Expats

Bulgaria Opens Doors to Schengen Visa Holders [Jan 26, 2012] Holders of Schengen visas will be able to visit and stay in Bulgaria without Bulgarian visas, the Bulgarian Cabinet decided on Wednesday. The move is supposed to bring about a boost in foreign tourist numbers and foreign direct investment, according to the Bulgarian Cabinet. Accepting a proposal by the Prime Minister, the Cabinet today decided that until the date of Bulgaria's full accession to ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria to Introduce Full Smoking Ban June 2012 - Minister [Dec 13, 2011] Bulgaria will introduce a full smoking ban for closed public areas on June 1 2012, the country's Health Minister Stefan Konstantinov has reiterated. On Wednesday, Konstantinov will submit his proposal for a full smoking ban to the country's Council of Ministers. "The Ministry of healthcare is fighting to make Bulgaria's people healthier," Konstantinov told the Bulgarian National Television early ... [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 Launches Bid to Quit Burgas-Alexandroupolis Oil Pipeline - Report [Dec 07, 2011] Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov will reportedly submit a project envisaging Bulgaria's withdrawal from the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project on Wednesday. According to reports of the BGNES news agency, the proposal will be put up for discussion at Wednesday's session of the Council of Ministers. Bulgaria will try to terminate its participation in the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

MEPs ignore Bulgaria's bitterness on project co-financing (News) [Dec 05, 2011] Bulgaria, the poorest EU country, [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria to Get More EU Nuclear Decommissioning Aid [Nov 20, 2011] The European Commission is expected to propose next week that an extra EUR 500 M in EU financial support is provided for decommissioning the Soviet-era nuclear reactors in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Lithuania. The funding will be allotted over the period 2014-2020, but it was not immediately clear how it will be split among the three countries. The proposal must be approved by all member states and ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Mulls Upping Bonuses for Working Retirees [Oct 17, 2011] Bulgaria's Ministry of Social Policy and Labor is going to propose a plan to increase bonuses for people who are eligible for retirement but continue to work. The proposal further includes clauses for stronger protection of such people from layoffs. According to Social Minister, Totyu Mladenov, each year of work after an individual becomes eligible for retirement would be awarded by an ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Can Count on More EU Money after 2014 - Commissioner [Jun 30, 2011] Bulgaria can count on a 10-15% increase in the monies from EU funds after 2014, it emerged after the European Commission approved late on Wednesday a proposal for the EU budget 2014-2020. "Bulgaria is expected to receive a 10-15% increase compared to what we have today," Bulgarian Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva told the Bulgarian National Radio. "It will be extremely important in the next 18 ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria, Russia in New Clash over Nuclear Project Delay [Jun 24, 2011] Much to the surprise of the government in Sofia, Russia has announced it has not been informed of Bulgaria's decision to freeze Belene nuclear project for another three months as of July. "Rosatom has not received Bulgaria's proposal for freezing talks on Belene", the CEO of the Russian state company, contracted for the construction of the nuclear plant, Sergey Kirienko said in Moscow. The ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's New Transport Minister Swears In [May 19, 2011] Bulgaria's Deputy Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski will be put in charge of the department in the wake of Minister Tsvetkov's surprising resignation, the parliament decided. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov proposed on Wednesday to parliament that Alexander Tsvetkov is dismissed and replaced by Ivaylo Moskovski. The proposal was supported on Thursday by 105 votes.... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Salutes Europe Day [May 09, 2011] Just as the rest of Europe, Bulgaria marks Monday May 9th, the Day of Europe, and 66 years since the end of World War II. On the 9th of May 1950, Robert Schuman presented his proposal on the creation of an organized Europe, indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. This proposal, known as the "Schuman declaration", is considered to be the beginning of the creation of what is now ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria MPs Urged to Ban Life Sentence without Parole [Apr 27, 2011] A proposal for the abolishment of the heaviest sentence in Bulgaria's Penal Code, life imprisonment without parole, has been tabled to parliament by a socialist. "The criminal is a human being and nobody has the right to deprive him of hope. Hope is the last to die," argues Lyuben Kornezov, MP from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and cites the example set by thirteen EU member states, which have ... [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's FinMin Firm on Not Hiking Minimum Wage [Mar 29, 2011] Bulgaria's Labor Minister Totyu Mladenov should find the money if he insist on increasing the minimum monthly wage, said Finance Minister Simeon Djankov. "If he wants an increase of the minimum monthly wage, he should find the necessary money. The state budget does not have spare money for this," Djankov said on Tuesday, confirming once again his position on the proposal by Mladenov to up the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's FinMin Rejects Again Upping Minimum Wage [Feb 08, 2011] Bulgaria's Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, has reiterated his position that there is not enough money in the 2011 state budget for increasing minimum monthly wage. His statement came in response to Bulgaria's Social Policy and Labor Minister, Totyu Mladenov, who suggested earlier on Tuesday a proposal to increase minimum monthly wages by BGN 30, beginning July 1. Djankov suggested amending the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Introduces Flat 9% VAT in Tourism April 2011 [Jan 26, 2011] The ruling majority in Bulgaria's parliament has voted down a proposal for a delay in the introduction of a flat 9% value-added tax (VAT) in the tourism sector. Bulgaria will introduce a flat 9% value-added tax (VAT) in the tourism sector as of the beginning of April this year under amendments that parliament adopted conclusively on Wednesday. The right-wing Blue Coalition had insisted that the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Mulls Ban on Life Sentence without Parole [Jan 20, 2011] Bulgaria's justice ministry has proposed that the heaviest sentence in the country's Penal Code ? life imprisonment without parole - is abolished. A part of the proposed amendments were published online on the site of the department Wednesday. Should the proposal be adopted, it means that the convicts, found guilty of the heaviest crimes, will have the chance to walk out of prison after serving ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria to Make Another Push for 'бг' Cyrillic Web Domain [Jan 14, 2011] Bulgaria will push ahead with its efforts to get a domain name in Cyrillic with a "??" suffix approved even though the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) turned down the proposal last year. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Parliament Steers Clear of Fake Diploma Scandal [Jan 12, 2011] Bulgaria's parliament has voted down a proposal to set up a special body to probe the appointment of the former head of a Bulgarian agency overseeing hundreds of millions of euros in EU farm aid, who got the job using a faked German university diploma. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria to close 7 of its embassies abroad due to lack of money [Nov 11, 2010] SOFIA, Bulgaria - Bulgaria's foreign minister says his office plans to close seven of its embassies because of a lack of funds. Nikolay Mladenov said Thursday he would make a proposal to the government to shut down the embassies in Sudan, Angola, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Thailand, Mexico and Tunisia. [via YahooNews] More >>