Bulgarian government

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva stated on Friday that in its first three months the government has managed to overcome the international isolation.

Kuneva announced this during the press conference at which the deputy prime ministers gave account of the government's first 100 days in power, daily Sega reports.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has expressed 'moderate optimism' about the Ukraine ceasefire.

Speaking during Thursday's EU summit in Brussels, he expressed appreciation for the huge efforts of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in the marathon 17-hour talks preceding the Minsk agreement.

The Bulgarian government has approved a revised version of the Rural Development Program 2014-2020 envisaging a total budget of over EUR 2.9 B, including a total of EUR 2.3 B to be provided by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

The budget of the 2014-2020 Rural Development Program is to be allocated to 18 measures.

The Bulgarian government decided at its meeting on Wednesday to allocate further BGN 15 M for additional co-financing of energy effectiveness projects.

This concerns projects, which have already been started and have applied for funding before the launch of the large-scale programme worth BGN 1 B, which was announced last week.

Bulgarian Minister of Labor and Social Policy Ivaylo Kalfin has announced in a press release that a series of discussions will be held regarding the minimal wage in the country.

The events will be held between Labor Ministry and representatives of the labor unions in Bulgaria, who have sent an open letter to the institution earlier during the week.

Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva has insisted that using Schengen accession to pressure Bulgaria into fulfilling its EU obligations in the spheres of justice and home affairs is counterproductive.

Kuneva took part Tuesday in a General Affairs Council in Brussels.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev will convene a meeting of the Consultative Council for National Security in March over defense issues.

Plevneliev made clear that the meeting would be devoted to the country's defense policy and the condition of its armed forces.

The Bulgarian government is set on discussing the tensions regarding Ukrainian minorities, including the increased army mobilization of Bulgarian nationals with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin during his upcoming visit.

The position has also been expressed before the Ukrainian Ambassador to Sofia Mykola Baltazhy, a press release from Tuesday revealed.

Finding three different sources of natural gas supplies in order to reduce dependence on Russian deliveries will the main task of a new European energy body set up on Monday in Sofia.

Bulgaria is one of the most intensely interested EU countries in guaranteeing the security of energy supplies and achieving energy diversification, according to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.