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The admission plan for secondary education in 2026/2027. The admission plan for secondary education in 2026/2027 shows that 63% of the places are for vocational education. A key factor in the connection between secondary vocational education and the labor market is the inclusion of training through work – the so-called dual education. In the dual form of education, students in grades 11 and 12 conduct practices in a real work environment in companies with which the school has concluded a contract.

There is already data on the admission plan for secondary education for the next academic year. Admission to vocational education will be carried out according to a new list of professions. It does not change the structure of vocational education in general. The number of places for professions related to the IT sector continues to increase, admission to agricultural and restaurant professions remains inflated, and the most necessary for the economy - those aimed at the processing industry - are again few. The discrepancy is clearly visible in the Index of correspondence between vocational education and the profile of the economy developed by IME (the 2026 edition is also coming soon).

Trust in institutions in Bulgaria remains low, especially in the central government. Eurobarometer data shows that trust in the government is around 27%, and in the parliament – ​​around 21%. At the same time, local government enjoys higher support – around 35–36% trust.

Varna is developing steadily economically, with income and economic activity remaining above the national average, and poverty is relatively low. The district stands out with the highest employment rate in the country, a high level of investment and well-developed infrastructure, as well as stable financial independence. In addition, Varna maintains a relatively favorable demographic picture and strong positions in education, with good student performance and a large number of students. Among the weaker sides of the district, the lower share of health insurance, the slow administration of justice and the more mixed results in the cultural sphere stand out. Tourism remains among the most highly developed sectors.

Today, all major taxes go to the state budget. The tax on the income that everyone earns makes its way to the capital, where the money is left to the will and discretion of politicians in the government, according to their priorities or party needs. It depends on the will of the prime minister and the finance minister how much of these funds go back to the street, the water supply, the kindergarten or the park of the city, in which the taxpayer creates value through labor and entrepreneurship, lives and raises his children.

The share of admissions to secondary education for specialized training has been decreasing in recent years and for 2026/2027 it will reach exactly 40%. The highest admissions to specialized classes are in the capital and Kardzhali region, and the lowest – in Vratsa and Montana1. On the one hand, this exacerbates the problem of mismatch between vocational education and the labor market, and on the other hand – makes the distribution of profiles in specialized education even more important.

In 2025, 159 Bulgarian municipalities (60% of all) implemented exactly 400 projects included in the Investment Program for Municipal Projects. The total amount paid out for them is 220 million euros. What are municipal projects?