17/05/2012

A second ad-hoc committee tasked with probing the activities of the former Bulgarian President and Vice President, Parvanov and Marin, was set up Wednesday in Parliament. The new entity is called "Ad-Hoc Committee to Examine Facts and Circumstances Related to the Actions and Initiatives of Government Officials in the Executive Branch and of Citizens in Relation to Presidential Decrees Granting Pardons, Cancelling Uncollectible Debts and Granting, Restoring and Withdrawing Bulgarian Citizenship in the period January 2002 – January 2012", Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

16/05/2012

Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, wished success to the two major parties in the now former right-wing Blue Coalition, after news reports about the latter's breakup. "Both the Union of Democratic Forces, UDF, and Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, DSB, are our political partners in the European right wing and in the European People's Party, EPP, and I wish them success," Borisov told the media Tuesday, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

15/05/2012

Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has boasted that the adequate measures taken by the Interior for ensuring the preservation of peace and public order in Bulgarian resorts has brought about a constantly increasing flow of tourists. Tsvetanov's statement came after a Monday meeting with Ambassadors of EU member states and other countries sending a large number of visitors to Bulgaria. He made clear that a total of 500 officers of the Interior would be dispatched from the inside of the country to boost security in Bulgarian resorts in 2012, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

14/05/2012

Bulgaria's growth continues to slow, mostly reflecting external headwinds, but there is room for optimism due to the expected euro area recovery in the second half of the year, IMF mission chief for Bulgaria has said. "Real GDP growth is projected to reach 0.8% in 2012, which is lower than our previous forecast. Growth is expected to rise moderately to 1.5% in 2013, which shows we have taken into account the forecast for the euro area," IMF mission head Catriona Purfield said in an interview for Capital daily after the end of the mission visit to Sofia, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

11/05/2012

Bulgaria's Defense Minister Anyu Angelov has expressed the Bulgarian government's support for an "open-door" NATO policy towards Macedonia at a meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Fatmir Besimi. During Angelov and Basimi's meeting in Sofia Thursday, officials from the Defense Ministries of Bulgaria and Macedonia signed a Bilateral Cooperation Plan in Defense for 2012, which focuses on exchange of experts, training, education, and opportunities for joint military drills, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

09/05/2012

Former European Commissioner and former Bulgarian Presidential runner Meglena Kuneva is set to announce the transformation of her civic movement to a political party on Wednesday. The announcement will be made in the Danube city of Ruse, dnevnik.bg says, citing sources close to Kuneva, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

07/05/2012

The International Monetary Fund is not pressing good policies on countries in financial crisis, such as Greece and Spain, according to Bulgarian Minister of Finance Simeon Djankov, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

04/05/2012

Charges have been pressed against 8 of the total of 32customs officers detained during the "Customs" special operation at the Bulgaria–Turkey border crossing at Kapitan Andreevo, according to Sofia City Prosecutor Nikolay Kokinov, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

03/05/2012

A working meeting between Bulgarian Vice President Margarita Popova and Pozzo di Borgo, Chair of the France-Bulgaria Friendship Group at the French Senate, stressed the need for cooperation among Schengen member states for the transformation of the area, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

02/05/2012

Karlo Lukanov, the son of former Bulgarian Prime Minister Andrey Lukanov, is entering the executive council of a Bulgarian political party called United Social Democracy. Lukanov-junior told the Bulgarian National Radio on Monday that he had no intention of engaging himself in the political life for quite a long time. However, he pointed out that "a moment has come in which one should not just sit idly by and observe, criticizing from a distance", Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

27/04/2012

The Heads of Delegation of the European People's Party Group's 10 Central and Eastern European Member States have sent an open letter to José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, over discrimination against Eastern Europe. The rightist Members of the European Parliament from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia have expressed their deep concern regarding "the numerous discriminatory actions carried out against Central and Eastern European citizens", Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

26/04/2012

A program called "Energy Efficiency and Green Economy" that was presented Wednesday at the Ministry of Transport envisages increasing the number of trolleybuses in big cities and introducing hybrid buses and 100% electric buses, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

25/04/2012

Marking World Book and Copyright Day, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) chief Irina Bokova highlighted the importance of translation to ensuring that everyone has access to the tremendous potential of books, the UN News Centre said, The Sofia Echo wrote.

24/04/2012

Hungarian company Mol will probably leave the EUR 7.9 B Nabucco natural gas pipeline project, according to the country's Prime Minister Viktor Orban. "I'm not an expert on the details, but what I have seen is that even the Hungarian company, Mol, is leaving the whole project," Orban has told reporters in Brussels, as cited by Bloomberg. He stated that the project is "in trouble", Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

20/04/2012

Bulgaria's Rakovski Defense and Staff College, the country's oldest military institution of higher education, marks the 100th anniversary since its establishment on Friday. Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, Defense Minister Anyu Angelov and Head of Defense Gen. Simeon Simeonov will be present at Friday's official ceremony, during which accomplished service members will be awarded.

19/04/2012

Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev has outlined six major priorities for regional development at the first meeting of the Bulgarian Council for Development of Regions and National Infrastructure. The newly-founded Council has been initiated by Plevneliev himself as part of his presidential election campaign promises, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

18/04/2012

Bulgaria’s Cabinet was expected scrap a plan that it approved in spring 2011 to build a 181km wire fence along the border with Turkey – a step that it was to take against the spread of foot-and-mouth disease – because the amount of money needed to complete the project is four times the amount budgeted, The Sofia Echo wrote.

17/04/2012

A total of 30 closed-circuit television security cameras are to be installed in Sofia’s Borissova Gradina this week as part of a project by the Bulgarian capital city’s municipal authorities. Video survelliance spots in the park will include paths near Ariana Lake, The Sofia Echo wrote.

09/04/2012

A Bulgarian Parliamentary delegation is leaving Sunday on an official visit to Japan, the Parliament press center informs. The delegation, led by the Speaker of the Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva, will be in Japan between April 8 and 12 on the invitation of Kenji Hirata, the President of the Japanese House of Councilors, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.

06/04/2012

Financial transparency of both central and local administrative structures of the executive power tripled in 2012 but still remains below 50%, according to data of the Access to Information Programme (AIP). At the same time, only 2% of the administrative structures in the executive made public contracts they signed. Although institutions grew a little more transparent, the information on their websites remained poorly arranged and hard to access, Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) wrote.