Slovakia

In a move drawing attention across Europe, Bulgaria's pro-Russian, Eurosceptic, and nationalist "Revival" (Vazrazhdane) party is set to host a conference in Sofia, titled "The New Leaders of Europe." Gathering representatives from nine countries, the event aims to unite nationalist parties under a common banner and shape the future political landscape of the continent.

As NATO commemorates its 75th anniversary, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reaffirmed the alliance's unwavering commitment to Ukraine during a high-level meeting in Brussels.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's popularity is surprisingly higher in Bulgaria than in his own country or neighboring Slovakia, according to a March survey conducted by the "Ipsos" agency for "Euronews". While only 32% of Hungarians express a positive opinion of Orbán, nearly four out of ten Bulgarians have a favorable view of him.

Bulgaria commemorates a significant milestone today as it celebrates 20 years of NATO membership. On March 29, 2004, Bulgaria, alongside several other nations including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, officially became a member of the NATO alliance.

Despite the increase in the minimum wage in 2023, Greece's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita expressed in purchasing power standards is 67% of the European average, according to Eurostat. 

This puts Greece in 26th place among the 27 member-states, with Bulgaria in last, where GDP per capita in purchasing power units was 64% of the European average.

Slovakia will on Saturday hold the first round of a presidential election that is a battle between the Central European country's Russia-leaning ruling camp and a pro-Ukraine opposition-backed candidate.

Parliament speaker Peter Pellegrini and liberal ex-foreign minister Ivan Korcok are the clear frontrunners among nine contenders.

Overnight Russian airstrikes targeted energy facilities across Ukraine, leaving over 1 million energy consumers in the country without electricity, as reported by Reuters.

The airstrikes primarily focused on regions in eastern Kharkiv Oblast, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Poltava Oblast, resulting in widespread power outages affecting hundreds of thousands of residents.

In the aftermath of last night's devastating Russian airstrikes on energy facilities, over one million consumers in Ukraine find themselves without power, as reported by a senior presidential official today. The strikes have wrought havoc across multiple regions, leaving hundreds of thousands in darkness.

According to Eurostat's latest publication, in the fourth quarter of 2023, the euro area witnessed a job vacancy rate of 2.7%, marking a decline from 2.9% in the preceding quarter and 3.1% in the same period of 2022. Notably, Bulgaria and Romania recorded the lowest job vacancy rates during this period, standing at 0.7% in both countries, BTA reported.

Bulgaria's defense expenditure for the year 2023 amounted to $1.9 billion (3.47 billion BGN), representing 1.87 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as detailed in the annual report released by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. This disclosure occurred during a press conference held at NATO headquarters in Brussels earlier today.