CoE: Bulgaria remains ‘challenging’ environment for independent journalism

Despite some modest improvements in recent years, Bulgaria remains a challenging environment for independent journalism, according to the annual report by the partner organisations to the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists, released on March 3.

Bulgaria’s media landscape continues to be shaped by deep political polarisation, political and economic influence over editorial work and legal and governance dysfunctions, the report said.

These findings are consistent with the assessment carried out during the joint mission of the Platform partners to Sofia in September 2025.

The safety of journalists has improved modestly compared to previous years, it said.

“Physical attacks are relatively rare, yet hostility from politicians, online harassment – particularly gendered abuse – and threats linked to organised crime contribute to a climate of insecurity,” the report said.

“Trust in law enforcement remains low, with slow and ineffective investigations and no national system for tracking attacks.”

The report said that at the time of writing, Bulgaria had not yet joined the Council of Europe’s Journalists Matter campaign.

Although no confirmed spyware cases against journalists have been recorded, Bulgaria has emerged as a hub for surveillance technology companies, and reports suggest that intrusive tools such as Pegasus have been used by the authorities in the past.

Legal threats and SLAPPs remain a significant concern, the report said.

“Abusive lawsuits, often led by major businesses, politicians or judges, continue to target investigative reporting.”

The attempted October 2025 amendment to the Penal Code – which would have enabled fines and prison sentences of up to six years for publishing personal information without consent, with no public-interest exemption – posed a serious threat to press freedom, the report said, without naming the party that tabled the amendments, minority party populist ITN.

“Although withdrawn following public and international outcry, the episode highlighted the fragility of recent progress and the risk of future regression,” the report said.

The report said that media pluralism is precarious.

“The sector is characterised by political influence, opaque ownership structures and the economic weight of a small advertising market.”

State advertising lacks transparency and remains vulnerable to politicisation, particularly at regional and local levels.

The influence of sanctioned oligarch Delyan Peevski continues to raise concerns about indirect political control over parts of the media ecosystem, the report said.

Market concentration remains high: two major groups – PPF Group and United Group – dominate key broadcast and telecom segments.

“While a cohort of independent and investigative outlets provide high-quality work, their numbers remain low and no domestic funding schemes support investigative journalism.”

Bulgarian National Television (BNT) has been in a prolonged leadership deadlock due to the inability of the Council for Electronic Media (CEM) to secure a majority vote to elect a Director General. Court challenges, appeals and procedural disputes have further paralysed the process, according to the report, which was compiled before the recent election of a new head of BNT.

During the mission to Bulgaria, stakeholders cited politicisation and insufficient resources as ongoing problems for both BNT and the media regulator.

“Though BNT and Bulgarian National Radio remain among the country’s most trusted news sources, their independence is hampered by limited funding, political pressure and unresolved regulatory reform.”

Access to information is weakened by institutional opacity and obstacles for ling FOI requests, the report said.

Courts have issued rulings that create chilling effects on public interest journalism.

“Low pay, precarious working conditions, limited self-regulation and the proliferation of low-quality online outlets undermine the status of the profession and contribute to low trust in the media, which in Bulgaria is among the lowest in the EU.”

Bulgaria remains poorly prepared to implement the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), fully in force since August 2025, the report said.

While the Ministry of Culture has initiated work on amendments to the Radio and Television Act, there is no clear strategy, timeline or broader process for alignment with other EMFA provisions.

“Recent developments in Bulgaria indicate that improvements in the media environment remain vulnerable.”

Outstanding issues include strengthening media regulation, safeguarding the independence of public service media, addressing legal harassment and improving transparency in media ownership and state advertising.

Continued institutional weaknesses have limited progress in these areas, the report said.

(Photo: Interior Ministry)