State Agency

Trebisht in northeastern Albania looks like a ghost village, emptied of its residents by a rush to get Bulgarian passports that open the door to the European Union, AFP reported.
Arman Kadriu has an Albanian name, but the 12-year-old boy says he considers himself Bulgarian.

The government has decided that Petar Haralampiev will be chairman of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, the government's press office said.

Haralampiev was deputy governor of Sofia region between December 2014 and May 2017. He also served as executive manager and member of the board of directors of Balgare foundation.

In the past six months, the number of refugees and migrants in Bulgaria has decreased significantly, according to Interior Ministry figures cited by the Independent Balkan News Agency.

By May 18 2017, there were 3128 people from foreign countries seeking protection in Bulgaria, the official statistics said.

The price of vegetables in Bulgaria continued to rise, reported by the State Agency of Goods Exchange and Market-Places, quoted by Bulgarian National Radio.

The only exception is for potatoes and green salad.

Most expensive are carrots - there is an increase of 13%. However, the fruits are cheaper.

Days before Easter, eggs are selling on price BGN 0,20 for one.

Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov warned that the case of the expelled from Bulgaria by the State Agency for National Security Turkish citizen will not remain isolated if it is proved he is a threat to the national security of the country.

He added that the elections in Bulgaria should be solved by Bulgarian citizens, not by external intervention.

The Justice Ministry of Bulgaria is drafting new rules that, if further approved, would tighten the requirements needed to obtain citizenship for applicants claiming Bulgarian descent.

Uner the proposed amendments, a naturalization candidate will have to specify the data which proves the applicant's Bulgarian origin.

The number of migrants seeking protection from Bulgaria dipped to 421 people in December of last year, nearly half the figure of the previous month.

As many as 815 people took the step in January, according to fresh data from the State Agency for Refugees.

The mayor of Elin Pelin, not far from the Bulgarian capital Sofia, has told a Syrian family of three to leave the municipality despite the fact they have been granted humanitarian status.

A report aired by private bTV broadcaster shows Fakhim and his wife, Fatima, who left Aleppo after their house was destroyed in the war 5 years back.

Prime Minister Ognyan Gerdzhikov will coordinate the activities of the Finance Minister and the Foreign Minister, as well as of the state agencies Intelligence and Electronic Management and the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad.

The number of migrants seeking protection from Bulgaria dipped to 815 people in December of last year, nearly half the figure of the previous month, recent data shows.

As many as 1755 people took the step in November, according to data from the State Agency for Refugees.

In December, the applicants were from 17 different countries, but also included stateless persons.