President Plevneliev's Veto Survives Parliament Vote
(Sofia, Jan 12) - Bulgarian MPs supported President Rossen Plevneliev's veto on the Investments Encouragement Act and returned it for further discussion.
Only three MPs supported the Act, 24 voted against it and 95 abstained from voting.
President Plevneliev vetoed the new law because, as he made it a point, the new regulations for residence of foreign investors in Bulgaria create many obstacles for their business activities....
General Elections in Italy and Germany May Influence the Political Situation in Bulgaria
Yuriy Aslanov, sociologist
Sofia, Jan 12) - Whether or not Bulgaria will have a coalition government after the general elections in July 2013 is very hard to predict, as it will depend on talks between the political formations and politicians alike.
The social moods in the country are very dynamic. We can assume with quite a certainty that three political parties – Citizens for European...
Brussels Gives Bulgaria EUR 42.5 Million for Sofia Tech Park
(Sofia, Jan 11) - The European Commission has allocated a grant of EUR 42.5 million (BGN 83.1 million) for the construction of the Sofia Tech Park. The contract was signed at the Council of Ministers by Sofia Tech Park CEO Elitsa Panayotova and Chief Director of the European Funds for Competitiveness Kiril Geratliev. The event was also attended by Minister of Economy Delian Dobrev.
The total cost of the project is EUR 50...
PM Borissov and PM Samaras to Discuss Crisis and Macedonia
(Sofia, Jan 5) - Greek PM Andonis Samaras will make an official visit to Bulgaria in February, the Standart learnt, though there is no fixed date for the visit yet. PM Samaras will be accompanied by some of his ministers. PM Borissov and PM Samaras will discuss the global crisis and the application of Macedonia for EU membership.
Greece has already supported Bulgaria in its position that Macedonia should enter the EU if the...
Finmin Djankov: Some incomes will increase in 2013
(Sofia, Jan 5) - "The Financial 2012 finished better than expected," Bulgaria's Finmin Simeon Djankov commented for the Bulgarian National Television (BNT).
"Due to overfulfilment of the revenues by the National Revenue agency and Customs agency, the budget deficit for 2012 is by 3 times less than planned and this will allow an additional increase of some of the incomes in 2013," Mr Djankov stated.
At this stage Finmin Djankov...
Bulgaria to Pay EUR 879 M on Foreign Debt in 10 Days
The next bonds maturity dates are in 2015 and 2017
(Sofia, Jan 5, 2012) - EUR 879,849,875 ? this is the sum that Bulgaria is to pay on its foreign debt on January 15th, 2013, the finance ministry said.
Thus, Bulgaria will fully pay off the emission of Eurobonds with a 7.5-percent interest, emitted in 2002 by Milen Velchev, finance minister in the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-led Cabinet.
So as to pay off this loan, the Bulgarian...
Pope Benedict XVI to Watch Documentary on Bulgaria's Late Patriarch Maxim
The Vatican respects the memory of late Patriarch Maxim
The Vatican will watch a documentary about the deceased Bulgaria's Patriarch Maxim. On January 22, the documentary named My Service of the journalist from the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Goran Blagoev, will be screened in the Vatican television hall, the Standart learnt from sources from the Holy Synod.
A special invitation to attend the event...
Moderate earthquake rattles Bulgaria
A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Bulgaria on Tuesday, about 14 miles outside the capital of Sofia, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
It was less than six miles deep, the USGS said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or...
Bulgaria's 'Pebble Beach' to host top European golf event
Nicolas Colsaerts will defend his World Match Play title at a new European Tour venue in May.
The European Tour has long sought to grow golf outside the continent, taking top players around the world to Asia, the Middle East and Africa, while its second-tier circuit even visited South America this year.
Its latest bid to break new ground -- the largely untapped golfing market of Eastern Europe -- has been driven by the desires...
Bulgaria investigators seek clues to suicide bomber's identity
Investigators in Bulgaria are working around the clock to identify the man suspected of killing five Israeli tourists and their bus driver in an airport suicide bombing, the country's interior minister told reporters Friday.
Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said police were trying to piece together the movements of the suspect, who was carrying a fake Michigan driver's license.
Investigators are also working...
Bulgaria's next government will be a three-party coalition, the country's former Socialist president has forecast, declining to disclose its members.
"It is mission impossible for the currently ruling party GERB to garner enough votes and form a minority government," Georgi Parvanov said in an interview for Darik radio.
According to Parvanov the new government, regardless of its line-up, will need strong support by the people to conduct the badly needed reforms, which were not...
Bulgaria's history museum has an unusual display on show: a "vampire" skeleton, discovered after the unearthing of the 800-year-old remains of two skeletons stabbed through the chest with iron rods.
Archaeologists, excavating a monastery near the Black Sea city of Sozopol, discovered the skeletons which were buried in a pagan ritual that they said was aimed at keeping the men from turning into vampires.
"To prevent suspected would-be-vampires from turning into vampires, a group of brave...
Download speeds in Bulgaria were among the fastest in the world, behind only South Korea and Romania, according to research by online content delivery company Pando Networks, quoted by Bulgarian daily Dnevnik on September 21.
Average speed in South Korea was 2202KBps, followed by 1909KBps in Romania and 1611KBps in Bulgaria. The top ten is rounded up by Lithuania, Latvia, Japan, Sweden, Ukraine, Denmark and Hong Kong.
US scored 26th in the survey, at 606KBps, just above the global average...
Scotland Yard detectives have twice visited Bulgaria in three months in a final attempt to solve the murder of Georgi Markov, in which the Bulgarian dissident was jabbed with a poisoned umbrella while waiting for a London bus in 1978.
A team from the Metropolitan police travelled to Sofia in April 2007, then in March this year and again last month, in the hope of identifying the assassin before Bulgaria's 30-year statute of limitation expires in September.
Last night, a spokeswoman...
Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov has said that Oktay Enimehmedov, the man who assaulted Ahmed Dogan, leader of the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) on Saturday, may face more serious charges over the attack.
The 25-year-old man, who pointed a gas pistol against the politician during the 8th national conference of DPS, has so far been charged with a death threat and hooliganism.
In a Monday interview for the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Tsatsarov suggested...
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has revised upwards its forecast for Bulgaria's economic growth in 2013 from 1.7% to 1.9%.
The bank cut its forecast for economic growth in October last year from 2.5% in the previous report published in May to 1.7%, citing slumping exports.
"Recovery is expected to continue to be modest in Bulgaria into 2012, due mainly to sluggish export demand. Growth in 2012 is likely to have ended up at around 1% only, with a modest forecast...
Bulgarian authorities do not possess any investigative report on Hezbollah's alleged involvement in last year's Burgas bus bombing, according to Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev.
The report that Bulgaria had blamed Hezbollah for the Burgas bus bombing was made by the Israeli TV Channel 2 in the aftermath of Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov's visit to Israel. It was claimed that Mladenov presented a report that confirmed Hezbollah's involvement in the terror attack.
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Video Leaves Nasty Taste in Mouth for Bulgaria's Reputation
Bulgaria Lacks...
The full smoking ban in Bulgaria became effective on Friday, June 1, at midnight.
In April, after heated debates, Bulgaria's Parliament passed on first reading a bill banning smoking in closed public spaces.
The changes in the Law on Public Health mandate that smoking is fully banned in all work places, restaurants, bars, public transportation, cinemas, movie theaters, all hotels, near administrative buildings, in the yards or nearby daycare centers and schools, on playgrounds, at...
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has vowed to resign if the parliamentary group of center-right ruling party GERB backs the abolition of the smoking ban.
"We are totally against the abolition of the smoking ban. Let us hope that they will not make me once again carry my letter of resignation in my pocket at the next vote," Borisov said in a Saturday interview for Darik radio.
Bulgaria's Prime Minister reminded that he had appeared in Parliament with his letter of resignation in his...
1. The July 18 terrorist attack at the Sarafovo Airport in Bulgaria's Burgas, aka the Burgas Bus Bombing
2. Natural disasters – the May 20 6.0-magnitude earthquake in the western Bulgarian city of Pernik and Sofia and the flooding in the village of Biser
3. The decision of Bulgaria's Borisov Cabinet to terminate the project for the construction of the Belene Nuclear Power Plant, and the ensuing scheduling of a national referendum on the construction a second NPP
4. Civil...
Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, strongly condemned the actions of delegates of the ethnic Turkish party in thrashing the man who attacked their leader Ahmed Dogan with a gas pistol.
Speaking in the Parliament Friday, Tsvetanov stated the beating stirred large public outcry and informed that all tapes from the event have been seized and the prosecutor's office is now going to decide how to proceed further.
He called on everyone to act in a...
The referendum on the construction of a second nuclear power plant that Bulgaria is going to hold on January 27, Sunday, will be crucial in determining whether Bulgaria's ruling center-right party GERB will stay in power, according to Gallup sociologist Zhivko Georgiev.
"The most important answer the nuclear referendum will provide is if that will be GERB's first loss in elections, or if the party will continue its series of victories that Prime Minister Boyko Borisov so much loves to...
Legal charges against Mithat Tabakov and Gyunay Sefer, MPs from ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms party, have been officially logged with the Sofia City Court Friday.
The two are indicted with document fraud.
On October 19, 2012, now-former Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev called for pre-trail proceedings against them and they gave up their immunity as MPs, thereby agreeing for criminal investigation procedures to be opened against them.
Under Parliament's rules of...
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has defended Dimitar Berbatov on the striker's return to Old Trafford with Fulham.
Ferguson has argued that the Bulgarian forward's stay at Old Trafford was a success, even though he was used as a fourth-choice striker last season.
"I don't think Dimitar was a failure here," said Ferguson ahead of Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round tie against Fulham, according to the Daily Mail.
"But I can see why he would polarise opinion. Some people like...
The manager of Bulgaria's embattled and scandal-ridden Scientific Research Fund, Hristo Petrov, has resigned.
Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, has already accepted the resignation, the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, reported Monday.
Petrov deposited his resignation after it emerged that a probe of the Inspectorate at the Council of Ministers had established staggering violations at the Fund such as hiring people without the required qualifications and violations in assessing scientific bids...
Bulgaria's next referendum should be on an important environmental topic, according to Finance Minister Simeon Djankov.
In a Monday interview for Nova TV, he suggested that the next referendum could involve the statute of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
Djankov informed that he had abstained from voting at the January 27 nuclear referendum because the issue required expert knowledge and could not be sold through a plebiscite.
He claimed that the only good thing about Sunday's referendum...
Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev is to arrive in France for an official visit on Monday.
Bulgarian media have noted that this will be Plevneliev's first foreign trip for 2013.
The Bulgarian President will attend the opening ceremony of an exhibition dedicated to his country's historic rescue of 50 000 Jews from Nazi concentration camps 70 years ago.
Plevneliev is also expected to meet with his French counterpart Francois Hollande. The two officials are to discuss the economic...
The 22st edition of Bulgaria's largest and most impressive Kukeri event – the Surva Festival – kicked off in the western city of Pernik on Saturday.
Hundreds of kukeri, or mummers, practitioners of a beloved Bulgarian folklore tradition with roots from Ancient Thrace, have gathered for the weekend event.
Together with numerous international representatives of festival cultures around the globe, the participants of this year's Surva Festival amount to 6,100.
They will have...
Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Mladenov has held a string of bilateral meetings at the sides of the 49th Munich Security Conference he is taking part in Saturday.
In particular, Mladenov met his counterparts from Macedonia and Kosovo - Nikola Poposki and Enver Hoxhaj - as well as Montenegro's PM Milo Djukanovic.
The Balkan leaders discussed the situation in the region, including the processes of EU integration of countries from the Western Balkans.
Mladenov and...
A few dozens of Bulgarians came out on rallies in 4 major cities to request that Movement of Rights and Freedoms delegates who severely beat up the assaulter of former party leader Ahmed Dogan face justice.
In contrast, an online petition to the same effect has already gathered more than 10,000 signatures.
January 19, while long-time leader Dogan was delivering a speach at an MRF congress in Sofia, 25-year-old Oktay Enimehmedov walked on stage and pointed a hand gun right at the...
Bulgarian customs officers have detained shipments of heroin and fake perfumes in a single truck, worth over BGN 1 M each.
The illegal goods were transported in a railway container carrying empty glass jars from Turkey to the Netherlands.
Upon an inspection at the Svilengrad checkpoint, officers found discrepancies in accounts about its destination and decided to inspect the container's contents.
They the jar holders were found to be masking the center of the container, where...
The Member of the Parliament from Bulgaria's ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, Vyara Petrova, is facing a hearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Conflict of Interests.
The news was reported Sunday by the Bulgarian Pressa (Press) daily.
There are three tipoffs against her, combined in one – conflict of interests committed by her husband, by a company owned by her mother, and the last one is a request for a probe in her activities, submitted...
budgets will always be accomplished as planned. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, admitted he came back to the homeland from the US because of PM, Boyko Borisov.
Speaking Sunday before TV7, Djankov stated that there were still plenty of unaccomplished tasks, but pledged he would quit his ministerial post in case Borisov does not get reelected in the summer of this year.
He commented he has been personally invited by Borisov to...
In addition to day and night prices of electric power, Bulgaria will introduce soon a seasonal tariff.
The new electric power fees are included in a draft decree of the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation, DKEVR.
The directive is one from a number of administrative acts from the Electricity and Gas Directives requested by the European Commission.
It was reported on January 24 that EC was referring Bulgaria, Estonia and the United Kingdom to the Court of Justice of...
The "A" sector of the emblematic football field "Georgi Asparuhov" in Sofia will be demolished in a controlled explosion Sunday afternoon.
Over 300 kilos of explosives will be used in the operation, which is scheduled for 4:30 pm.
The football field is used for the host games and training practices of one of the top football teams in Sofia and in Bulgaria – Football Club "Levski."
The explosion will take about 10 to 15 minutes, but there will be significant dust and debris....
Code yellow has been declared for twenty three Bulgarian regions Sunday over the forecast for gusty winds.
The forecast has been issued by the Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BAS.
Code yellow means potentially dangerous weather, where the forecast is not for unusual meteorological events, but requires people to exercise caution.
Only 5 regions – Vidin, Montana, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv and Smolyan are under code green.
The weather...
From The Guardian
By Helena Smith
People in Bulgaria and Romania don't think British streets are paved in gold and would rather remain home, many say
This week, a young woman known as Ralitsa Behar wrote a letter on behalf of her fellow Bulgarians. Barely a thousand words long, the missive has taken her country by storm, being reproduced in national newspapers, winding its way through the internet and igniting debate that even its recipient, Nigel Farage, may have found hard to...
By Neil Buckley and Theodor Troev
Ralitsa Behar from Sofia, Bulgaria, spent a happy four years studying at Edinburgh university.
But when she graduated, Ms Behar chose to return to her home country.
"I believe Bulgaria provides more opportunity for businesses," the 23-year-old wrote in an open letter to Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence party.
Angered by "inaccurate and offensive" remarks by Mr Farage on the BBC, she invited him to see Bulgaria for himself as a guest of...
Israel is offering a stipend to the daughter of Mustafa Kyosev, the Bulgarian bus driver killed in the terror act in Burgas.
Salihe, 11, will receive assistance until she reaches majority, bTV informed Friday.
The bus bombing at the Burgas Sarafovo airport on July 18, 2012 killed a total of seven, including 5 Israeli tourists, their Bulgarian bus driver, and the perpetrator of the attack.
bTV aired a report where people close to the family of the late driver say his wife has not left...
Bulgaria's Parliament has adopted at first reading amendments to the Energy Efficiency Act.
The amendments initiated by the government were passed Friday with 79 votes in favor, 3 against, and 14 abstainees, according to reports of the Focus news agency.
The amendments envisage drafting a national plan for increasing the number of nearly zero-energy buildings and the introduction of energy performance certificates of buildings and building components.
During the discussion of the bill,...
Sofia residents and visitors can now use the subway parking lots free of charge with a personalized public transportation card.
The free period applies for the metro business hours – from 5 am until midnight. During the night, the fee is BGN 0.5 per hour.
The offer is effective already and applies to holders of personalized monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annual cards. One vehicle per card is allowed.
Other public transportation cards or metro fare tickets allow free parking...
Bulgaria's Princess Kalina wants to gain Bulgarian citizenship, local media have announced.
Kalina met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Justice Minister Diana Kovacheva on Friday.
The Bulgarian Princess is expected to join the Bulgarian national equestrian team.
41-year-old Kalina is the youngest of former Bulgarian King Simeon Saxe-Coburg and wife Margarita's five children, who were all born in exile in Spain.
Throughout her youth she cultivated a name for herself as...
Ethnic minorities in Balkan countries should be granted a "European minority status" to integrate them better into society, the new leader of Bulgaria's Turkish party has demanded.
This designation should be highlighted throughout Europe as a brand new concept for the integration of minorities, the new leader of Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Lyutvi Mestan, said in an interview for Today's Zaman.
The idea of giving religious and ethnic...
Nearly 100 people gathered in Bulgarian capital Sofia's Ovcha Kupel on Sunday in an effort to rescue a 200-year-old Platanus tree from felling. Photo by cross.bg
Nearly 100 people gathered in Bulgarian capital Sofia's Ovcha Kupel on Sunday in an effort to rescue a 200-year-old Platanus tree from felling.
Municipal authorities planned to cut down the tree early on Sunday in order to make way for the construction of a new supermarket.
Protesters have pointed out that the tree...
Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has criticized Prime Minister Boyko Borisov for his unexpected decision to resign on Wednesday.
Plevneliev admitted that he was surprised by the move.
"The politically responsible option was for the Cabinet to finish its term," the President told reporters.
Plevneliev also said that he will hand down on Monday the mandate for forming a new government to the biggest party in parliament – Borisov's center-right GERB, as the Constitution...
Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev said he will hand down on Monday the mandate for forming a new government to the biggest party in parliament – center-right GERB.
His statement came shortly after parliament accepted Thursday the resignation handed by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his cabinet.
"I will start talks with all parliamentary groups together as early as Friday. Why together? So that there isn't even a shadow of doubt that some behind-the-curtain coalitions have been...
The pro-Putin-style ralliers who assembled in front of Parliament to support PM Boyko Borisov as it the house voted on his resignation have reached 7,000, according to police data.
News agencies give much lower but still significant estimates, quoting numbers in the 2,000-3,000 range.
After the resignation was passed almost unanimously by Parliament, Borisov and his cabinet ministers walked out to be greeted by their supporters.
The resigned PM addressed the multitude, thanking them...
Bulgaria's outgoing prime minister, who resigned shockingly on Wednsday, accused the ethnic Turkish party leader of plotting an assassination attempt on his life.
Speaking from the parliamentary rostrum just minutes after parliament accepted with overwhelming majority the resignation of his government, Boyko Borisov said Ahmed Dogan wanted him dead, citing a document from the intelligence of a foreign country.
“The intelligence agency of a partner country has provided documents, which...
Bulgaria's Parliament accepted Thursday the resignation handed by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his Cabinet.
A total of 209 lawmakers voted in favor of the proposed resignation, while 5 were against and 1 abstained from voting.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov made the shocking announcement Wednesday that his cabinet is to resign en masse around noon. The move follows a tumultuous week of public anger over rising electricity prices, corruption and austerity measures that ignited...
The political instability in Bulgaria may affect Romania's bid to enter the Schengen agreement, according to Romanian PM Victor Ponta.
Ponta has reminded that the two Balkan countries are set to join Europe's border-free zone together, adding that his country's accession to Schengen "will be seriously influenced by the political instability of Bulgaria", according to ACTmedia.
However, Ireland's Ambassador to Romania Oliver Grogan has refuted Ponta's statement, saying that the resignation...
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is unable to attend the parliamentary vote on his and his Cabinet's resignation because he is too busy, Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov has told reporters.
According to Naydenov, Borisov is currently working in the Council of Ministers building in Sofia.
Earlier on Thursday, opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party MP Petar Kurumbashev filed a proposal for Parliament to summon Borisov and Djankov to the sitting.
The proposal was however voted...
Following the collective resignation of the center-right GERB government, the big question in Bulgaria is who will be appointed caretaker Prime Minister.
The caretaker Prime Minister, who is to be appointed by President Rosen Plevneliev, will be a decisive figure over the next two months because the person will be in charge of holding fair and peaceful elections.
After announcing the collective resignation of the Cabinet on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov made clear that...
Bulgaria's National Assembly voted Thursday to accept the government's resignation, assembly press official Maria Missova said.
Out of 240 assembly deputies, 215 were present, 209 voted yes, 5 no, and 1 abstained, she said.
Prime Minister Boyko Borisov tendered his government's resignation Wednesday after eight days of nationwide protests over high energy bills, his office said. Protests against soaring electricity bills have morphed into wider discontent over austerity and the way the...
Another euro-pegged government defending an overvalued exchange rate bites the dust, a reminder that the underlying economic and social disaster across the Europe's Arc of Depression is still getting worse.
Bulgarian prime minister Boiko Borisov resigned Wednesday morning after days of mass protests against austerity across the country.
"I will not participate in a government under which police are beating people. Every drop of blood is a shame for us," he said. "Our power was handed to...
Around 500 members of the Anti-mafia civic association are protesting in front of the President's Office in Sofia, prior to the anticipated official statement of Rosen Plevneliev on the situation in the country in the aftermath of the collective resignation of the government.
According to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), the people are voicing their discontent with the judiciary, saying that the head of state is currently the only guarantor of statehood in the...
The European People's Party (EPP) has voiced support for outgoing Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his center-right party GERB.
"I personally, as well as the EPP, have always stood firmly behind Boyko Borisov and GERB and will continue to do so," EPP President Wilfried Martens said in a telephone conversation with Borisov, according to the press office of GERB.
Martens is quoted as saying that GERB and its Chair have the full support of the EPP for the forthcoming parliamentary...
Bulgaria's Chief Mufti, Mustafa Hadzhi, has extended congratulations to Bulgaria's new Orthodox Patriarch Neofit.
"It is an exceptional honor to me to offer the most sincere and heartfelt congratulations on behalf of all Bulgarian citizens practicing Islam and me, on the occasion of your enthronization as Bulgarian Patriarch and Sofia Metropolitan," Mustafa Hadzhi's letter to Bulgaria's new Patriarch says.
Bulgaria's Chief Mufti wishes good health and prosperity to Neofit during his term...
Bulgarian heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev may not have to face another opponent before his eagerly anticipated fight with IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Pulev is likely to be automatically installed as the mandatory challenger by the International Boxing Federation, according to boxingnews24.com.
The website says that British heavyweight Tyson Fury (20-0, 14 KO's) is willing to fight with 41-year-old Tony Thompson. Fury "obviously is going to take that fight if he...
The outgoing Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, called on the two main opposition parties to turn politically responsible and form an interim government.
Speaking from the Presidential Office Monday, where he arrived to officially turn down the mandate his center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, received for the formation of an interim government, Borisov accused the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP and the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS,...
The European Union's Agriculture Ministers have gathered in Brussels for talks that are focused on the growing horsemeat scandal in Europe.
Authorities across Europe have started doing random DNA checks after traces of horse meat recently turned up in frozen supermarket meals such as burgers and lasagna.
The scandal erupted last month when horsemeat was found in some beef meals and burgers in the UK and Ireland.
Since then, supermarkets across Europe have had to withdraw affected...
Iskra Fidosova, Chair of the parliamentary legal affairs committee, and MP of center-right GERB party, has suggested that GERB would resort to a lot to select the 20 MPs that would back an interim government headed by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) or the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms party (DPS).
In a Monday statement, Fidosova explained that the 20 MPs of GERB that would be tasked with supporting an interim government of BSP/DPS would have to be selected through a...
Neofit, the newly elected Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, vowed to pray for peace in the hearts of the Bulgarian people, minutes after he was officially enthroned.
On his way to the Holy Synod, the new patriarch declined to make any comments to the reporters and his only words were:
"The first task of the church is to be united and work together. May all Bulgarians be happy and work for the good of Bulgaria."
The new Patriarch, bishops, priests, President Rosen Plevneliev,...
Ruse Metropolitan Neofit has been elected Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church by the Holy Synod's national church council.
Neofit prevailed over two other candidates at runoff.
The three who were were chosen after prolonged debates and stalemates last weekend were: Neofit, the Stara Zagora metropolitan Galaktion, and Lovech's Gavriil.
The news about Neofit's election was announced Sunday by interim Patriarch and Sofia Metropolitan, Kiril.
Neofit collected 90 votes at runoff...
The Bulgarian Parliament will hold an emergency sitting Tuesday to decide on the fate of the project to build a second Nuclear Power Plant in the Danube town of Belene.
The reason for the above are the results of the January 27 referendum on the development of nuclear energy in Bulgaria through the construction of a new nuclear power plant, which showed that the issue would be conclusively decided by Bulgaria's Parliament.
Under the law, the recent referendum results impose for the Belene...
Bulgaria's President, Rosen Plevneliev, pledged the country will have a caretaker government by the end of next week, adding he already had a recovery plan for the political crisis.
Plevneliev spoke after outgoing Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, turned down the presidential mandate given to his party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria to form an interim Cabinet.
Plevneliev noted the Consultative Council on National Security was convening Tuesday to guarantee safety and stability...
Outgoing Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has suggested that the current political situation in the Bulgaria increased negative attitudes towards the country's accession to Schengen.
Bulgaria's center-right GERB government resigned on February 20 amid mass nationwide protests over high electricity and heating prices and low incomes.
Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has set May 12 as the date for early elections.
Speaking after a Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting,...
The debate on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen was postponed for end-2013 during Thursday's sitting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA).
During the JHA sitting, most of the member states admitted that Bulgaria and Romania had fulfilled the criteria for Schengen membership and the decision for the accession of the two countries to the passport-free area had to be taken faster, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).
Bulgaria's efforts and...
For the first time, people all over the world can see Street View imagery of Bulgaria, Google has announced.
Bulgaria has become the 48th country for which immersive, street-level imagery is now available on Google Maps.
The Bulgarian launch covers not only major economic centers such as Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna, but also historical and beloved towns like Veliko Turnovo and Koprvishtitsa.
Users around the world can also virtually experience the beautiful ski resorts of Borovets, Bansko...
Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Bulgaria's capital Sofia, has reiterated that she will not become the country's caretaker Prime Minister.
Fandakova noted that she had work to do in Sofia and that she could not betray the voters who elected her by joining the caretaker Cabinet.
She also told Btv that measures will be taken regarding Sofia's heating utility that has been the target of much criticism on behalf of citizens.
Bulgaria's center-right GERB government resigned last month amidst...
Bulgarian EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva would not be appointed Prime Minister of Bulgaria's caretaker government.
The statement was made by Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev, who is in charge of forming a caretaker Cabinet.
Speaking from Brussels Wednesday evening, the President said Georgieva must continue with her commitments and duties at the European Commission as the latter were also very important for Bulgaria.
This way yet another rumored candidate was ruled out....
The European Union has dashed the hopes of Bulgaria and Romania to join passport-free zone, saying there is no consensus on letting them in.
"There will be no vote, and no decision" at talks on their bid to join due to be held Thursday in Brussels, a source in the EU's current Irish presidency said, as cited by AFP.
The talks will gather the bloc's 27 interior ministers and those of four non-EU nations also in the so-called Schengen zone -- Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and...
Bulgaria will preserve its fiscal stability in the next two years even after street protests brought down the Borisov Cabinet, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev stated on Wednesday.
"In the next 1-2 years Bulgaria will not deviate in any way from its fiscal deficit. Nor will there be any attempts to threaten the very low budget deficit it has achieved," Plevneliev told Bulgarian reporters in Brussels Wednesday night where he arrived for a commemoration of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews from...
Czech-owned power utility CEZ has always strictly adhered to Bulgarian legislation and the normative acts of the European Union, the company says in a press release.
According to its press office, for the electric power distributor, part of CEZ Bulgaria Group, obeying the law, including tax law, was a guiding principle that should not even be commented on.
The statement comes on the heels of news that the prosecution in Bulgaria has requested the revocation of the company's license over...
In January 2013, Bulgarians abroad have wired to their homeland twice more funds than the foreign direct investments, according to flash estimates released by the Bulgarian Central Bank, BNB.
In January 2013, Bulgarian emigrants have sent to relatives and friends EUR 59 M, compared to EUR 31.4 M (0.1% of GDP) from foreign direct investments.
The above amount is strikingly down (by EUR 295.1 M, a difference close to 90%), compared to the increase of EUR 326.5 M (0.8% of the Gross Domestic...
Clashes with the police marked Sunday the protest rally in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Varna.
Bulgarians across the country staged once again demonstrations against high utility bills, monopolies, poverty, economic stagnation, corruption, and the political model of ruling the country after the fall of the Communist regime in 1989.
The rallies, however, did not bring together as many people as previous weekend marches.
The largest one was once again held in Varna where 2 000 (compared...
Bulgarians observe Sunday a self-styled traditional 'Forgiveness Day' on which everyone asks everyone to forgive his or her misdeeds over the passed year.
The rite is centered in families and communities, in which people ask their elders, including parents and superiors to absolve whatever they have done wrong, even if they do not know it or did not intend it.
The holiday is observed on a Sunday, exactly seven weeks before Easter, and is also called Sirni Zagovezni. That name refers to...
The Bulgarian Socialist Party has presented a 'rescue plan' to wrestle the country from the economic and political crisis following early elections in May.
The plan is to be implemented over 100 days, should the socialists come out winning the vote.
"At the present moment there is no bread for labor in Bulgaria, there is no free air for businesses, there is no justice for people," stated Bulgarian Socialist Party and Party of European Socialists chair Sergey Stanishev, who unveiled the...
The Bulgarian government will open two new visa application centers in Russia, in Omsk and Murmansk, announced the director of Bulgaria's Moscow consulate Angel Georgiev.
The move is motivated by the large interest of Russian tourists in travelling to Bulgaria, and will make the number of Bulgarian visa centers in Russia grow to 18.
Starting 2013, Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be issuing 6-month multiple-entry visas to Russian citizens applying for the first...
The Bulgarian government will within 10 days appoint an international auditor to review the country's energy sector, stated caretaker Minister of Regional Development Ekaterina Zaharieva.
"We need a full financial analysis of everyone in the energy sector. We will work in full cooperation with the European Commissions, so that no doubts be thrown on the final report," said Zaharieva.
The minister added that this would bring full transparency in the sector, something requested by numerous...
Bulgaria Translation