PM Radev: There Will Be Deep Structural Reforms, Especially in the Security Services

Asked whether reforms would be carried out in the security services, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said:

“There are links to questionable groups – that is a fact. And these facts are being uncovered. There will be a briefing by the chairman of of the State Agency for National Security, the Minister of the Interior, and the Chief Secretary. You will see deep structural reforms, particularly in the security services. A profound transformation is taking place there so that we can optimise the structures, improve staff training, improve the conditions for more modern technological equipment and strengthen cooperation with our partners, so that the services operate in such a way that they do not serve particular political circles and groups, but genuinely work for national security.”

As an example, Radev noted that many of the directorates will be consolidated, as will the regional structures of the State Agency for National Security (SANS).

“So that we can streamline communication channels.”

The Prime Minister also commented on the issue of rising food prices.

“From the very beginning of our time in office, we made it clear that our aim was not to reduce prices, but to stop the rate at which prices are rising – we are talking about food products. This is the most pressing issue for all Bulgarian citizens. We hope that this upward trend has been reversed. We also have to take into account the prices of other essential goods – there is no way for us to influence fuel prices.”

Radev said he had tasked Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Shishkov to prepare the documentation within a year for the first motorways to be put out for concession. Private companies would be responsible both for their construction and for maintaining key road arteries. The government’s ambition is to comply with the European directive so that by 2030 vignette charges will be phased out and toll charges introduced.

“The most important thing is for us to have motorways as soon as possible,” Radev stressed.

The Prime Minister visited a section of the Plovdiv Ring Road that is currently under construction. The deadline for completing the construction work is October 2027.

Earlier, the Prime Minister officially broke ground on the new plant of Advanced Medical Care Ltd. The site of the future factory is located in the Maritsa Industrial Zone, part of the Trakia Economic Zone, near Tsaratsovo.

Advanced Medical Care’s investment project envisages the construction of a new plant producing saline solution and medical supplies, including vacuum blood collection tubes for blood collection, transport and testing. The project represents a declared investment of €7 million and is expected to create 35 new jobs.