Latest News from Bulgaria

Bulgarian Court Upholds Revoking of KTB's Banking Licence

Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) on Tuesday upheld the central bank's decision to cancel the banking licence of collapsed Corporate Commercial Bank (Corpbank).

The decision can be appealed before a five judge-panel of the SAC within seven days.

Unemployment Rate in Bulgaria Registers Record Drop for December

The unemployment rate for the month of December has decreased for the first time in Bulgaria since 1991.

The unemployment rate in December 2014 was 10.7 %, which represents a drop of 0.1 % compared to November 2014, Darik radio reports.

Bulgaria Lost EU Funding of EUR 51.3 M for Rural Development in 2014

Bulgaria lost EU funding of EUR 51.3 M under the Rural Development Program in 2014, according to Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva.

In an interview for Pressa daily, Taneva explained that the final amount of the loss of funding under that program had been twice smaller than the preliminary forecast.

Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova Reaches Quarterfinals in Sydney

Bulgaria's No.1 female tennis player Tsvetana Pironkova won her match against Madison Keys (USA) in the second round of the women's singles competition at the Sydney Apia International tournament.

The score was 4:6, 4:1 when the American retired after suffering an injury to her right shoulder, electronic daily Dnevnik reports.

Bulgaria's Finance Ministry Successfully Placed 10,5-Year BGN-Denominated GS Issue

Bulgaria's Finance Ministry launched a new 10.5-year BGN-denominated government securities (GS) issue with maturityJuly 14, 2025.

At the auction held on January 12, GS to the amount of BGN 50 million were successfully placed, with the average weighted yield being 3,09%, according to a media statement of the Finance Ministry.

Bulgaria's Maritsa Iztok Mines Topped 2014 Production Target by 428 000 Tonnes

The Maritsa Iztok Mines (Mini Maritsa Iztok EAD), Bulgaria's largest coal mining company, produced over 27 500 000 tonnes of coal in 2014, up by 428 000 tonnes from the business plan for the year.

The company's profit for the reporting period is expected to reach around BGN 5 M, according to a media statement of the Maritsa Iztok Mines, as cited by the BGNES news agency.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova Declared Honorary Citizen of Sofia

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova has been declared Honorary Citizen of Sofia.

Bokova was awarded honorary citizenship at a ceremony at the Sofia Municipality on Monday.

The event was attended by Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, Deputy Education Minister Boil Banov, and Elen Gerdzhikov, Chair of the Sofia Municipal Council.

Bulgarian Deputy PM Calls for Sanctions on Migrants Refusing Integration

Bulgaria should impose penalties on refugees on its territory refusing to send their children to school or take up the jobs offered to them, Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva said on Monday.

"If the refugees want to take advantage of all rights granted to them by Bulgarian law, then they must meet fulfil obligations as well," Kuneva has said, according to BTA news agency.

Bulgarian Customs Seize 11 kg Heroin at Border with Turkey

Heroin worth over BGN 1M (EUR 500,000) has been seized in a truck at Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint at the border with Turkey, Bulgaria's customs office said on Monday.

The drug weighing 11.2 kg was hidden in the cabin of a Bulgarian-registered truck carrying particleboard panels from Turkey to Bulgaria, the National Customs Agency said in a statement.

Bulgaria Vice President: Army Should Guard Border alongside Police

The army should help the Interior Ministry to patrol along the Bulgaria-Turkey border by deploying troops there, Bulgarian Vice-President Margarita Popova has said.

Popova has thus joined the debate on further measures to step up security at the border with Turkey in the face of a prospective flow of asylum seekers coming from the south-east.

PM Borisov Says Bulgaria Stands Huge Chances for Gas Boom

Apart from transporting and distributing gas, Bulgaria could become an exporter of energy resources, the country's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said after meeting EU officials on Monday.

Borisov held talks in Brussels with EU Commissioner Corina Cre?u, who is in charge of regional development, and the Commission' Vice President for Budget and Human Resources Kristalina Georgieva.

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