Latest News from Bulgaria
Hungary PM Backs Bulgaria on Refugee Crisis
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban arrives in Sofia on Thursday for a two-day visit, which was not announced in advance, to discuss the state of the EU's external borders.
Yavor Siderov, adviser to Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva, said Orban and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov would "discuss the refugee crisis and the [passport-free] Schengen [zone]".
Gas Hub, Kozloduy NPP's Units 5-6 Top Agenda of Bulgaria-Russia Committee
An intergovernmental committee between Bulgaria and Russia has discussed Sofia's gas hub project and the modernization of nuclear units in its first session in five years.
Russian is now seen as one of the sources that could pump gas into the distribution center, according to the Bulgarian Economy Ministry's press office.
Protesting Greek Farmers Stage Blockage of Border with Bulgaria
Thousands of Greek farmers on Wednesday rallied at two border crossings between Greece and Bulgaria and elsewhere across their country.
The Ilinden-Exochi border crossing remained sealed off from 11:00 local time (EET) to 14:00, but the blockade was renewed at about 18:00, a Greece-based correspondent of the Bulgarian National Radio says.
Bulgaria Govt Refrains from Calling for Top Judicial Body's Resignation
The cabinet of Bulgaria has refused to urge the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS), the high decisonmaking body of the judiciary, to step down, despite criticism against it in the EU Commission's report published Wednesday.
Governing parties demanded a day earlier that the VSS dissolve itself, amid a number of scandals involving its members over the past days.
EU's 2016 Report on Bulgaria: Key Findings
The European Commission published on Wednesday, January 27, reports on Bulgaria and Romania under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) to summarize the two countries' progress in 2014 in areas such as judicial reform, fighting corruption and (in the case of Bulgaria) fighting organized crime.
Bulgaria's November Gross Foreign Debt Falls 12% from End-2014
Bulgaria's gross foreign debt has decreased by 10.4% year-on-year in November 2015, reaching EUR 34.54 B equivalent to 77.4% of the projected 2015 GDP, the country's central bank announced on Wednesday.
The end-November figure was also 12.2% lower than the gross foreign debt at the end of 2014, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) said in a monthly debt report.