It is with great sadness that we bid farewell to Dr Konstantin Trenchev, the founder and honorary president of the Bulgarian trade union confederation ‘PODKREPA CL’. He passed away in early November 2026 following a short illness.
Dr Trenchev was a leading figure in the Bulgarian trade union movement and in his country’s democratic development. On his birthday, 8 February 1989, the doctor, together with dissidents and activists, founded Bulgaria’s first independent trade union, PODKREPA CL, and from then on, under difficult political conditions, championed the freedom of trade union organisation as well as the rights and dignity of workers. PODKREPA CL was the second independent trade union in Eastern Europe after Solidarność. He faced state reprisals for his commitment and was imprisoned as a political prisoner for several months.
Following the democratic transition, he devoted more than a quarter of a century to building and developing PODKREPA CL. During his 26-year tenure as chairman, he left a lasting mark on the trade union and strengthened its role in the national social dialogue. He also championed workers’ interests at European and international level. He was the first Bulgarian to be elected Vice-President of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).
EZA, too, benefited from his knowledge, experience and commitment. PODKREPA CL has been a full member of EZA since October 2010. We are grateful for his contribution to our EZA Magazine as recently as spring 2025, in which Dr Trenchev, in an interview, offered personal insights into the emergence of the independent trade union movement in Bulgaria and his personal struggle for freedom and workers’ rights, whilst also reflecting on European integration today.
Dr Trenchev embodied integrity, courage – even at the cost of personal sacrifice – and straightforwardness. His work and example will live on in the European trade union movement and among the people whose rights he fought for.
Our deepest sympathy goes to his family, his comrades and all colleagues at the PODKREPA CL trade union confederation.
In grateful remembrance and with deep respect, we pay tribute to his life’s work.