Expats

PM: Bulgaria Firmly Out of EU Fiscal Pact if Common Taxes Required [Jan 30, 2012] Bulgaria is not going to participate in the new EU Fiscal Pact if it requires that taxation policies be harmonized, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has declared in Brussels at the emergency meeting of EU leaders. Right before the start of the forum, Borisov made it clear that Bulgaria has one single condition for joining the EU Fiscal Pact ? a brainchild of French President Nicolas ... [via YahooNews] More >>

NATO Secretary General Thanks President Plevneliev for Bulgaria's Contribution [Jan 26, 2012] Bulgaria's participation in NATO was given a high assessment by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. "2012 will be an important year for NATO and Bulgaria may play an important part in the process," Rasmussen said after a Thursday meeting with Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev in Brussels. "The fact that you chose to visit the NATO headquarters so soon after your inauguration is a ... [via YahooNews] More >>

New Bulgaria president seeks more active role in EU [Jan 25, 2012] (SOFIA ) - Bulgaria's new President Rosen Plevneliev said Wednesday he wanted a better image and a more active role for his country in the EU, ahead of talks in Brussels with EU executive chief Jose Manuel Barroso. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's New President Embarks on 1st Foreign Visit [Jan 25, 2012] Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev will depart Wedesday afternoon on his first two-day visit to Brussels. Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov will participate in the delegation, the press office of the head of state said in a statement. Bulgaria's new President will head for Brussels after Vice President Margarita Popova returns from Germany. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria anti-mafia court opens [Jan 03, 2012] (SOFIA ) - A special Bulgarian court set up to tackle cases of organised crime opened Tuesday after repeated calls from Brussels for swifter sentences in anti-mafia trials, its chairman Georgy Ushev said. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Might Join Schengen by Sea, Air in 2012 [Dec 11, 2011] Bulgaria and Romania are to join the Schengen zone with their maritime and aerial borders on March 25, 2012, the Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) is proposing. The proposal has been listed in the draft decision of the EU Council of Ministers, the correspondent of the Bulgarian National Television, BNT, reported from Brussels Sunday. In addition, the proposal includes text that the land ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria 'Sorry' for NATO, Russia Dissent on Missile Defense [Dec 08, 2011] Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has expressed regrets over the lack of progress in the talks between NATO and Russia on the creation of a joint missile defense system in Europe. Mladenov took part in the NATO-Russia Council during the annual meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Alliance in Brussels. Even though it was formally invited to join the US / NATO missile shield in ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's New Justice Minister Says Brussels Approved of Her [Dec 01, 2011] Bulgaria's new Justice Minister Diana Kovacheva has pointed out that the European Union has supported her for the position. "As far as I know, my candidacy was supported by Brussels," Kovacheva stated in an interview for the bTV private channel on Thursday. Kovacheva, who was officially appointed on Wednesday, further revealed that Prime Minister Boyko Borisov personally called her two weeks ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Finance Intelligence Head Gets OLAF Job [Nov 24, 2011] The Head of the Special Financial Intelligence Directorate at the Bulgarian State National Security Agency (DANS), Vasil Kirov, is leaving over getting a new post in Brussels. The news was reported by the DANS press center Thursday, saying Kirov had resigned from the Agency. He is now going to work at the European Union anti-fraud office OLAF.... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria New DTT Contest, Legal Changes Mere Eyewash - Experts [Nov 16, 2011] Bulgaria's surprise decision to hold a contest for yet another multiplex and adopt legal amendments are just an attempt to trick Brussels out of taking legal actions against the country, experts have commented. "This is just an attempt to eyewash Brussels. The new multiplex will be a collection of frequencies that are, to put it mildly, inadequate.... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Rises against EU's Ever 'Greener' CAP [Nov 07, 2011] Bulgaria is raising serious objections against the changes of EU's Common Agricultural Policy which the European Commission has proposed as of 2014, Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov announced. Naydenov is in Brussels for the talks on the reformed CAP between the 27 EU member-states, the European Commission, and the European Parliament, the Bulgarian National Radio reported. "Bulgaria will ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria, Italy top EU fraud reporting list (News) [Oct 20, 2011] Bulgaria and Italy were the two countries with the highest number of investigations by the EU's anti-fraud office OLAF, according to the agency's 2011 report, presented to the Brussels press yesterday (19 October). More [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Showcases Thracian Treasures in Brussels [Oct 11, 2011] Eight Thracian treasures from Bulgaria are already attracting crowds at the main lobby of the European Parliament in Brussels. The exhibit, which showcases Bulgaria's ancient past and culture, is going to be officially opened Tuesday evening by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek. It is organized on the initiative of the Member of EP from ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Has No Intention of Beefing Up Further Troops in Afghanistan [Oct 06, 2011] Bulgaria has no plans for further increases of the number of its troops in Afghanistan, Defense Minister Anyu Angelov has told his counterparts from the NATO member states in Brussels. Angelov took part in the meeting of the NATO Defense Ministers on October 5-6, which focused on the situations in Afghanistan and Libya, where the Alliance recently extended its Operation United Protector against ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Ethnic Tensions Mar Bulgaria's Presidential Elections [Sep 28, 2011] EurActiv The visit of Bulgaria's ruling party presidential candidate to Brussels on September 26, seeking support from his European political family the EPP, was overshadowed by ethnic violence in his home country.Dnevnik, the EurActiv partner in Bulgaria, contributed to this article. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

No Schengen zone for Romania, Bulgaria [Sep 23, 2011] BRUSSELS, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- The European Union says Romania and Bulgaria will have to wait awhile longer before being allowed to become part of the EU's free-travel Schengen zone. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria, Romania's Schengen Applications Formally Vetoed [Sep 22, 2011] The Netherlands and Finland have expectedly vetoed the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the visa-free Schengen Area at the meeting of the EU Interior Ministers in Brussels. The Netherlands formally decided to veto Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen accession at the end of last week, and Finland did so on Wednesday. The vetoes on the Schengen Agreement bids of the two Balkan states have been ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Attempts to Sway EU about Schengen Readiness [Sep 07, 2011] Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, is participating Wednesday in a conference in Brussels dedicated to the enlargement of the Schengen Zone. The information was provided by the Interior Ministry's press center. The conference is titled EU Migration Policy in the Light of the Schengen Enlargement while Tsvetanov's report to be presented there ? Bulgaria on ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria bans controversial police donations [Aug 15, 2011] (SOFIA ) - Bulgaria's Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov on Monday banned private donations to his ministry after Brussels raised concerns over police integrity. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Likely to Probe Possible Mobile Price Cartel [Aug 10, 2011] Bulgaria's anti-trust commission is likely to launch a probe into a possible mobile price cartel after both Sofia and Brussels rose up against the rates charged by local mobile operators, the highest in Europe. The Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) will decide whether to carry out an analysis of the mobile services market after receiving the results of the finance ministry's check ... [via YahooNews] More >>