European Union

The Greek government decided to ask the help of the Hellenic Armed Forces in order to complete in 15 days all the actions required so as to comply with its commitments on the refugee issue following the 3-month deadline EU has given to Greece.

Over 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children have disappeared in Europe, the EU police agency Europol said on Jan. 31, fearing many have been whisked into sex trafficking rings or the slave trade.

Europol's press office confirmed to AFP the figures published in British newspaper The Observer, adding that they covered the last 18-24 months.    

Internationally acclaimed Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk has accused the European Union of turning a blind eye to the state of democracy and media freedom in Turkey because of its cooperation in the migration crisis.

A EUR 3 M project financed by the EU plans to restore the population of black vulture in Bulgaria.

The project entitled "Bright Future for Black Vulture in Bulgaria" will be implemented by NGOs from four countries, private bTV station informs.

Turkey's EU minister and its chief negotiator with the bloc, Volkan Bozk?r, will be holding official meetings in Paris and Brussels between Feb. 3 and 5, a statement by the EU Ministry has said.

The Balkan gas hub project put forward by Bulgaria is not aimed at going around Ukraine's gas transportation network, Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said on Saturday.

The Chief Prosecutor's Office of Bulgaria is "very centralized and hierarchic", French Ambassador to Bulgaria Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes argued on Saturday.

In an interview with private bTV station's mornign program he said that everyone working for the institution depended "on a single person": "there is no Chief Prosecutor's Office in Bulgaria, there is a Chief Prosecutor".

At least 39 people, including five children, drowned off Turkey's western coast on Jan. 30, the Turkish Coast Guard said, in the latest tragedy involving migrants in the region.

A patrol was able to save 62 refugees, while one Turkish citizen was detained for his alleged role in organizing the trip.

Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis revealed a few days ago the existence of a Plan X for returning to drachma current in a coordinated way.

The Bulgarian National Bank has said it will put forward a possible approach to the accession of the country into the single currency area.