About: Bulgarian Presidency Archives
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MEPs and Commission headed for showdown over international phone call rates in the EU
The European Parliament is holding its ground on its controversial proposal to lower the costs of international phone calls within the EU, one week before a make-or-break round of negotiations on a sweeping telecoms bill.
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The Brief – Climate dominoes
The EU wants to prove that its climate action credentials are genuine, which means being top of the class in taking the Paris Agreement seriously. That could all hinge on a series of meetings scheduled for next month. So no pressure then…
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EU energy efficiency debate skewed by bad maths, says study
Ongoing talks about the EU’s energy efficiency target for 2030 are deadlocked and the debate could have been skewed by the way initial cost estimates were calculated, according to a new study.
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Commission proposes starting EU talks with Albania, Macedonia
The European Commission proposed on Tuesday (17 April) to open EU membership talks with Albania and Macedonia, in line with its new focus on the integration of the Western Balkans.
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Parliament shortlists two candidates for new OLAF chief
Finland’s Ville Itälä and Bulgaria’s Ivailo Kalfin were shortlisted by the European Parliament on Monday (16 April) for the post of the new Director-General of OLAF, the EU's anti-fraud office.
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The case for a joint ‘Western Balkans six’ accession to the EU
There could be no stronger incentive to overcome regional disputes and normalise relations than if the region would receive a clear message that all six countries will join the EU at the same time, writes Bekim Çollaku.
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The Trans-Europe Express, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Europe’s frozen conflict
Russia is the undisputed master of engineering ‘frozen conflicts’ that prevent countries in its neighbourhood from building closer EU relations.
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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.
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The Brief, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Bulgaria’s mid-term review
Three months of Bulgaria’s EU presidency have elapsed. So how is the bloc’s poorest member faring in its debut at the helm?
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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.
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Rajoy has an issue with Western Balkans summit in Sofia
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has told his Bulgarian colleague Boyko Borissov in no uncertain terms that he has a problem with the Western Balkans summit in Sofia, scheduled for 17 May, and may not even come if Kosovo is participating.
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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”.
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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.
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Austria plans to put immigration and borders at heart of EU presidency
Austria plans to use its upcoming presidency of the European Union this year to shift the bloc's focus from resettling refugees within the EU towards keeping further waves of migrants outside the bloc's external borders, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Friday (9 March).
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Bozhidar Danev: Part of Bulgaria’s fuel sector lies in the grey economy
Unusually low fuel prices in Bulgaria are probably the result of cartels, or contraband, Bozhidar Danev told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview, saying the authorities have so far been unable or unwilling to address the issue.
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Don’t be fooled: ‘Efficiency First’ is a necessary discipline
The idea of "Efficiency First" is on the line in ongoing EU talks. Member states must realise that this is no mere slogan but a real necessity, write Jan Rosenow, Richard Cowart and Edith Bayer.
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The Brief, powered by PLATFORMA – The Merkel of the Balkans
Ten days ago Macedonian PM Zoran Zaev went to Mutti Merkel to seek her support in trying to untangle the eternal name dispute with Greece, a mess that has for many years prevented his country from joining NATO and starting EU accession negotiations.
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Renewables and rural development should go hand-in-hand, say auditors
Current Europe-wide policies on renewable energy are not linked closely enough to rural development, according to a report by the European Court of Auditors, which took the Commission and member states to task for failing to take local needs into account.
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Borissov: Turkey summit will be ‘extremely difficult’
An upcoming summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the Bulgarian city of Varna in March will be a "heavy experience", Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told journalists on Friday (23 February), ahead of the informal EU summit.
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Bulgarian presidency seeks to ease new rules on foreign banks
The European Union has been urged by its Bulgarian presidency to ease proposed new regulations on foreign banks within the block to bring them in line with US requirements, EU documents showed yesterday (22 February).
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Reporters face obstacle run in corruption-hit Bulgaria
Cartoonist Hristo Komarnitski and his colleagues had no illusions: launching a satirical journal was always going to be tricky in Bulgaria, new holder of the EU presidency but also ranked as the bloc's worst press freedom violator.
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Turkey sentences journalists, draws criticism ahead of summit
Turkey's sentencing of five journalists to life for involvement in a failed 2016 coup shows that the country's judiciary cannot make independent decisions, the president of the Association of European Journalists said on Monday and urged the Council of Europe to take action.
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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.
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Germany reassures Kosovo it is not treated unfairly
Serbia will need to accept the independence of Kosovo, its former province, in order to join the European Union, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel reiterated in Pristina late yesterday (14 February).