaria had so many elections since 2021?
Eight parliamentary elections from April 2021 to April 2026: split parliaments, caretaker cabinets, the 2025 protests and the 2026 majority.
Black Sea shipping attacks and drones in 2026: 570 ships hit, now off Bulgaria
Over 570 ships hit in the Black Sea in 2026, the FT reports. Latest: the Contship Jet, struck off Cape Kaliakra on 28 Oct; its 18 crew were taken to Varna.
Bulgaria votes for president: what Varna voters need to know
Bulgaria voted for president on 25 October 2026: 27 candidate pairs, about 6.59 million voters, 408,019 of them in Varna region. How the vote worked.
Black Sea drone attacks off Bulgaria: Contship Jet hit off Kaliakra
Drones have hit ships off Bulgaria since 6 Oct 2026. Update 1 Nov: Contship Jet hit off Cape Kaliakra on 28 Oct, 18 crew safe in Varna, pollution checks.
Bulgaria presidential election results 2026: runoff on 1 November
CEC count: Yotova 34.76%, Gyurov 31.95%. Runoff on 1 November 2026: where both stand on Russia, Ukraine and the EU, who backs them, how Varna votes.