About: bad governance
Political scientists say EU has lost the battle for the Balkans
The EU has lost the battle for the Balkans, where Russia and China are offering bonuses without asking for reforms, geopolitical experts told an online conference organised by EURACTIV.bg this week, proposing increased cooperation and a Balkan common market as the best way forward.
EU wants Lebanese sanctions regime framework by end July
The European Union said on Monday (12 July) it wanted to agree by the end of July the legal framework for a sanctions regime targeting Lebanese leaders, but cautioned that the measure would not be immediately implemented.
Haitian president assassinated at home, sparking fears of widespread turmoil
Haitian President Jovenel Moise was shot dead by unidentified attackers in his private residence overnight in a "barbaric act", the government said on Wednesday (7 July), stirring fears of escalating turmoil in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
Integrity compliance in Western Balkans infrastructure projects
Civil society has an important role to play to make sure that corruption in infrastructure projects and wrong prioritisation do not derail a €30 billion EU financial plan for the Western Balkans, a group of authors write.
Lebanon’s crisis caused by feud over power, says Borrell
The EU's foreign policy chief said a fight among Lebanese leaders is at the heart of its government crisis and he urged them to set their feud aside and form a cabinet or risk a total financial crash and sanctions.
Bulgaria wrongly strips mother of residence rights, detains her and baby
The latest video report by EURACTIV Bulgaria investigative journalist Valia Ahchieva reveals the brutality, incompetence and unaccountability of the country’s bureaucracy.
Bulgarian doctors exhausted as COVID deaths hit EU record
With coronavirus death rates surging to record levels in Bulgaria, doctors and nurses in a health service already weakened by decades of emigration to the West say they are exhausted.
Nigeria president warns protesters as unrest flares
Nigeria's president has urged an end to unrest sweeping the country but avoided mentioning the police shooting of unarmed demonstrators that sparked international condemnation and unleashed chaos in Africa's biggest city.
Tired but defiant: 100 days of protests in Bulgaria
In a hundred days of sweeping and at times violent protests, thousands of Bulgarians have tightened the screws on the political elite -- but this, they say, is only the beginning.
After two months of protests, Bulgaria is on the brink
The protest rally in Sofia on Wednesday (2 September) marked the peak of two months of demonstrations demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev. EURACTIV's Kalina Angelova was there and captured the mood.
France creates reform roadmap for crisis-ridden Lebanon
French President Emmanuel Macron has created a roadmap for Lebanese politicians outlining political and financial reforms needed to unlock foreign aid and rescue the country from multiple crises including an economic meltdown.
Biggest Thai protest in years puts pressure on government
More than 10,000 Thai protesters chanting “down with dictatorship” and “the country belongs to the people” rallied in Bangkok on Sunday (16 August) in by far the biggest anti-government demonstration since a 2014 coup.
Lebanon’s leaders warned in July about explosives at port, documents reveal
Lebanese security officials warned the prime minister and president last month that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut’s port posed a security risk and could destroy the capital if it exploded, according to documents.
World pledges €250 million to Lebanon, to be delivered ‘directly’ to population
World leaders on Sunday (9 August) pledged more than €250 million for disaster-struck Lebanon, conference host France said, with the emergency aid to be delivered "directly" to a population reeling from the deadly port blast in Beirut.
In Beirut, Macron says Lebanese leaders need to hear ‘home truths’
Lebanon mourned on Thursday (6 August) the victims of the most powerful blast to hit a country that has already been struck down by an economic crisis, as rescuers searched for those missing since the explosion flattened Beirut port and devastated the city.
Pesticides banned in EU still in use in Bulgaria
In her latest investigation, EURACTIV Bulgaria’s Valia Ahchieva reveals the use of EU-banned pesticides, conflicts of interest, siphoning of European funds, lies and gross neglect of human health and bees’ life by the authorities.
Open letter to Donald Tusk: EPP’s support for Vucic is a disgrace
European People's Party President Donald Tusk has publicly supported Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić ahead of the country's parliamentary election on Sunday (21 June), which the opposition is going to boycott. In response, Serbian opposition leader Dragan Djilas sent an open letter to Tusk. EURACTIV is publishing its shortened version.
Lack of rule of law threatens Bulgaria’s economic recovery
According to the World Bank, it turns out to be easier to do business in post-Soviet Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia than in EU member Bulgaria, writes Joël Ruet. Joël Ruet is the chairman of The Bridge Tank As...
Challenging Bulgarian coal plants’ new waste burning obsession
On Monday (March 2), a European and a Bulgarian non-governmental organisation, ClientEarth and “For Earth – Access to Justice”, are filing a complaint with the European Commission in an attempt to challenge Bulgaria’s new obsession of burning waste in coal...
The drained lake in Bulgaria – and the money siphoned away
How was it possible that the water from Bulgaria’s Studena Dam disappeared, creating a humanitarian crisis for more than 100,000 people in the city of Pernik?
The ‘Lake monster’ that drank the water of a dam in Bulgaria
Where did the water from Bulgaria's Studena Dam disappear, creating a humanitarian crisis for more than 100,000 people in the city of Pernik? Following the first part of Valya Ahchieva's investigation, the Minister of environment and water Neno Dimov was arrested.
Minister arrested following investigative report by EURACTIV Bulgaria
Bulgaria's minister for environment and water resources was placed in 24-hour custody, the office of the Prosecutor General said on Thursday. The development took place after an investigative report by EURACTIV Bulgaria exposed mismanagement that left the city of Pernik without drinking water.
How a Bulgarian city with decrepit sports base becomes a ‘European city of sports’
At a recent ceremony in the European Parliament in Brussels, the Association of European Capitals and Cities of Sport awarded the title of 'European City of Sport for 2020' to Pazardzhik. Valia Ahchieva takes a closer look at the Bulgarian city, whose sports base has fallen into disrepair and is earmarked for private developers.