About: Bulgaria
Half of Europeans vaccinated as Germany warns on rising virus cases
More than half of all European adults are now fully vaccinated, the EU said on Thursday (22 July), as countries across Europe and Asia battled fresh outbreaks blamed on the fast-spreading Delta variant.
Graft scandals weigh on upcoming Bulgarian elections
In the two months before the 11 July parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, a series of corruption scandals have shed light on the country’s governance during the rule of Boyko Borissov’s GERB party. According to the latest polls, support for GERB is falling.
Bulgarian president: A summit with Putin is a matter of realism
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev told reporters after an EU summit on Friday (25 June) that he had strongly supported the proposal of French and German leaders to hold an EU summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying it would help the bloc's ambition to become a global player.
Sven Giegold: ECB should start ‘digging into’ financial crime in Bulgaria
To join the Euro, Bulgaria needs to tidy up with financial crime, and the European Central Bank (ECB) should be doing its job and finally start “digging into this”, MEP Sven Giegold told EURACTIV in a telephone interview.
Slovenian FM: EU inaction in Western Balkans ‘strategically dangerous’
The EU needs to move "as soon as possible" from a wait-and-see approach to a problem-solving strategy in dealing with enlargement and the Western Balkans, Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar told EURACTIV in an interview about the priorities for his country's upcoming EU Council presidency.
In migration lull, Greece bolsters border arsenal
As the sun dips into the wetlands of northeastern Evros, Greece's river border with Turkey, two Greek guards climb into a boat to begin their daily lookout for irregular migrants.
Balkan media conference: ‘The EU barks rather timidly to enemies of press freedom ‘
Media freedom throughout Europe needs all the support it can get, but the situation in the Balkans is particularly worrying, participants told an online conference "Media Freedom in the Balkans” organised by EURACTIV.
State vs private: Europe’s mismatched transition out of coal
There is a growing disparity in the progress central and eastern Europe's regions have made to transition away from coal, often influenced by how willing the state is to rescue increasingly unviable companies. Some regions are beginning to close polluting mines while others plan to keep them open for decades.
US warns Bulgaria to clean up the ‘passport-for-cash’ mess
The United States State Department has warned Bulgaria that if the country wants its citizens to benefit from visa-free travel to the US, it should clean up the mess which has gained notoriety as the “passports for cash” scheme.
EU hits 200-million-jab milestone, with Malta first and Bulgaria last
At least 200 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been given in the European Union as of Tuesday (18 May), according to AFP data tallying up official figures given by member states' health services.
Can the European Green Deal solve Bulgaria’s demographic crisis?
Bulgaria could take advantage of financing available under the EU Green Deal to solve the most pressing challenge the country is currently faced with – the demographic crisis. But is it really that simple? EURACTIV Bulgaria discussed the issue with leading economist Krassen Stanchev.
Facing pressure, Bulgaria tries to explain its North Macedonia veto
Facing pressure from EU members, the Bulgarian ambassador to the EU explained on Tuesday (11 May) to the EU ministers his country’s decision to veto the start of neighbouring North Macedonia's accession negotiations.
Democracy ‘loses currency’ in Europe, warns Freedom House
In its latest report published on Wednesday (28 April) the NGO Freedom House warns of an "antidemocratic turn" throughout Europe, “fuelling a deterioration in human freedom with global implications”.
Bulgaria investigates four arms depot blasts for Russian covert action
The Bulgarian prosecution announced on Wednesday (28 April) it suspects sabotage carried out by Russian intelligence as the probable reason behind four blasts in Bulgarian military depots. The blasts appear similar to the one in the Czech Republic, which recently led to a major diplomatic scandal with Russia.
Bellingcat connects the dots between Czech explosion and Bulgaria poisoning
Vladimir Putin dismissed as "absurd" Prague's accusations against Moscow after Czech authorities accused the Russian secret services of being behind a deadly arms depot blast in 2014. But the investigative website Bellingcat connected the dots back to Russia.
Vaccine doses pass one billion mark globally, but many nations lag behind
The number of Covid-19 jabs administered globally surpassed the one billion mark on Saturday (24 April), offering hope even as the number of virus cases worldwide hit a new daily record mainly due to an explosion of infections in India.
Small EU countries had more COVID-related deaths per million since pandemic started
While the EU's most populous countries are recording the most overall COVID-19-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Bulgaria had the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths in relation to their populations during the same period. EURACTIV France reports.
Russia expels two Bulgarian diplomats in tit-for-tat move
Russia's foreign ministry on Tuesday (20 April) said it had expelled two Bulgarian diplomats in a tit-for-tat move after Sofia kicked out two Russian diplomats over a suspected spy network.
Czechs say Russian retaliation stronger than expected, seeks EU solidarity
The Czech Republic said on Monday (19 April) Russia's eviction of 20 Czech embassy employees in response to Prague's expulsion of 18 Russian staff was a stronger than expected reaction and the government would consider further steps.
Bulgaria must allow baby of same-sex couple to travel: EU adviser
Bulgaria must find a way to allow the stateless baby of a same-sex couple from Bulgaria and Gibraltar to travel, a legal adviser of EU's top court said Thursday (15 April).
Michel silent over unofficial document mulling border changes in Western Balkans
A phantom document proposing controversial border changes across the Western Balkans caused a political storm in the region and in Brussels this week. While most EU officials had little knowledge of the elusive document, the office of European Council President Charles Michel could not deny receiving it. EURACTIV took a closer look
Pesticide with EU-banned substance still widely used in Bulgarian agriculture
EURACTIV Bulgaria’s investigative journalist Valia Ahchieva depicts in her latest production on YouTube a sad reality: a plant protection product called Mocap containing an EU-banned active ingredient is not only being used but also subsidised by Bulgaria's ministry of agriculture.
Cypriot says business ‘stolen’ in Bulgaria, hopes EPPO will investigate
Stealing a successful business in Bulgaria is commonplace, although this mafia-like practice is little documented. A Cypriot businessman has told his story to EURACTIV, hoping that the Office of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) would investigate further.