bulgaria

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

New EU Commissioner for Research and Education
Iliana Ivanova from Bulgaria is to become the new EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Education. This was announced yesterday by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The previous commissioner, Mariya Gabriel, had resigned from her post to become part of the new governing coalition in Bulgaria.Ivanova has been a member of the European Court […] continue reading →
Close race in Bulgarian election
No clear winner has emerged from the Bulgarian parliamentary election. According to initial forecasts, the pro-Western reformist PP-DP bloc emerged as the strongest force by a narrow margin. The liberal-conservative bloc was expected to win a good 26 percent of the vote. The equally pro-Western center-right GERB-SDS alliance, which was voted out in 2021 following […] continue reading →
New elections in Bulgaria in April
After failed attempts to form a government in Bulgaria, new elections will be held. Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev said Tuesday that April 2 would be set as the date. These will be Bulgaria’s fifth parliamentary elections in two years.Most recently, the Socialists were the third possible party to fail to form a government. In the […] continue reading →
Bulgaria to postpone coal phase-out by twelve years
Bulgaria wants to postpone the planned closure of its coal-fired power plants by about twelve years until 2038 – even though this runs counter to the country’s EU reconstruction plan. On Thursday, the Parliament in Sofia instructed the government to negotiate with the EU Commission on a withdrawal of the corresponding commitment. It stipulates that […] continue reading →
Government formation in Bulgaria fails again
In Bulgaria, the anti-corruption party “We Continue the Change” (PP), on Friday abandoned plans to form a government after failing to gain support in parliament. This prolongs the political deadlock in the country and could lead to another snap election in the spring.A snap election on Oct. 2, the fourth in less than two years, […] continue reading →
Government crisis in Bulgaria: non-partisan cabinet nominated
To resolve the political crisis in the EU country of Bulgaria, Nikolay Gabrovski, who has been tasked with forming a government, has proposed a non-partisan, pro-Western cabinet. Gabrowski, who does not belong to a party, was nominated as prime minister by the center-right election winner GERB, nominated mainly experts for his government on Monday. This […] continue reading →
EU Commission: Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria ready for Schengen
Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria are ready to join the Schengen area, according to the EU Commission. The three states have contributed significantly to the smooth functioning of the Schengen area, the Brussels authority announced on Wednesday.All three are already partially bound by Schengen rules, but there are still controls at their borders. The Brussels-based authority […] continue reading →
Bulgarian election winner Borissov proposes pro-western alliance
To overcome a political stalemate after Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections, election winner Boiko Borissov proposed a governing coalition of parties with an EU and NATO orientation. The most important issue today is “who is with Putin, and who is not,” the former Prime Minister said Tuesday, alluding to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Borissov’s center-right […] continue reading →
Ex-Prime Minister Borissov’s party wins Bulgarian election
The conservative GERB party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov won Bulgaria’s parliamentary election. After 99 percent of the votes were counted, his center-right party came in with 25.4 percent of the vote, according to data released Monday. The liberal We Continue Change (PP) movement of Kiril Petkov, the head of government ousted in June, […] continue reading →
Russian gas supplies: Bulgaria at a crossroads
The Bulgarian transitional government wants to resume negotiations with Gazprom, while the pro-Russian forces in the country are gaining strength in the face of inflation and the energy crisis. Bulgaria could leave the European solidarity community after the parliamentary elections in October. continue reading →
What’s cooking in Brussels
Ajvar Balkan style: The effects of global warming in the Balkans are particularly felt in agriculture and energy generation. They exacerbate the high potential for destabilization in this already politically tense region of Europe. A tension that Brussels cannot ignore. continue reading →
Crisis team: Bulgaria wants to buy natural gas from Gazprom again
Bulgaria’s interim government wants to buy natural gas from Russian state-owned Gazprom because of the gas shortage in the EU country. “Obviously, we will have to hold negotiations with Gazprom,” Energy Minister Rossen Hristov said after a meeting of an energy crisis team on Monday. Sofia also wants to resume negotiations with Azerbaijan on gas […] continue reading →
Bulgaria: President Radev lists transitional government priorities
After the fall of the pro-Western government in Bulgaria at the end of June, President Rumen Radev appointed an interim cabinet. The government, which was put together by the head of state from experts and included Prime Minister Galab Donev, took the oath of office on Tuesday. It will govern the EU country until the […] continue reading →
Bulgaria: new elections in October
Bulgaria will elect a new parliament on October 2 for the fourth time since April last year. Head of state Rumen Radev set the date by decree on Monday. The EU country’s parliament is to be dissolved this Tuesday after less than a year. Rumen Radev, who is considered to be Russia-friendly, will also appoint […] continue reading →
Bulgaria faces new elections – government formation fails
Bulgaria has to elect a new government for the fourth time since last April. After the fall of the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, the previously co-ruling Socialists (BSP) returned the third and final mandate to form a government on Thursday.President Rumen Radev must now appoint an interim government, dissolve the parliament, which […] continue reading →
Bulgaria and North Macedonia sign protocol on EU talks
North Macedonia and its EU neighbor Bulgaria have agreed on a roadmap for the start of North Macedonia’s EU accession negotiations after a long dispute. The foreign ministers of both countries, Teodora Genchovska and Bujar Osmani, signed a protocol to this effect in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on Sunday. The protocol is intended to clarify […] continue reading →
Michel: Possible breakthrough in EU accession process of North Macedonia
EU accession talks with North Macedonia could begin immediately, according to EU Council President Charles Michel. “Together we are on the verge of a possible breakthrough in your country’s EU accession process,” Michel said at a press conference with Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski Dimitar Kovačevski in Skopje on Tuesday.In recent years, EU neighbor Bulgaria […] continue reading →
North Macedonia: president in favor of compromise
Thousands of North Macedonians have demonstrated against a proposal under discussion to settle the dispute over history and national identity with neighboring Bulgaria. Yesterday, North Macedonian media reported that the demonstrators in the capital Skopje on Saturday evening followed the call of the nationalist opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, which also demanded the resignation of the government […] continue reading →