Latest News from Bulgaria

Bulgaria Luring Russian Tourists with Low Prices, Eased Visa Rules

Bulgaria hopes to retain its appeal among Russian tourists by offering competitively low prices and easing visa requirements, the Bulgarian Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova has said.

IKEA to Seek New Partners as It Plans to Increase Supplies from Bulgaria

The world's leading furniture retailer IKEA will seek new partners in Bulgaria as it is planning to increase its supplies from the country.

The Swedish company intends to double its sales globally until 2020, which necessitates the search of new supply opportunities and IKEA views Bulgaria as a long-term partner.

Bulgaria Ranks 41st Out of 152 Countries in Latest Human Freedom Index

Bulgaria occupies the 41st position in the latest edition of the Human Freedom Index - a global measurement of personal, civil and economic freedom ranking 152 countries on a scale from 0 to 10, where 10 represents more freedom.

Bulgaria had a freedom index of 7.8 in 2012, with a personal freedom of 8.21 and economic freedom measuring 7.39.

Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov Loses Dramatically to Andy Murray in Cincinnati

Bulgaria's top ranking male tennis player Grigor Dimitrov was ousted dramatically from the third round of the Western & Southern Open, which is taking place in Cincinnati.

In a match, which lasted more than three hours, Dimitrov was defeated by Andy Murray from the UK with 6:4, 6:7 (3), 5:7.

Transparency International criticizes Turkey

Transparency International has criticized the poor criminal liability of legal entities in Turkey, in addition to political interference in foreign bribery investigations, in a report titled "Exporting Corruption" that was revealed Aug. 20.

China's Procurator General to Visit Sofia, Plovdiv

Bulgarian Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov is due to meet with Chinese counterpart Cao Jianming the latter is visiting the capital Sofia and the city of Plovdiv on Friday and Saturday, officials say.

This is a reciprocal visit after Tsatsarov traveled to China in December 2014.

Bulgaria Not Doing Enough to Combat Foreign Bribery

Bulgaria is among countries doing little or no effort to combat foreign bribery, a Transparency International report shows.

In its Progress Report 2015: Assessing Enforcement of the OECD Convention on Combating Foreign Bribery [PDF], the organization says cross-border bribery "has enormous negative consequences for the populations of affected countries".

Reuters: Bulgaria Growing Anxious as Flow of Migrants Keeps Rising

More and more migrants keep arriving in Bulgaria despite a host of measures the country has taken to stem the influx, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The agency cites official data according to which 25 000 people have applied for refugee status over the past two years, or as many as in the previous two decades combined.

Tagesspiegel: 10 000 Greek Companies Have Moved to Bulgaria

Feeling unable to see their future in Greece, many companies move to the country's northern neighbor, Bulgaria, a German daily suggests.

With the Greek economy having hit rock bottom, more than ten thousand businesses have chosen to move in Bulgaria over the past few years, according to Dear Tagesspiegel.

Code Yellow Alert Issued in Bulgaria over Heavy Downpours

Some 15-30 l/sqm of rain are expected in Bulgaria over the next 24 hours, meteorologists have warned.

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences said early on Thursday that in certain regions rainfall may amount to 35 l/sqm (with yearly levels on average measuring around 500-600 l/sqm for most of Bulgaria).