Latest News from Macedonia

Preisdent Ivanov told a press conference on Tuesday that he had not consulted any political parties before deciding to pardon politicians facing crime probes - most of whom are from the ruling parties and are being investigated by the recently formed special prosecution.

After substantial progress from 2004 to 2010, democracy in the Balkans has declined for six years according to US-based NGO Freedom House's annual report on democracy in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, which was published on Tuesday.

According to preliminary figures of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) released on Monday, Bulgaria had a negative balance of trade with the EU and third countries in the first two months of this year.

In January 2016, Bulgarian exports to the EU exceeded BGN 2.2 B, which represented a decrease of 1.4 % compared to the same month last year.

Athens sent two diplomatic protest notes to Skopje on Monday, accusing Macedonian security forces of using excessive force against the refugees during clashes that erupted the previous day as they tried to cross the border.

Bulgarian border police and navy will hold a joint training in the bay of Burgas on Sunday.

Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova and Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev are expected to attend the training which is scheduled to begin at 12 o'clock (EET).

Foreign nationals have filed 4,267 applications for protection between January 1 and April 5, the head of Bulgaria's State Agency for Refugees, Petya Parvanova, has said.

The defence ministers of Bulgaria and Greece have discussed the need to hold talks at the level of contact groups from the two countries' armed forces about joint tackling of the migration pressure at EU borders.