FlixBus Expands Routes from Bulgaria: New Connections to Thessaloniki, Athens, and More
FlixBus, the renowned European bus company, is set to launch new routes to and from Bulgaria in anticipation of the summer season
Beginning December 15, the managers of Bulgarian bars, restaurants and coffee shops will allow smoking in their establishments despite the full smoking ban being effective in the country.
The Chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Hotel and Restaurant Owners (BHRA), Blagoy Ragin says the boycott will, most likely, last until the end of the year and aims at showing the difference in profits when smoking is allowed inside.
The warning will turn into reality if lawmakers fail to listen and respond favorably to demands of BHRA members to return to having smoking and no-smoking spaces inside establishments.
The owners and managers are going to pay any fines imposed on them for the boycott.
On Tuesday, Ragin met with Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, and Health Minister, Desislava Atanasova, but has been told they back the full smoking ban and BHRA needs to find a lobby in the Parliament. Atanasova, however, said later the Members of the Parliament also want the full ban to remain in force.
Meanwhile, Ragin insisted that MPs from the two main opposition formations – the left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, and the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, have given BHRA 100% support.
Dian Chervenkondev, MP from Borisov's ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, in contradiction of what was reported by Atanasova, said there would be separate spaces for smokers and non-smokers in an attempt to achieve balance and reasonable consensus.
Chervenkondev grounded his statement on the fact the revenues of the establishments were collapsing, forcing many to close and layoff staff.
Last Thursday, MPs from GERB declared that the full smoking ban in indoor spaces in Bulgaria would remain without any future changes. Their statement came on the heels of reports about Bulgaria's Parliament considering easing the full smoking ban in closed public spaces that was imposed in the country on June 1. The Standard daily wrote earlier that the ban may only be lifted in bars and night clubs and only after 10:00 pm.
On Sunday, in a TV interview, Borisov pointed out that, since the full smoking ban is an important measure, it has to be discussed again, and hinted he would see the above decision as a reasonable move.
In November, Bulgarian business representatives, as well as regular citizens assembled in front of the Bulgarian Parliament in Sofia to rally for a lifting of the full smoking ban in closed public spaces.
Bulgaria is consistently ranking among the top 5 European countries in terms of smoking rates, both in the general population and among the young.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Over the next 24 hours, a cold front will move across the country, bringing mostly cloudy skies and widespread rain
As Bulgaria grapples with a surge in whooping cough cases, Public Health experts offer insights into the situation, assuring the public about the severity of symptoms and emphasizing the importance of vaccination
Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Dimitar Nedyalkov heralded a new era of connectivity as he unveiled the ambitious 5G SEAGUL project, which aims to blanket the Struma highway with high-speed internet coverage
In a significant update to Bulgaria's identification system, the issuance of new ID cards will come with a higher price tag of BGN 30, compared to the current fee of BGN 18
Beginning May 7, commuters in Sofia can look forward to improved public transit services with the introduction of modern low-floor trams on line 6 and enhanced frequency on line 8
Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria, faces a mounting challenge with abandoned vehicles cluttering its streets, as reported by the Metropolitan Inspectorate
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022