The protests in Bulgaria have also been covered by several French media outlets.
The French newspaper "Le Monde" republished a correspondence from Agence France-Presse from Sofia, dedicated to the protests in the Bulgarian capital and a number of Bulgarian cities yesterday, noting that this is the third such protest in three weeks in the country.
In addition to the Agence France-Presse report, the "Le Monde" article recalls that the protests originated over the budget for next year, which was withdrawn by the government in early December under pressure from the protesters. It was recalled that the initial version of the budget envisaged an increase in some taxes and social deductions. According to the protesters and the opposition, these are all increases aimed at covering up the diversion of funds, notes "Monde". A new draft budget was presented at the beginning of this week.
In addition to the government, the protesters also targeted former media magnate Delyan Peevski, accused by the opposition of exercising hidden influence over the media, the judiciary and the security services, points out "Monde". Peevski has been sanctioned by the US and the UK for corruption, the newspaper also recalls, adding that he is the leader of a party representing the Turkish minority and a part of the Roma community in Bulgaria. This political formation guarantees the parliamentary majority of the government.
The protest mobilization was at the call of the reformist and pro-Western coalition "Continuing the change-Democratic Bulgaria", "Monde" also recalls.
The French news media "Seine News" also pays attention to the protests in Bulgaria and describes the atmosphere during the demonstrations last night in Sofia and in the country, also based on correspondence from France Presse.
The media also recalls that in 4 years there have been 7 parliamentary votes in Bulgaria. In January, a fragile government was formed, which is a coalition formed due to circumstances between the GERB party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and two other formations and which is supported in parliament by the Turkish minority. In the material of "Seine News" It is also said that Bulgarian President Rumen Radev expressed support for the protesters last week and demanded the resignation of the government, adding that he wanted to create his own party. In May, Radev also proposed organizing a referendum on the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria, the media outlet recalls.
The article also notes that Bulgaria is among the EU member states, along with Hungary and Romania, considered the most corrupt according to the Corruption Perceptions Index of the international non-governmental organization “Transparency International“.
A few weeks before Bulgaria enters the eurozone on January 1, 2026, protesters in the country accuse the government of fueling corruption through the draft budget for next year, according to a commentary article in the French-language publication “Le Grand Continent“, which covers European issues. The protesters opposed proposals to increase public sector salaries to the detriment of the private sector, which would be subject to tax and social security increases. They also opposed a proposal to transfer the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator to a foreign concessionaire, fearing a corruption scheme. The protesters also exposed the role played by Delyan Peevski, a media magnate who has been placed on the US and UK sanctions list for corruption scandals. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by "Transparency International", Bulgaria ranks 76th out of 180 countries, on a par with China.
"The EC and the European Central Bank gave the green light in June for the country to join the eurozone. They acknowledged that Bulgaria had met the technical criteria for this. However, a number of economists believe that the draft budget for next year could increase the state's deficit, which could lead to the EC initiating an excessive deficit procedure against it. A new version of the draft budget will now be discussed in parliament. It still provides for a 10 percent increase in all public sector salaries, but has taken into account some of the protesters' demands regarding social security," the publication commented.