EURACTIV with BulgarianPresidency.eu
Bulgaria’s PM decries organisation of EU summit
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov expressed his outrage on Friday (29 June) that the first day of the EU summit lasted until 5 am and that preparatory work was not taken into account.
Tsipras to bail out Merkel on refugees
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is ready to sign a deal with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to make it easier for Germany to send asylum seekers back to other European countries, the Financial Times reported yesterday (27 June).
Bulgaria under fire for ill-treatment of asylum-seekers
French lawyers will file a complaint against Bulgaria and ask the European Commission to start an infringement procedure for inhumane treatment of asylum seekers by the country’s authorities, the Green/EFA group announced on Tuesday (26 June).
Tensions build ahead of hastily prepared migration meeting
Jean-Claude Juncker's invitation to a handful of EU leaders for an informal mini-summit on Sunday (27 June) to discuss migration and asylum appears to have raised more issues than the meeting can solve.
Bulgaria to launch joint application to euro waiting room and Banking union
Bulgaria will seek to join both the eurozone’s waiting room and the bloc’s banking union within a year, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov said on Tuesday (12 June).
Penka the cow – a buzz that eclipsed the Bulgarian Presidency
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.
China says 16+1 summits are good for EU
Annual summits between China and central and eastern European countries are beneficial to the European Union as a whole, the Chinese government told Bulgaria's foreign minister, brushing off concerns that Beijing is seeking to divide the continent.
Radev pleads in Moscow for ‘Bulgarian Stream’ pipeline
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev used the first day of an official trip to Moscow on Monday (21 May) to try and resurrect plans for a pipeline that would bring gas directly from Russia to Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, after it was cancelled in 2014.
Bulgarian truckers protest against ‘Macron law’
Hundreds of truck drivers blocked roads across Bulgaria on Thursday (17 May) as European Union leaders met in Sofia, protesting against proposed EU rules they say would cost them their jobs and put their firms out of business.
Bulgaria PM plans to restart second atomic power project
Six years after freezing the construction of a second nuclear power plant, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov announced on Saturday (12 May) he intends to restart the project. Chinese investors have already expressed interest.
Bulgaria dislikes Commission plan to link EU funding to rule of law
A major innovation in the next long-term EU budget proposed by the European Commission yesterday (2 May) is the conditionality between EU funding and the rule of law. But the country holding the EU Presidency voiced its own clear rejection.
Bulgaria is last on media freedom in EU and in the Balkans
Bulgaria, which currently holds the rotating EU Presidency, ranks last among all EU countries in terms of media freedom. It is also the worst in the Western Balkans, a region Sofia hopes to bring closer to the EU.
Kosovo conundrum looms large over Western Balkans summit
As Bulgaria prepares for a Western Balkan summit in May, seen by many as the centrepiece of its EU Council Presidency, Sofia has realised that not all its guests want to sit at the same table.
Varna to become permanent venue for EU-Turkey talks
The Varna summit held on Monday (26 March) between EU institution leaders and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan failed to yield any notable outcomes. But Bulgaria's PM said the port city could become a permanent venue for future talks.
Erdogan comes to leaders meeting with footage exposing ‘EU terrorism support’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrives in the Bulgarian port city of Varna today (26 March) equipped with video footage that allegedly illustrates Ankara’s claim that EU countries host terrorists and do nothing to fight them.
Trans-Europe Express – EU risks escalating diplomatic crisis with Russia, says Bulgarian PM
The statement agreed by EU leaders blaming Russia for the Salisbury spy attack only risks further escalating the diplomatic crisis between Europe and Moscow, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has warned.
Bulgarian PM not sure Moscow was behind Salisbury attack
Bulgaria’s Premier Minister Boyko Borissov is not sure that Russia was behind the Salisbury poisoning case and insisted that it’s more important to identify the “sponsors” of the attack.
Bulgaria reacts to disturbing statement by Turkey’s Erdogan
Bulgaria’s foreign ministry told Turkey on Tuesday (13 March) that internationally agreed borders cannot be changed, reacting to a statement by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who said on Sunday the Bulgarian city of Kardzhali finds itself “in the spiritual boundaries of Turkey”.
Bulgarian Presidency skips EP’s Istanbul Convention debate
The European Parliament debated on Monday (12 March) the problems facing a landmark convention on protecting women from violence, which several member states, including Bulgaria, have yet to ratify. But Bulgaria, the current holder of the rotating EU presidency, was notable in its absence.
Putin, Borissov discuss energy projects, again
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed big energy projects with Russian participation in Bulgaria during a telephone conversation yesterday (5 March).
Power grid sale upsets Bulgarian, Czech governments
Bulgarian Prime Mininster Boyko Borissov said yesterday (27 February) he would not resign over an unfolding scandal involving the sale of CEZ Bulgaria to an obscure company, saying the sale was a plot to topple him while he was in Brussels for an EU summit last week.
After Bulgaria, Slovakia too fails to ratify the Istanbul Convention
A wave of opposition in Central Europe to so-called “gender ideology” has led Bulgaria on 15 February, and then Slovakia yesterday (22 February) to oppose ratifying the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
Borissov gets preview of the perfect storm
In just one day, Bulgarian PM Boyko Borissov, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, has embroiled himself in a spat with the country's president, been offered Russian citizenship and seen some of his pet projects crumble before his eyes.