Latest News from Bulgaria
Serbia heading toward opening three new chapters next week
BRUSSELS - Two thirds of EU member states, including Germany, have to date consented to the opening of Chapters 25 and 26 in Serbia's accession talks, Tanjug has learned.
Bulgaria's ex-Justice Min Founds New Political Project
Hristo Ivanov, who stepped down as Bulgaria's Justice Minister last December, launched a new political project on Friday.
At a meeting held exactly a year after he resigned after what he saw as a failed judicial reform, he told the audience that a "broad structure" of civic organizations and politicians was needed to address corruption and issues with the rule of law.
Blast in Bulgaria's Hitrino: What Actually Happened
A cargo train, composed of 23 tankers, was entering the railway station of Hitrino, a village in northeastern Bulgaria, when twelve of the cisterns went off the track and one exploded.
At least seven people lost their and twenty-nine others were injured. Dozens of houses were damaged or destroyed.
Bulgaria's Exports to EU Grew 6% in Jan-Sept
Bulgarian exports to the European Union increased by 6% between January and September compared to the same period of last year, national statistics show.
Exports amounted to BGN 23.0345 B in the first nine months of the year, according to preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute (NSI).
Four Die, Many Injured in Blast after Rail Accident in Bulgaria's Hitrino
At least four people have lost their lives as a train exploded after going off the tracks in northeastern Bulgaria, police say.
An unknown number of people have been injured.
Gas Flow via Bulgaria-Romania Link Hindered Until 2019
The flow of gas through the interconnector between Romania and Bulgaria will not be fully enabled for the next two years, outgoing Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said on Friday.
The lack of a compressor station on the Romanian side of the Danube (which serves as a natural border between the countries) impede the daily flow from Romania into Bulgaria, Petkova told lawmakers.
Ex-Mayor of Bulgaria's Vidin to Serve Jailtime
A court in Montana has sentenced the former mayor of Vidin in northwestern Bulgaria to five years of imprisonment, the country's prosecuting authorities say.
Vidov, in office between 2007 and 2011, has been found guilty of embezzlement alongside two people linked to him for years who took part in a BGN 0.224 M scam.
Judges Protest against Top Body, Working Conditions in Sofia
Judges from the Sofia Regional Court (SRS) demonstrated on Friday over problems at their institution largely blamed on the country's top decisionmaking body.
Metodi Lalov, who on Friday resigned as SRS chair, also joined their action in front of the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS).
Will Brexit Affect Bulgaria-UK Business Ties?
UK-Bulgaria relations will not be much affected by Brexit, with the two countries having extensive bilateral work on border protection, security, education, culture and people-to-people links, said Tom Hines, Head of Political Section at the British Embassy in Sofia.
Bulgaria Pays Off Belene Nuclear Plant Debt
Bugaria's state-owned electricity utility company has transferred the entire sum of its debt to Russia's Atomstroyexport owned over the Belene nuclear project, officials say.
The National Electricity Company (NEK) has paid off the amount through a transaction dated Thursday, Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova has told lawmakers at a Parliament Q&A session.
Bulgaria Signs EUR 210 M Agreements with EEA Countries
Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev has signed two MOUs on projects worth EUR 210 M under the European Economic Area (EEA)'s financial mechanism for 2014-2020.
The assistance granted by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway places Bulgaria "among the first of a total of 15 countries" signing such partnership documents on their priority projects, the government says.
Bulgaria President Faces Struggle to Form Govt
As the parties in Bulgaria's parliament struggle in vain to form a new government, President Rosen Plevneliev may face the task of having to appoint a third caretaker government in his five-year-mandate.
Plevneliev's task could be far more complicated this time, however, as his mandate is about to expire. He is due to hand over office to President-elect Rumen Radev on January 22.
Serbia looks set to open Chapter 5 next week
BRUSSELS - Serbia is almost certain to next week open Chapter 5 (public procurement) in its EU accession talks, but it could also open two other chapters - Chapters 25 (science and research) and 26 (education and culture).
Bulgaria's Reformist Bloc May Refrain from Seeking New Govt
Right-wing Reformist Bloc coalition has said it will hand back the mandate to the Bulgarian President next week, without trying to form a new government.
Later staements from members of the bloc, however, have cast a shadow of doubt on whether this position will change.
Turkey 'Used Imams for Data on Gulenists in Bulgaria'
Bulgaria is one of the fourteen EU member states from which Turkey has received data on supporters of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish daily reports.
Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has used imams in a number of countries within and outside the EU to gather intelligence about Gülen followers and supporters, according to Hürriyet Daily News.