Latest News from Bulgaria
Bulgaria Posts 46.4% Drop in FDI in Jan-Nov 2016
Foreign direct investment into Bulgaria from January to November 2016 was nearly half the value of the first 11 months of 2015, the Bulgarian National Bank has said.
Central bank data released Thursday suggests that FDI according to the directional principle amounted to EUR 953.7 M or 2% of GDP in the eleven months of last year.
Fresh Snow Catches Bulgaria Off-Guard
New heavy snowfall has disrupted traffic across Bulgaria, with the country's north-west and south most severely affected.
In Varna region, third- and fourth-class roads remain closed for a second day.
As many as 142 snow plows are operating in Sofia on Thursday morning, but their work is hampered by the constant snowfall, according to news website Dnevnik.bg.
Greece Halts Trucks from Bulgaria over Bad Weather
Greece has halted trucks entering via two border crossings from going on in direction to several key cities over severe weather conditions.
The restriction is in force as of 10:00 local time (EET) on Thursday for Ilinden-Exochi and Kulata-Promachonas border crossing points, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry says.
Bulgaria's EU, NATO Choice Should Not Be Questioned - President-Elect
Bulgaria has the potential for a more enhanced political presence in Southeast Europe, Bulgaria's President-elect Rumen Radev has said.
In a highly critical speech after his swearing-in ceremony in the Parliament, Radev has vowed to be "the President of all Bulgarians, regardless of their party affiliation, religion and ethnicity" and to oppose "attempts at polarizing our society."
Code Yellow in Most of Bulgaria over Snow, Road Ice
A warning has been issued by Bulgaria's weather service for Thursday.
Ruse, Targovishte, Razgrad, Silistra, Dobrich, Shumen, Varna, Burgas, Sliven, Yambol, Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Kardzhali, Smolyan, Blagoevgrad, Pazardzhik and Plovdiv are the regions affected.
Along the Black Sea coast, heavy winds are expected at a speed of 12-17 m/s with gusts of up to 18-20 m/s.
Farmers gearing up for road blockades over tax plans
Members of unions representing farmers in central Greece met on Wednesday to discuss plans for a fresh round of road blockades in protest at the government's taxation plans for their sector.
The aim of the meetings, sources said, was for farmers to prepare road blockades such as those set up this time last year at key road junctions.
World Bank: Entire Bulgarian Generation Needed To Reach EU Standards
Bulgaria has to continue to improve collectability of taxes and take measures for reducing the size of the grey economy, recommended the European Commission.
The World Bank warned that, at this rate of labour productivity, an entire generation will be needed in order to reach the average levels of income and living standards in the EU.
KEVR To Launch Inspections of Energy Distribution Ventures
Bulgaria's Energy Ministry and the Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission (KEVR) will start emergency inspections of the three electricity distribution ventures due to the record-high consumption of electricity in the last two months.
The purpose is to guarantee that the bills of household consumers for December and January are real.
Bulgaria's Handover of Gulenist to Turkey 'Unlawful' - Amnesty
The move to expel Gülen supporter Abdullah Buyuk to Turkey "bears all the hallmarks of an unlawful rendition to risk of torture", human rights organization Amnesty International says in a report.
In one of the sections dedicated to Bulgaria, AI recalls the story of Buyuk, who was handed over to Turkey in August of last year.