In Bulgaria, the European elections are seen as a test for Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, at a time when his conservative GERB party are polling neck-and-neck with the socialists. Krassen Nikolov tells the inside story for EUelectionsBulgaria.com.
The case of Penka the cow got the unprecedented attention of the world media, so much so that a Bulgarian columnist wrote it had outshone the official highlights of the country’s EU Presidency. But it was mostly used by British tabloids, which turned it into a symbol of the blatant bureaucracy imposed by Brussels.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said he apologises for revealing a secret, but that the Bulgarians should know about the main additional condition for the country’s accession to the eurozone.
Since her flight touched down in Sofia on 8 February, Ska Keller, co-President of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, became the target of Bulgarian nationalists.
As Sofia prepares to host today (11 January) the official inauguration of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, Krassen Nikolov warns of one of the biggest problems in Bulgaria – air pollution.
Three grave crimes have cast a shadow over the start of the Bulgarian EU presidency and have highlighted the enormous deficiencies in the country's law enforcement, dating back to before it became a member of the EU.
The judiciary in Bulgaria has been a victim of political dependence and of civil society indifference, the only novelty now is that even the European Commission is willing to close its eyes, writes Krassen Nikolov.
