Expats

Bulgaria EconMin to Give Heed to German Stance on ACTA [Feb 02, 2012] Bulgaria's Economy Minister Traicho Traikov will get acquainted with Germany's stance on the controversial ACTA trade agreement during the Bulgarian-German Cooperation Council in Germany. Last week, Bulgaria became one of the 21 EU member states to sign ACTA, while Germany is among the five bloc members that have not inked it. Upon asked whether Bulgaria will take into consideration Germany's ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Remains Closer to Balkans than EU - Study [Jan 31, 2012] Bulgaria and Romania lag behind other EU countries in their development, according to a recent study. The two newest EU Member States remain commensurable to the other Balkan countries in terms of economic state, quality of life, level of democracy and state governance, according to the so-called Catch-up Index, prepared by experts of the Open Society Institute. The study analyses Bulgaria's EU ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria 'Tops' EU in Futureless Youngsters [Jan 11, 2012] Bulgaria has the highest percentage of young people who are not in employment, education or training among all EU member states, according to the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. According to the latest Eurostat estimates, in 2010 the percentage of Bulgaria's young people who were not working, in education or training (NEET) reached 21.8%, the foundation ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Says It's Best in EU Online Census [Jan 11, 2012] Bulgaria carried out the most effective online census among all EU member states in 2011, the country's National Statistical Institute has stated in a report on its activities throughout the year. A total of 41.2% of all Bulgarians who took part in the 2011 census did that on the Internet, the report says, pointing out that this is the highest percentage among the EU countries which had a census ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria 3rd in EU Retail Drop for 2011 - Eurostat [Jan 08, 2012] Bulgaria is in the top tier of EU member states with the most dropped down volume of retail trade for last year, according to a recently released Eurostat study. Retail in Bulgaria for 2011 has dropped by 5.3%, as compared with the previous year. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry to Be Re-modeled after EU Diplomatic Services [Dec 21, 2011] Bulgaria's Cabinet has adopted the new Organizational Statutes of the Foreign Ministry bringing its structure closer to the diplomatic corps of other EU member states. "The document provides the grounds for the carrying out of a structural reform in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in accordance with the 2010 Strategic Review of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Corps," the Foreign Ministry said in a ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Proclaims All-out Support for Moldova's EU Integration [Dec 15, 2011] Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has joined forces with his counterparts from Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia on backing the EU integration of the Republic of Moldova. The foreign ministers of the seven Eastern EU member-states, Bulgaria included, have signed a letter to the EU institutions in support of Moldova's bid to join the EU. Should that ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria to Keep Taxes Low, Slams Common EU Rates [Dec 14, 2011] Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, has assured the business sector that low taxes are to stay in Bulgaria. Djankov stressed Tuesday that Bulgaria is one of the only three EU Member States with consistent tax, fiscal and microeconomic policies, the other two being Estonia and Luxembourg. Bulgaria also has the lowest tax rates in the EU. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Business Sees Bulgaria as Corrupt - Justice Minister [Dec 07, 2011] The business perceives Bulgaria as a country in which corruption prevails, newly appointed Bulgarian Justice Minister Diana Kovacheva has admitted. "Bulgaria turned out to be the last among all EU member states and a lot of efforts are now necessary. One of the emerging issues is that of the legislative dynamics which have been creating a sense of insecurity in the business," Kovacheva told the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Slumps Even Further in Corruption Index Ranking [Dec 01, 2011] Bulgaria is the most corrupt among the EU Member States, according to Transparency International's newly published Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The Balkan country has registered a score of 3.3, which has placed it 86th out of 178 countries together with Jamaica, Panama, Sri Lanka and Serbia.... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Last in EU in Green Energy Use - Report [Nov 15, 2011] Bulgaria still lags behind all other EU Member States in the use of green energy, according to a study of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The Foundation presented Tuesday its report on the possibility of Bulgaria's economy in using renewable energy sources and proposals to stimulate their development. Bulgarian households rank last in the EU in energy effectiveness, leading to more expenses and ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Killer Air Exposes Wider EU Problems [Nov 14, 2011] EurActiv Chronic pollution makes Bulgaria one of the world's deadliest places to live because of poor air quality, despite years of efforts to improve monitoring and comply with EU standards. But Bulgaria's problems are not isolated and reflect broader concerns over air quality among EU member states. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Ranked in EU Bottom by Teacher Pay [Oct 04, 2011] Teachers' salaries in Bulgaria are the lowest in the European Union, according to a report which compares the salaries of public-sector teachers and school heads in 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Turkey. The data, based on the 2009/10 school year, covers pre-primary to upper secondary education. The report, compiled by the European Commission's Eurydice network, is ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Parliament Chair: Schengen Snub Smacks of EU Double Standards [Sep 24, 2011] EU member states must take into account that Bulgaria has fullfilled all technical requirements for entry into the Schengen Area and accordingly admit it, stated Bulgarian Parliament Spaker Tsetska Tsacheva Saturday. Thursday the EU Council for Home Affairs did not offer Schengen membership for Bulgaria and Romania, after vetoes were posed by the Netherlands and Finland, who voiced worries about ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria 2nd in EU Unemployment Rise July 2011 [Aug 31, 2011] Bulgaria has registered the second highest increase in its unemployment rate among the EU member states in July 2011 year on year, Eurostat reveals. Bulgaria's unemployment rate increased from 10.0% to 11.... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Ranks Second in EU by Growth in Unemployment [Aug 02, 2011] Bulgaria ranks second among EU member states in terms of growth in unemployment, according to the latest figures published by Eurostat. In June 2011, 11.4% of the economically active Bulgarians were out of work, compared to 10.... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Chronically Lags Behind in Eurofund Absorption - Study [Jun 15, 2011] A KPMG study lists Bulgaria the worst among 10 EU member states in terms of contracting and absorbing European funds, 2007-11. At 37% of funds contracted, Bulgaria is last and well below the EU average of 53%. For the Administrative Capacity and Technical Assistance operational programmes though, Bulgaria is at the EU average level. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Puts Efforts in Coping with North African Migrants ? Malta President [May 12, 2011] Bulgaria, as well as the other EU member states, is putting visible efforts in coping with migration problem triggered by the turmoils in North Africa, according to Malta's President, George Abela. The Balkan peninsula is becoming a more and more secure region, he also stated. Abela pointed out he values highly the dialogue between his country and Bulgaria and pointed out that bilateral ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Backs EU for Continuing WTO Talks on Doha Development Agenda [May 11, 2011] Bulgaria's government has declared support for the EU position in favor of continuing talks on the Doha Development Agenda within the World Trade Organization. The Cabinet approved Wednesday the Bulgarian position for the upcoming EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on trade scheduled for May 13 in Brussels. The EU member states' ministers will discuss the results of the negotiations within the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Commish Expects Unfettered Job Rights before 2014 [May 09, 2011] A number of the older EU member states that still impose restrictions for job-seekers from Bulgaria and its northern neighbor Romania will open their labor markets before 2014, according to Commissioner Georgieva. "Bulgarians will get the opportunity to work freely in all the countries from the European Union thanks to demographic factors, linked to the aging population and the efforts to emerge ... [via YahooNews] More >>