Prime Ministers of Bulgaria

Bulgarian lawmakers have elected socialist party MP Maya Manolova National Ombudsman, the chairman of her party has said.

Mihail Mikov has made his comments, quoted by daily 24 Chasa, as ballots are still being counted in the single secret voting procedure arranged under Bulgaria's legislation.

The Greek Embassy in Sofia has sent out a statement to media outlets to point to Greece's contribution to the Bulgarian economy.

It has reminded that Greece has helped open a total of 70 000 jobs in Bulgaria, with investment worth EUR 2.5 B in the past years.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov pointed to the importance of the consensus on the judicial reform, which was reached by most of the parliamentary represented parties on Thursday.

According to Borisov, this consensus will lead to Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen Area in October and the attraction of many investments to the country.

Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, will meet with President Rosen Plevneliev and Prime Minister Boyko Borisov in Sofia on Thursday.

Two protests calling for genuine judicial reform are taking place near the building of the Bulgarian Parliament on Wednesday.

Participants in one of the protests will drink coffee in support of the judicial reform and the constitutional amendments and against the alternative proposals of the second largest opposition party - DPS.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov will pay a one-day working visit to Bavaria on Tuesday.

In Munich, Borisov is to meet the Minister-President of Bavaria Horst Seehofer, the government's press service informs.

The Bulgarian PM will also be an honorary guest to the reception given by the president of the Bavarian parliament Barbara Stamm.

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan will pay a visit to Bulgaria on Friday at the invitation of Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva.

Apart from meeting with Taneva, Hogan will also hold talks with Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov as well as MPs from the parliamentary Agriculture and Foods Committee.

The budget and finance committee with the Bulgarian Parliament is due to hold on Thursday hearings of candidates to take over as Governors of the country's central bank.

This comes a day before lawmakers are due to point a successor to Ivan Iskrov, who stepped down in June a few months before his term had expired.

Ivan Iskrov had been reelected on his position as a Chair of the Bulgarian National Bank under pressure during the first Boiko Borisov cabinet.

The statement was made by Former Finance Minister Simeon Djankov in an interview for bTV, who was in office at the time.

Bulgaria is watching the crisis in neighboring Greece "through wary eyes," Brussels-based EUObserver writes.

It reports about the government's position after Athens announced a bank holiday this week, which reads that the Greek banks' branches are established under Bulgarian law and no money can be transferred from them out of the country without a permission from the central bank.