Bulgaria has made strides in the annual media freedom ranking by Reporters Without Borders, elevating its position to 59th among 180 countries, a 12-spot improvement from the previous year. However, within the European Union, Bulgaria continues to lag behind, holding the 23rd spot, trailing behind Hungary, Cyprus, Malta, and Greece in terms of media freedom.
Reporters Without Borders credits Bulgaria's enhanced ranking to the government's under Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov showing willingness to implement reforms in the media sector over the past year. Despite this positive development, the organization also criticizes Bulgarian authorities for their failure to take systematic actions to address the country's entrenched issues, such as the rise in SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) cases.
While acknowledging Bulgaria's advancements, Reporters Without Borders highlights that the country still faces challenges in its political, economic, and security spheres, where indicators continue to remain relatively low compared to global standards.