Bulgarian National Radio

The investments in the Varba-Batantsi mine near Madan, which is to open in July, amount to around BGN 15 M.

Sergey Atanasov, CEO of Bulgaria's Gorubso Madan metal mines, announced that a total of 120 people were working at the Varba-Batantsi mine, with 150 people to be involved in the production process, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio.

EC President Barroso has told Prime Minister Oresharski that the EC will take action against Bulgaria due to non-observance of EU rules in the South Stream agreements.

40% of Bulgarians took advantage of the preference vote option in the European Parliament elections by 2 pm on Sunday, according to exit poll data.

Around 22.7% of the eligible voters cast their ballots by 2 pm on Sunday and 40% of them used the preference voting option, according to exit poll data of polling agency Gallup International.

Voter turnout in the European Parliament elections stood at 17.53% by 13.30 pm on Sunday, according to Alexander Andreev, Spokesperson for the Central Electoral Commission.

This means that 1 114 620 people cast their ballots out of a total of 6 357 824 eligible voters, according to the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

Todor Grebenarov, head of the National Police Chief Directorate of the Interior Ministry, has said that the Election Day started normally, with no crude voting-related breaches.

A carthel agreement is in force among Bulgaria's polling agencies ahead of the European elections on Sunday, a prominent political scientist has warned.

Antoniy Galabov told the Bulgarian National Radio that it "functions through various polling agencies" and has dimensions different from [those of] sociology.

Italy supports Bulgaria's Schengen bid, according to Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin.

Speaking Friday after a meeting with his Italian counterpart Federica Mogherini, Vigenin announced that Italy and Bulgaria would also work together on the implementation of the South Stream gas pipeline.

Europe needs its citizens' trust in the fight against populism and nationalism, Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev warned on Friday.

On the last day of the run-up to the European elections, Plevneliev reminded of the important role that May 25's vote will play for Bulgaria's direction "not only over the next five years, but for a longer period".

Voter turnout will be the decisive factor to determine which of the main parties, ruling BSP and the opposition GERB will win May 25's European elections, a recent poll shows.

According to the polling agency Gallup International, the two parties are running neck to neck, with support estimated between 500 000 and 600 000 for each of them.

GERB, Bulgaria's center-right opposition, has expelled its lawmaker Daniel Georgiev from the party.

The move was unanimously backed by GERB's executive committee, as the Deputy Chair of its parliamentary group, Tsetska Tsacheva, told the Bulgarian National Radio.

GERB even called on Georgiev to leave Parliament after he lately become notorious for quitting and