Expats

Bulgaria Not Likely to Ban Smoking in Open Public Spaces [May 10, 2012] Bulgaria's ruling centrist-right GERB party has dropped its plan to propose a stricter smoking ban in the country by abolishing smoking in open public spaces, such as stadiums and bus stations. The majority of GERB's MPs has voted against the ban in an anonymous vote withing the party's parliamentary group, the Standart daily informs. On Thursday, the measure will be discussed by the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Passes Controversial Illegal Assets Law in Dark of Night [Apr 27, 2012] Bulgaria's ruling majority in parliament adopted a controversial bill authorizing confiscation of illegal assets minutes before midnight on Thursday, but surprisingly banned anonymous tip-offs. Bulgarian authorities will have the right to launch probes and seize unexplained wealth, worth more than BGN 150,000 which has been acquired over the last 15 years under the draft law, the MPs decided ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Ups Highway Speed Limit in Controversial Move [Apr 25, 2012] Bulgaria's MPs have approved at first reading proposed legislative amendments that allow the country's highway speed limit to grow from 130 km/h to 140 km/h (87 mph). "We want to increase the speed limit because of the new highways under construction and the new, high quality roads. The existing restrictions will remain in the risky road sections," explained Regional Development Minister Liliana ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Set to Ease Full Smoking Ban Once Again - Report [Mar 27, 2012] Bulgaria's MPs are allegedly set to go for a "liberalized" version of the much anticipated full smoking ban. The draft bill that bans smoking in closed public spaces is yet to pass first reading, but lawmakers are already considering softening it, according to the Standart daily. MPs from the ruling centrist-right GERB have been quoted saying that the bill will most likely not be passed the way ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Must Negotiate Gas Price Cut with Gazprom ? Right-Wing MP [Feb 20, 2012] The right-wing Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB) party have demanded that the government immediately start talks with Russia's Gazprom to renegotiate the terms of the gas supply contract. The latest increase in retail gasoline and diesel prices caused the MPs to declare that the state had given up its authority over the Lukoil Neftochim refinery. Speaking at a Monday press conference, Dimtar ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria May Keep Its Notorious Health Insurance Head [Feb 20, 2012] Bulgaria's discredited National Health Insurance Fund director, Neli Nesheva, may very well keep her position, according to local media. Nesheva admitted to receiving over BGN 12 000 of bonuses last year and - though claiming the money was well deserved - quit office on Friday under public and opposition pressure. Her resignation is to be discussed by MPs from the ruling centrist-right GERB on ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Rulers Scrap Raising MP Salaries [Feb 14, 2012] MPs from Bulgaria's center right ruling GERB party have filed a motion to continue a freeze on parlamentarians' salaries that expired in the beginning of 2012. In 2011 Bulgarian MPs had their salaries frozen, even though per statute they equals three times the average monthly salary in the country's public sector for the last month of the latest quarter. MPs had nonetheless decided that in view ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Says It Won't Ratify ACTA Unconditionally [Feb 02, 2012] Bulgaria will ratify the ACTA trade agreement, but the country will keep its current legislation in the field of Internet services, it emerged on Thursday. On Thursday, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov met with representatives of the local IT sector, Internet Service Providers and MPs with his ruling centrist-right GERB to discuss the controversial agreement. Bulgaria will express its ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Votes Overwhelmingly To Ban Fracking [Jan 20, 2012] BULGARIA HAS BECOME the second European country to ban the extraction method for the exploratory drilling for shale gas known as fracking. Today, Bulgarian MPs voted overwhelming to ban the practice, which has also been banned in France. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Scraps Full Ban on Shale Gas Exploration, Extraction [Jan 18, 2012] Bulgaria's Parliament did not support the bill proposed by the left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) that envisioned a full ban on the exploration and extraction in the country. 123 out of the total of 240 MPs in Bulgaria's single-chamber Parliament voted against the bill, while 43 were in favor and 66 abstained from voting. Prior to Wednesday's vote, Valentin Nikolov, a key lawmaker from ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Adopts 1.35% Budget Deficit for 2012 [Dec 09, 2011] Bulgaria?s Parliament has adopted at second reading the framework for the 2012 state budget within the debates on the 2012 State Budget Act late Thursday night. Thus, the MPs sealed the key figures in Bulgaria's draft budget for 2012, as defended by Minister of Finance Simeon Djankov, including a budget deficit of 1.35% of GDP, or about BGN 1.... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Parliament Approves New Justice Minister [Nov 30, 2011] Bulgaria's parliament approved on Wednesday the nomination of Diana Kovacheva for new Justice Minister amid allegations of behind-the-curtain deals during her term as head of a local Transparency International affiliate. She was elected with 109 votes of MPs from the ruling majority. Forty-four voted against and 13 abstained. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Election Body Fails to Censure Ruling Party MPs for Interfering with Elections [Oct 29, 2011] Bulgaria's Central Electoral Commission failed to adopt a pronouncement Saturday on the fact that two ruling GERB party MPs were present at the Sofia Municipal Electoral Commission upon counting ballots. The two GERB MPs were uncovered by reporters amid the chaos that erupted at the Sofia commission right after the first round of presidential and local elections last Sunday. According to ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Opposition Unites to Demand Emergency Parliament Session [Oct 11, 2011] Bulgaria's centrist, leftist, and rightist opposition has come together in a rare motion to demand the holding of an emergency Parliament sessions just as the MPs were about to go on break over the upcoming presidential and local elections. Last week, the ruling center-right party GERB sponsored a decision for giving the MPs time off between October 12 and 21, in order to prevent "the use of the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Ruling Party Pledges to Restrict Wiretap Use [Aug 15, 2011] MPs from Bulgaria's ruling center-right party GERB plan to table legal amendments drastically restricting the use of special surveillance devices. A special working group consisting of GERB MPs, experts from Bulgaria's Interior Ministry and the Council of Ministers have said that the proposals will be given a priority review after the Parliament's summer recess, according to accounts of ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Economy Minister Upbeat about Bulgartabac's Privatization [Jun 24, 2011] The privatization of the Bulgarian state-owned cigarette produce Bulgartabac will be successful thanks to the privatization criteria, according to Economy Minister Traicho Traikov. Answering MPs' questions in Parliament Friday, Traikov defended the way the government is going about the sale of Bulgartabac Holding in spite of criticism by the opposition Socialists that it is unclear who will be ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Banks, State at Daggers Drawn over POS Fees [Apr 10, 2011] The Association of Banks in Bulgaria (ABB) and the Ministry of Finance are facing uphill negotiations over new legislation restricting cash payments, analysts say. At the end of January this year Bulgaria's parliament adopted amendments, which ban cash payments exceeding BGN 15 000. Amounts exceeding BGN 15 000 must be paid only through bank transfers, the MPs decided in a bid to prevent VAT ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Parliament Re-Elects C-Bank Deputy Chief [Apr 08, 2011] Bulgaria's parliament has supported the nomination of National Bank deputy governor Dimitar Kostov for a second six-year term. The proposal, tabled in parliament by the central bank governor Ivan Iskrov, was approved with 143 votes. Ten MPs voted against, while another six abstained. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Moves to Liberalize Raw Tobacco Market [Feb 23, 2011] The Bulgarian Parliament adopted at second reading amendments to the Tobacco and Tobacco Products Act, which allow the liberalization of the raw tobacco market in the country. The adopted amendment dropped the requirement that only people authorized to deal with industrial processing of tobacco could buy the product. The Bulgarian MPs adopted the proposed amendment, which allows the export of ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Blue Rightists Slam Govt over Surveillance [Jan 06, 2011] Rightist Blue Coalition co-leader Martin Dimitrov. Photo by BGNES The Blue Coalition has been supportive of the center-right GERB cabinet which has a large minority of 117 MPs out of 240, but has been recently progressively distancing itself from the government. [via YahooNews] More >>