Finance Minister Galab Donov's Decision Determines Future of Plovdiv Fair

On 29 July, Bulgaria’s Supreme Cassation Court ruled that the state’s procedural representative in the lawsuit over the Plovdiv International Fair must be the finance minister, not the economy minister. The court gave Finance Minister Galab Donov a one‑week deadline to confirm all procedural actions taken by the state since 2023. If he confirms, the case – which challenges the transfer of roughly 29 % of the fair’s shares to a company controlled by businessman Georgi Gergov – will continue. If he does not, the proceedings will be terminated on procedural grounds without a substantive ruling.

The dispute dates back a decade, involving earlier transfers of the shares from Varna municipality to Gergov’s “Paldin Turinvest” and subsequent court decisions that declared those transfers illegal. The coalition “Democratic Bulgaria” has called on Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Minister Donov to act, warning that inaction could enable an oligarchic takeover. A ministry spokesperson said the court decision had not yet reached the ministry: “Съдебното решение все още не е достигнало до нас.”