A pile-up on the Trakia motorway killed 13 people and injured more than 50. The crash prompted a TV studio discussion of road safety and of the 2027 draft budget of Galab Donev's cabinet.

The talk began with condolences to the victims' families. The guests were Nikola Yankov, a former deputy minister of economy and of transport and communications, and financial consultant Deyan Vasilev, a board member of the Association of Credit Intermediaries in Bulgaria. The hosts said roads remain dangerous and poorly kept, even though laws have been changing for years.

They said spending on repairs, guardrails and road safety is rising sharply. Bulgaria builds at high cost, yet it is still near the bottom of road death rankings, ahead of countries such as Romania and Croatia. The hosts added that road deaths affect hundreds of Bulgarian families every year.

A month ago the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) signed a contract for a 2.7 km section of the Struma motorway. It costs €108m, or nearly €40m per km.

The hosts said road signs and guardrails cannot stop the deaths without personal discipline from drivers. They also said society must not tolerate reckless behaviour on the road.

Former caretaker economy minister Nikola Stoyanov and Petar Mishev, a longtime economic expert at the KNSB trade union, see positive signs in the draft budget of Donev's cabinet. Stoyanov has held senior management posts at some of Bulgaria's biggest companies, including in defence.