SofiaEcho RSS feed Bulgaria abroad

Mixed reactions to Van Rompuy, Ashton taking EU top jobs

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:56:00 +0200

Welcomed by the UK government, France and Germany, as well as the US, the naming of Belgium’s Herman van Rompuy as European Council President and Catherine Ashton as foreign policy chief has caused misgivings in some circles, including Turkey which believes that Van Rompuy will oppose Turkish membership of the bloc.

European Council set to make a meal of it

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:35:00 +0200

The dinner meeting of EU leaders to decide on the European Council President and the bloc’s new foreign minister and head of secretariat could take a few hours or all night, says host Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sweden’s prime minister.

Is the EU ready to face another Russian gas crisis?

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:13:00 +0200

Russia and the European Union have agreed on an early warning system if another natural gas cutoff looms. Some say that Bulgaria, among other countries hard-hit by the January 2009 crisis, is now better prepared. Not everyone is convinced.

Bulgarians under arrest in Moscow possibly also prosecuted in Bulgaria

Rene Beekman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:58:00 +0200

The three have already been formally charged in a Russian court and face up to six years in prison.

Bulgarian cinema a hit at Bangkok festival

The Sofia Echo staff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:53:00 +0200

Five Bulgarian films screened at the World Film Festival in Bangkok.

Pieces of the European Commission jigsaw puzzle

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:43:00 +0200

A complicated game, played partly in the dark, and with elements of everything from poker to tug ‘o war – that’s the way Europe’s leaders will come up with its new European Council President, foreign minister and European Commission.

Turkish police arrest Bulgarian for attempted bank fraud

Rene Beekman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:03:00 +0200

Three Bulgarians were arrested in Istanbul after electronics they had installed on a bank machine had been uncovered.

Bulgarian sentenced to life sentence in Iran for ferrying heroin

Petar Kostadinov — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:38:00 +0200

Zhivko Roussev pleaded not guilty in a trial that could have seen him sentenced to death

Three Bulgarians arrested in Moscow, embassy says

Petar Kostadinov — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:35:00 +0200

The detainees will be held for 48 hours for questioning

Four Bulgarians arrested in Moscow after police raid illegal software production - media report

Petar Kostadinov — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:41:00 +0200

After initial complaint, Bulgaria allows Russian police to search premises owned by the Bulgarian state

A European future

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:02:00 +0200

Bulgaria seeks its place in the Lisbon Treaty’s new EU

Russian police storms Bulgarian state properties in Moscow

Petar Kostadinov — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:25:00 +0200

Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry says it is worried about the police raid that, according to the ministry, violated the property's diplomatic status

Greek, Bulgarian PMs discuss speeding opening of new border points

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:20:00 +0200

The Borissov – Papandreou talks were held during the European Council summit of heads of state and government in Brussels, and covered border checkpoints, trade and the Bourgas - Alexandroupolis pipeline.

Lisbon advances, Blair reverses

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:22:00 +0200

European Council approves deal with Czech president Vaclav Klaus opting out from a Lisbon Treaty provision, while Tony Blair’s prospects of the future post of European Council President are reportedly fading.

European business, economic sentiment improve for seventh month

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:06:00 +0200

The euro area’s business climate indicator and economic sentiment indicator both increased in October 2009, the seventh consecutive month, the European Commission says.

US, EU in extradition deal

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:55:00 +0200

Agreements on extradition and mutual assistance in legal cases come into force at meeting in Washington DC between senior US and European Union officials.

European Commission allows temporary aid to farmers

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:48:00 +0200

EU member states will be allowed to give farmers one-off payments of up to 15 000 euro in state aid, Brussels decides on October 28 2009.

Bulgaria will not nominate candidates for European Council president and foreign minister

The Sofia Echo Staff — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:18:00 +0200

The decision comes ahead of the October 29-30 meeting of the European Council in Brussels.

European Parliament wants power of scrutiny over new EU diplomatic service

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:29:00 +0300

European External Action Service, foreseen in the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, should be subject to democratic oversight by the European Parliament, MEPs say in a resolution approved on October 22 2009.

Poland tells Biden it backs new US missile plan

Clive Leviev-Sawyer — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:26:00 +0300

In Warsaw, US vice president Joe Biden is told by prime minister Donald Tusk that Poland supports the Obama administration’s revised missile plan, after a Bush-era ‘missile shield’ scheme was dropped.