Bulgaria

Bulgaria faces turmoil after protests topple government on eve of euro entry

The resignation of Bulgaria's government on Thursday puts an end to an increasingly unpopular coalition but is likely to usher in a period of prolonged political instability on the eve…

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Europe’s liberals demand EU freezes funds to Bulgaria over imprisoned mayor

Liberal MEPs are calling on the European Commission to suspend payments to Bulgaria after the arrest of Blagomir Kotsev, the liberal mayor of Varna. In a letter to the Commission,…

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Price Controls Rolled Out as Bulgaria Prepares for Euro Entry

Bulgaria's parliament passed legislation introducing year-long price controls from August 8, a part of its technical transition process before adopting the euro currency in January. The move comes after European…

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Bulgaria’s Small Businesses Wary as Euro Adoption Nears

As Bulgaria prepares to adopt the euro on Jan. 1, 2026, small business owners across the country are expressing concern about the transition, fearing disruption and financial strain despite reassurances…

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Bulgarian authorities arrest 18 for smuggling migrants across its southern border

A criminal network smuggling mainly Syrian migrants from Türkiye to Western Europe has been taken down following a coordinated action led by the Bulgarian authorities and supported by Europol. On…

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Bulgaria’s parliament approves new government to end months of coalition talks

Bulgaria's parliament approved on Thursday a cabinet led by Rosen Zhelyazkov, a former parliament speaker, ending months of negotiations on the formation of a coalition government. The centre-right GERB party…

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UPDATED: Bulgaria’s GERB party wins parliamentary vote, preliminary results show

Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party won a parliamentary election on Sunday with 26.08% of the votes, according to preliminary results from the state election commission based on a partial vote count.…

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Bulgaria elections postponed

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev refused to appoint a caretaker government on Monday, prolonging the country’s political stalemate amid a rift over the nomination of Kalin Stoyanov to continue serving as…

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Bulgaria heads to seventh parliamentary election in just three years

Bulgaria faces its seventh parliamentary election in just three years after the last of three political parties tapped by President Rumen Radev to form a coalition government returned the mandate…

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Bulgaria’s small ITN party gets mandate to form next government

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev gave the mandate to form a government on Monday to a small party that came sixth in last month's parliamentary vote, the latest attempt to build…

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Bulgaria’s centre-right GERB party fails to secure majority to form government

Bulgaria's prime minister-designate Rosen Zhelyazkov of the centre-right GERB party failed on Wednesday to secure support for his proposed cabinet in parliament, prolonging a political stalemate in the Balkan country.…

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Bulgaria’s GERB party wins most seats in parliament

Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party won 68 seats in the 240-seat parliament on Sunday and will need at least two coalition partners to form the cabinet, state election commission results on…

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Bulgaria’s centre-right GERB seen leading in snap national election

Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party was seen in the lead after a snap parliamentary election on Sunday, an exit poll showed, but will have to find a coalition partners to form…

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Bulgaria holds another snap election to end political instability

Bulgarian voters head to the polling stations on Sunday for the sixth snap parliamentary election in three years, but analysts see little chance of it producing a stable coalition that…

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Bulgaria’s president calls snap parliamentary election for June 9

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev appointed a caretaker government on Tuesday led by Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, and set June 9 as the date for snap elections, the president's office said…

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Bulgarian foreign minister Mariya Gabriel agrees to form new government

SOFIA, March 18 (Reuters) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel of the center-right GERB party agreed on Monday to form a new government, following the resignation of Prime Minister Nikolai…

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Crypto lender Nexo seeks $3 billion in damages from Bulgaria over aborted investigation

Cryptocurrency lender Nexo is seeking $3 billion in damages from Bulgaria over an aborted criminal investigation that the company alleges scuppered its plans for a U.S. stock market listing and…

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Bulgarian PM hints country may miss eurozone entry date

Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said his country may fumble the January 1, 2025, target date to join the EU’s currency zone. The country’s target date to adopt the euro…

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Romania and Bulgaria report bird flu as Europe faces new wave of virus

Romania and Bulgaria have reported outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza among poultry, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said, as Europe faces a seasonal upturn in the deadly…

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Bulgarian nationalists protest against NATO bases, want government out

By Stoyan Nenov SOFIA, (Reuters) - Bulgarian police on Thursday scuffled with supporters of the ultra-nationalist Vazrazhdane (Revival) party protesting against the policies of the pro-Western government, calling for the…

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Bulgaria sends team to inspect drone that landed in Black Sea resort

SOFIA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's defence ministry said on Monday it had sent a special unit to inspect and deactivate a drone carrying explosives which landed on Sunday evening…

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Bulgaria’s Denkov gets mandate to form cabinet

Former Bulgarian Education Minister Nikolai Denkov has been given a mandate to form a cabinet within seven days following elections in April, the Sofia Globe reported on its website. Last…

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EU’s Gabriel gets mandate to form Bulgaria’s new cabinet

SOFIA, May 15 (Reuters) - European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, a member of Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party, got a mandate on Monday to form a new cabinet following last month's elections. President Rumen…

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EU’s Mariya Gabriel nominated to be Bulgaria’s new prime minister

Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov announced Wednesday that his center-right GERB party would nominate European Commissioner for Innovation Mariya Gabriel to be the country’s new PM. Reports began circulating…

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UPDATED: Bulgaria’s GERB party urges lawmakers to create a government after inconclusive vote

SOFIA, April 5 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party, which came first in an election last Sunday, urged the country's political parties to put a new government in place "whatever…

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Bulgaria set for tough coalition talks after fifth inconclusive election

Bulgaria looks for lengthy and difficult coalition talks after a parliamentary election, the fifth in two years, again failed to produce a clear winner. A bloc led by the centre-right GERB party…

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UPDATED: Ex-PM Borissov’s GERB nudges ahead in Bulgarian election – partial results

SOFIA, April 3 (Reuters) - A bloc led by the centre-right GERB party of former prime minister Boyko Borissov narrowly won most votes in Bulgaria's parliamentary election, according to partial…

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Bulgarians vote in their fifth parliamentary election in two years

By Stoyan Nenov SOFIA, April 2 (Reuters) - Bulgarians vote in their fifth parliamentary election in two years on Sunday amid rising resentment towards political elites who many see as…

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Disillusioned Bulgarians head to polls for fifth time in two years

DEVIN, Bulgaria, (Reuters) - In the rugged Rhodope mountains in southern Bulgaria, many voters have little hope that Sunday's parliamentary election, the nation's fifth in two years, will produce a…

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PHOTO STORY: Demonstration in favour of the Soviet Army monument in Sofia

People hold Russian and Bulgarian flags in front of the Monument to the Soviet Army during a protest in Sofia, Bulgaria, 09 March 2023. Hundreds protested against the Sofia Municipal…

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Bulgaria could adopt the euro from 2025 if ready -EU’s Dombrovskis

SOFIA, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Bulgaria could join the euro zone from January 2025 if it meets all entry criteria, the European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said on Thursday. Bulgaria…

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Six charged after 18 migrants found dead in truck in Bulgaria

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgarian prosecutors have charged 6 people with human trafficking after 18 Afghan migrants were found dead inside a truck dumped on an dirt road near the capital…

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U.S., UK sanction eight Bulgarians over alleged corruption

WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - The United States and Britain on sanctioned eight Bulgarians for alleged corruption, including the country’s wealthiest man and a former minister who allegedly profited illegally from deals…

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Bulgarian president dissolves parliament, calls snap election in April

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev dissolved the national parliament on Thursday and called for an early general election on April 2, the presidential press service announced. It will be the fifth…

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Bulgaria faces snap polls as Socialists abandon plans to form government

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria is facing new general election in the spring, the country's fifth in two years, after the Socialists on Friday gave up on plans to form a…

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Bulgaria’s inflation flat at 16.9% y/y in December

SOFIA, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's consumer price inflation remained unchanged at 16.9% on an annual basis in December from a month earlier, data from the statistics office showed on…

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Bulgaria’s Socialists get the final chance to form a government

SOFIA, Jan 16 (Reuters) - In a last attempt to end Bulgaria's prolonged political deadlock, President Rumen Radev has invited the Socialist Party to try and form a government, its…

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Bulgaria launches probe of crypto lender Nexo, raids sites

SOFIA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Bulgarian prosecutors have launched an investigation into alleged illegal activities conducted by cryptocurrency lender Nexo, they said on Thursday, raiding more than 15 sites in…

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Next party up as Bulgaria seeks new government

Bulgaria's second largest party, the anti-graft We Continue the Change (PP), will seek support to form a minority government and end a prolonged political impasse, Prime Minister-designate Nikolay Denkov said…

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Photo Story: Christmas decoration in Sofia

People take pictures of a Nativity scene showing the birth of Jesus Christ in Sofia, Bulgaria. Via EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

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UPDATED: Bulgaria’s GERB fails to win approval for technocrat government

SOFIA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's parliament on Wednesday rejected a technocrat government proposed by the centre-right GERB party, deepening a prolonged political impasse in the Balkan country and bringing…

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Bulgaria presses doubters before vote on Schengen zone entry

Bulgarian Prime Minister Galab Donev on Monday said the Netherlands was opposing Bulgaria's bid to join the EU's passport-free Schengen travel region, ahead of a meeting of Europe's home affairs…

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Bulgaria charges five people in connection with Istanbul blast

SOFIA (Reuters) -Bulgarian prosecutors have charged five people for supporting terrorist acts in connection with an explosion in central Istanbul that killed six people on Nov. 13, chief prosecutor Ivan…

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Bulgarian lawmakers give government month to devise Ukraine military aid plan

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria should send military aid to Ukraine, the parliament decided, giving the caretaker government one month to come up with a plan for what weapons the Black…

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Bulgarian parliament backs call to speed up work on euro zone entry

SOFIA, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's caretaker government needs to speed up talks with European Union institutions to ensure that the country does not miss its target date of January…

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EP urges Member States to allow Romania and Bulgaria in Schengen area

The European Parliament has urged member states to allow Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen free-travel area without delay. In a resolution adopted earlier today, MEPs called on the…

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Bulgaria’s inflation increases to 18.7% y/y in September

SOFIA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's consumer prices rose by 18.7% on an annual basis in September from an increase of 17.7% in August, reaching a new 24-year high, as…

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Bulgaria’s former-PM Borissov seeks path to coalition in fractured parliament

Bulgaria's former prime minister Boyko Borissov said on Tuesday his centre-right GERB party would seek talks with political rivals to try to form a government after an election win that…

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Centre-right GERB party leads in Bulgaria election -partial results

SOFIA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The centre-right GERB party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov won Sunday's parliamentary election in Bulgaria, with 25.4% of votes, results from 99% of ballots counted showed…

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Bulgaria’s GERB party seen leading in election, exit polls show

UPDATE 2-Bulgaria's GERB party seen winning national election SOFIA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The GERB party of ex-Prime Minister Boyko Borissov looked set to win Sunday's election in Bulgaria, the nation's fourth…

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Russia overshadows vote in Bulgaria

Few countries in Europe take more of their gas from Russia than Bulgaria - and yet Bulgarians are increasingly asking themselves whether they really need it. Energy is top of…

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Weary Bulgarians fear more political turmoil after latest election

DAVIDKOVO, Bulgaria, (Reuters) - Bulgarians bracing for their fourth election in less than two years face a winter of want amid soaring inflation driven by the war in Ukraine, making…

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Bulgaria’s GERB party expands lead ahead of Sunday’s election

SOFIA, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party widened its lead over its main rival, the reformist We Continue the Change (PP), as the country heads into its fourth…

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Bulgaria inches closer to buying more F-16s to replace Russian jets

Bulgaria inched closer to buying a second batch of eight new F-16 aircraft and related equipment from the United States in a deal valued at $1.30 billion, interim Defence Minister…

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Bulgaria’s GERB party leads ahead of Oct. 2 election

SOFIA, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party widened its lead over its main rival, the reformist We Continue the Change (PP) a month ahead of the country's fourth…

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Bulgaria says talks to resume Russian gas supplies are ‘inevitable’

Bulgaria's interim energy minister said it was "inevitable" that the Balkan country would discuss resuming gas deliveries with Russia's Gazprom GAZP.MM that were halted in April, after the government promised to secure…

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Bulgarian President calls snap election

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev set Oct. 2 as the date for the country's fourth parliamentary election in less than two years on Monday, after the collapse in June of reformist…

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