[Bulgaria] Protests: Peaceful protest

Summary

Single-source ACLED detection — awaiting independent verification. Restaurant industry employees and managers protested in Varna, Bulgaria on April 8, 2025, demanding the government maintain a 9% VAT rate for the sector rather than the proposed increase to 20%. The demonstration was peaceful and classified as low severity.

Supply chain impact

No commodities or chokepoints are directly mapped to this event; second-order effects depend on how the situation escalates and whether similar protests spread to other sectors or regions.

Watch points

• Monitor for expansion of protests to other Bulgarian cities or economic sectors beyond restaurants
• Watch for government response to VAT tax demands and potential policy announcements affecting business operations