PM Rumen Radev discusses lifting US visa requirement for Bulgarian citizens in talks with Donald Trump

Aircraft tankers are currently stationed at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport and are expected to remain there until the end of May. Prime Minister Rumen Radev said he expects the United States to request an extension of their stay at Sofia Airport.

Speaking at the start of the government meeting on May 20, PM Radev said he had held a telephone conversation yesterday with Pete Hegseth, followed by a separate discussion with Donald Trump.

“During my conversation with the American President, I raised firmly the issue of lifting visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens travelling to the United States, and I expect this issue to be addressed soon," Radev said.

As we have already announced, we are launching an administrative reform with two clear objectives — increasing efficiency and reducing costs, the Prime Minister said. He also made it clear that there will be no mass dismissals that would lead to a loss of administrative capacity or legal risks.

“There will be no redundancies or restructuring before a preliminary review of structures and functions has been carried out, and without a thorough analysis to determine which functions are duplicated across bodies, which are outdated and inadequate, and which can and when be automated and digitised,” he added.

In this context, a Council for Administrative Reform is being established, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Galab Donev.

“The approaches that will guide this reform are clear. These include the merger of agencies and directorates with overlapping responsibilities, the transformation of agencies into directorates within the relevant ministries, the elimination of unnecessary intermediate structures, the reduction of vacant staff positions, retirement without replacement, as well as voluntary departure programmes.”

We have clear criteria for success: reducing the bureaucratic burden for citizens and businesses, shortening the time for administrative services, greater transparency and accountability and, of course, optimizing public spending while maintaining the quality of services provided by the administration, Rumen Radev further stressed.

photos by BTA

Finally, the Prime Minister also highlighted DARA’s “grand success” at Eurovision:

“The entire week has already been marked by the grand Bulgarian success at Eurovision — a success that goes far beyond the dimensions of musical art. It is up to us to make the most of it. For us in the government, there is no time for emotions, because the preparation — in terms of scale and organisation — is enormous. It requires not only financial resources, but also a great deal of coordination. That is why we are setting up an inter-ministerial organising committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov, which will include the relevant line ministries."

He added that DARA, her team, and the management of BNT would be invited for coordination talks as early as this week.