Latest News from Bulgaria

Bulgarian President: Judicial Reforms Require New Constitutional Changes

The economic growth of Bulgaria is directly connected with the need of immediate reforms in the judicial system of the country, which requires amendments to the Constitution, said Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev at the opening ceremony of the 10th Annual Government Meets the Business Conference organised by the Capital weekly newspaper.

Montenegro Endorses FM Luksic for UN Top Job Candidacy

Montenegro has formally submitted the candidacy of its Foreign Minister, Igor Luksic, as a candidate to take over as UN Secretary General.

Bulgaria's FM Urges Stricter EU Measures on Economic Migrants

Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov has opined that the EU should treat economic migrants with the same attitude it had to current member states from Central and Eastern Europe that were accession candidates back in the 2000s.

61% of Bulgarian Companies Call Corruption 'Problem When Doing Business'

Bulgaria is among the ten EU member states where at least half of all companies say corruption is a problem for them when doing business, a Eurobarometer survey shows.

In Romania and Greece, the share is 74%, followed by Bulgaria (61%) and Italy (60%).

Bulgaria MP Committee to Debate on E-Voting

A committee with Bulgaria's Parliament is set to debate on Tuesday a draft bill that supports the introduction of online voting.

The head of Parliament's legal committee, Danail Kirilov (from the main ruling GERB party) is quoted by Dnevnik.bg as saying he will propose that amendments to electoral law should be adopted by the end of April to allow citizens to vote online.

Victoria Nuland Visiting Bulgaria on Tuesday

US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland is to meet Bulgarian officials this afternoon, the Bulgarian President's press office has said.

Energy, defense and the push for reform will reportedly be part of the agenda of her meetings.

Nuland is to talk with President Rosen Plevneliev at 15:00 local time (EET).

Northeastern Bulgaria Still Grappling with Bad Weather after Heavy Snow

Much of Northeastern Bulgaria is still paralyzed by the severe weather conditions after two days of heavy snow over the weekend, authorities say.

FDI into Bulgaria Grew by 20.6% in January-November 2015

Foreign direct investment into Bulgaria amounted to EUR 1.467 B between January and November of last year, preliminary data from the Bulgarian National Bank shows.

This is a 20.6% year-on-year increase, according to statistics on the central bank's website.

Prominent Bulgarian Wrestler Stanka Zlateva Announces Her Retirement

The prominent Bulgarian female freestyle wrestler Stanka Zlateva announced her retirement on Monday due to an injury in the back.

The treatment of the injury, which occurred in the summer of last year, was a lengthy one and it did not allow her to prepare for the forthcoming Olympic qualifications which are to take place in April.

DSB Leader Demands Probe into Construction of Bulgaria's Hemus Motorway

The leader of the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) party, Radan Kanev, called on Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov to order an immediate investigation into the tender for the construction of Hemus motorway.

At a press conference on Monday, Kanev demanded the investigation to be performed by a publicly known prosecutor, daily Dnevnik quotes him as saying.

Expelled DPS Leader 'to Unveil New Political Party'

Lyutvi Mestan, the former head of predominantly ethnic Turk Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party, is set to announce the formation of a new party in a matter of days, a local Bulgarian website reports.

Dimitrov with Tough Victory against Lorenzi at Australian Open

Bulgaria's highest-ranking tennis player Grigor Dimitrov has won a tough match against Paolo Lorenzi (Italy), making it into the second round of Australian Open.

It took Dimitrov 2 h 27 min to defeat Lorenzi 6:3, 7:6 (8), 6:3, in a contested encounter against the world's No. 57.

Dimitrov has gradually slumped to No. 28 since the end of 2014, down from the Top 10.