20.05.2026
Prime Minister Rumen Radev raised the visa waiver issue for Bulgarian citizens as he spoke over the phone with US President Donald Trump and expressed the expectation on the Bulgarian side that the issue would be considered urgently. This was announced by Prime Minister Rumen Radev at the opening of today’s cabinet sitting.
The Prime Minister said that apart from the US President, he spoke over the phone with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth about the US Air Force tanker aircraft landed at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport.
“The United States is our strategic partner and ally. The aircraft is landed there subject to the Council of Ministers permission given by the government of Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov and valid until the end of May. I expect from the American party to ask for an extension of the parking period at Sofia Airport,” Prime Minister Rumen Radev said and explained that it was in relation to that that he brought up the issue of the visa waiver for Bulgarian citizens.
Regarding the administrative reform as announced by the cabinet, Prime Minister Rumen Radev pointed out that it seeks two clear goals: to increase efficiency and to decrease costs.
“I want to state explicitly that there won’t be any largescale staff dismissals that cause a loss of administrative capacity and legal risks,” Rumen Radev said.
The Prime Minister emphasized that there would not be staff reductions and restructuring unless the positions and functions were subjected to a preliminary examination and a thorough analysis. An Administrative Reform Council is established to that effect with chair Deputy Prime Minister Galab Donev.
Among the main measures that will be implemented are the merger of agencies and departments where functions overlap, the transformation of agencies into departments under line ministries, the elimination of redundant intermediate units, the abolition of vacant staff positions, non-replacement for positions left vacant after retirement and programs for willing withdrawal.
“The aim is to alleviate the administrative burden on citizens and businesses, to shorten the time that an administrative service takes, to have greater transparency and accountability and to optimize public spending while the quality of services provided by the administration is maintained,” Prime Minister Rumen Radev said further.
The Prime Minister again congratulated singer Dara on her prize-winning performance at Eurovision. “The whole week is marked by the grandiose Bulgarian success at Eurovision. This is a success that transcends the art of music and it is up to us to make the most of it,” Rumen Radev said.
Therefore, the cabinet sets up an interagency organizing committee that is to be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov and that will involve all line ministries. Dara, her team and the management of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) will be invited to the government headquarters this week to coordinate preparations for the next Eurovision Song Contest that will be hosted by Bulgaria.
