EU Report Highlights Persistent Challenges in Bulgarian Media Transparency and Independence

The media environment in Bulgaria remains troubled by concerns regarding the independence of the press and the influence of political and economic forces. The European Commission's annual rule of law report for 2023, released on July 24, highlights ongoing issues in these areas. The report evaluates four main topics for each EU member state: justice, corruption, media freedom and pluralism, and institutional matters related to administrative functioning.

In the section on media freedom and pluralism, the report acknowledges that while some progress has been made, significant challenges persist. Recent years have seen recommendations for greater transparency in the distribution of state advertising funds. Although the European Commission notes "some improvement" in this area, government advertising is still often distributed through intermediaries like media agencies, which complicates transparency efforts. Amendments to the Public Procurement Act now mandate the publication of notices for public procurement and payments to media service providers, but shortcomings persist, particularly at local and regional levels where government advertising is reportedly used to exert influence.

The report also highlights issues with the effectiveness of media ownership registers. Despite the existence of registers managed by the Council for Electronic Media (CEM) and the Ministry of Culture, which are supposed to make media ownership more transparent, these measures are considered weak in practice. Stakeholders argue that the register is not user-friendly and that self-declaration systems are ineffective, as not all media outlets comply with ownership disclosure requirements. The situation is notably problematic with some opaque online media platforms...