2025 left a deep mark on the development of civil society in Bulgaria. This was a period marked by strong political tension, attempts to limit democratic freedoms and at the same time - by growing civic activism and resistance to authoritarian tendencies. Among the most discussed topics was the attempt to introduce the so-called Foreign Agents Registration Act - a legislative initiative that provoked sharp reactions from non-governmental organizations, media, expert circles and a wide range of citizens. For the NGO sector and the civic energy of the protests… Deyan Kolev, Chairman of the “Amalipe“ Center, spoke to FACTI.
- Mr. Kolev, what was 2025 like for the non-governmental sector. Aha, to become foreign agents?
- The year was filled with contradictory trends. One of the positive things was the rejection of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). If it had been adopted, not only us from the civil sector, but also dozens of media outlets, hundreds of schools and hundreds of thousands, even millions of ordinary citizens would have been registered as foreign agents. This would certainly “hit“ the entire democratic system seriously and make us a semi-authoritarian state…
- Why was the idea of a “Foreign Agents“ Law born in our country? A blow against NGOs and the media or …
- The idea for this law is not Bulgarian. Although its apologists claim that it was inspired by the practice of the United States (there was similar legislation there during the Cold War, as a way to stop totalitarian propaganda), the real inspirers are in the East - Russia, Georgia and a number of other countries that we definitely cannot consider democratic. Unfortunately, forms of ZRCA exist even in the EU - an example is Hungary. The result there is obvious - hundreds of organizations left Hungary, the authoritarian trend was strengthened. We should not think that just because we are a member of the EU, we are immune from such legislation. We must all fight against it and against every authoritarian tax.
- Let us just recall that the draft law provided for the registration of all legal and natural persons who received more than 1000 leva from abroad within 5 years?
- This is exactly so and certainly hundreds of thousands, even millions of citizens had to be registered as foreign agents, since their relatives (children, parents, spouses) work abroad and send funds to Bulgaria. It is well known that the largest foreign investment is the funds sent by the Bulgarian diaspora. Hundreds of thousands of families are divided to work in Western Europe, Great Britain, the USA and their relatives in Bulgaria would be registered as foreign agents. Doesn't this absurdity remind you of the times before 1989, when the relatives of the so-called “non-returnees” (citizens of socialist Bulgaria who had the imprudence to leave it in a western direction) had to endure severe punishments for the sake of their children, brothers and other relatives. We should not think that this past is irrevocably gone.
By the way, the AZRA is an example of how authoritarian legislation can affect everyone. And also lead to economic decline. Unfortunately, Hungary is an example in this direction. Two decades ago, this was a country that we envied in terms of income and economic standard. Today, Bulgaria is a richer country than it, and Hungary is at the bottom of the EU countries.
- Elections for a new National Assembly are coming up. Will we see the law on foreign agents again in the plenary hall?
- I am convinced that the AZRA will be proposed again. My concern is whether it will not be adopted. An analysis of the voting by parties on the AZRA is alarming. In early February, the ruling GERB-SDF, the pro-European opposition PP-DB and MRF – NN voted in unison against the “Vazrazhdane” bill. The then co-ruling ITN, BSP and APS voted “abstain”, and some of their MPs even supported the ZRCHA. MECH also abstained. It is difficult to predict what would happen in the new National Assembly.
- They created an “anti-Soros” parliamentary committee in the parliament. Was this an experiment, or is there something else?
- And in this respect, Bulgaria was not a “pioneer” – you know about the anti-Soros campaign in Hungary. In my opinion, the creation of such a commission in our country was more of an attempt to intimidate the media and organizations that do not gravitate around a particular politician.
- When the anti-Soros commission was formed, what was expected…
- It is difficult for me to speculate on this issue. This commission certainly has nothing to “reveal”. Historically, the Open Society Foundation was one of the most powerful factors that supported democracy in Bulgaria during the first decade of the transition. They also supported the entire society in times of crisis. Younger people probably don't remember, but this foundation provided thousands of scholarships to students and even high school students, financed social kitchens and numerous other social initiatives aimed at all Bulgarian citizens, especially the poorest. The commission was established with a mandate that applies only to the current year. Apparently, its authors counted on this way to intimidate the media and NGOs that have a pro-democratic orientation.
The positive thing about this experiment was that the commission was rejected twice, and after its creation in November, it could not start. It did not hold a single meeting because it was blocked by pro-European parties and did not gather a quorum. A little later, after the start of mass civil protests, GERB-SDF even proposed its closure.
- In 2025, the work of the renewed Civil Society Development Council (CSDC) began. Is this good?
- Definitely yes. Elections were held for the CSDC and in a short time the Council held 3 meetings and began work on the preparation of the Strategy for the Development of Civil Society. The previous composition of the CSDC never managed to actually work - not because of the organizations, but because of the politicians. The upcoming special elections will probably delay the new CSDC, but I hope it will be short-lived.
- In the field of education, 2025 was particularly dynamic. In April, the Ministry of Education announced its plans to introduce a mandatory subject "Virtues and Religions". Many debates… What do you expect to happen?
- Indeed, the year was particularly dynamic for education - an area that excites us all. The debates on the upcoming introduction of the subject "Virtues and Religions" and on changes to the basic education law were particularly intense, filled with polar opinions and even fake news. It is a great pity, because there were also good ideas that were not the subject of a real debate. An example in this regard are the proposals for the inclusion in the ZPUO of texts supporting educational desegregation. In May, the Ministry of Education and Science proposed good things in this direction, which were discussed with the "Amalipe" center and other organizations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs objected to the terms "segregation" and "desegregation" with absurd arguments that segregation does not exist in Bulgaria, or rather - that we should not publicly acknowledge the obvious fact of its existence. The Council of Ministers proposed that these terms be replaced with “concentration of students of Roma origin“ – something that would stigmatize the entire Roma community and allow for easy “avoidance“ of any desegregation actions with the argument “our students do not define themselves as Roma, therefore there is no segregation here“ What don't politicians like?
- Proposals for such a law have been around for years, but politicians never find time to pass it. The need for such a law is obvious - hundreds of thousands of volunteers are helping victims of fires, floods and all kinds of disasters. This is an example of the civic energy that is boiling and needs to be supported. The "Amalipe" Center works with hundreds of volunteers, especially young people. I confidently assert that volunteering develops them, local communities, the entire society. That is why it is important to regulate it as soon as possible.
- 2025 ended with an unprecedented wave of civic activism. Has our society woken up, is it waking up?
- I really hope that this is exactly the case. In any sociology textbook you will read that democracy is not just a matter of elections. Citizens must influence politicians daily - this is a guarantee for the well-being of the entire society. Because in modern democracy we elect those in power not to govern us, but to govern on our behalf – this is the principle of representative democracy. We - as citizens, have the right and should show those who govern on our behalf what decisions we want.