Government

The National Assembly voted in favor of extending the state of emergency to May 13, 2020, according to BGNES.

The motion was adopted with 122 votes in favour, 47 against and 7 abstentions.

Deputies rejected the proposals the state of emergency in Bulgaria to be extended until April 30.

The government will not touch the country's cash buffer and will announce fresh support measures next month, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said on Friday, adding that the economy is expected to rebound considerably in the year's second half, moderating its annual contraction for 2020 to 3-4 percent.

Authorities are considering stricter rules for Istanbul, the country's largest city by population, in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. 

As part of those new measures, a curfew could be imposed for people younger than 18 years of age and privately-owned vehicles could be banned from traffic. 

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov today.  Secretary Pompeo congratulated Bulgaria on its quick actions to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases, and the two discussed further efforts to mitigate this crisis. 

Greece plans to sell majority stakes in four ports as part of a privatization plan agreed with its lenders after the country exited the bailouts in 2018, a document from the state privatization agency (TAIPED) showed on Tuesday.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a reminder to the country's prosecutors of the need to strictly impose measures introduced by the country's health authorities to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

The European Commission promised that on Monday it will to come up with guideline measures against COVID-19 for all Member States, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told a news conference on March 26 after participating in a video conference meeting of the European Council.

During this unprecedented crisis, governments across Europe are intensifying their efforts to combat the global spread of the coronavirus by enacting various measures to support public health systems, safeguard the economy and to ensure public order and safety.

Turkey's presidential commission on the state of emergency concluded 83 percent of the applications on March 27, concerning measures taken in the aftermath of the July 2016 defeated coup attempt.