The EU Foreign Affairs Council is going to discuss Monday proposals to sanction the military wing of Hezbollah.

The information was reported by unnamed sources cited by international media and the Bulgarian BTA and Focus.

The meeting of the EU Ambassadors Thursday ended without consensus and the ball has been passed to the EU Foreign Affairs Ministers.

According to the sources, they will debate visa restrictions for individuals who are suspected in terrorism and asset freeze for certain organizations. They add the Monday decision will be political, while concrete sanctions and their enforcement will take more time.

The grounds for the possible joint opinion on Hezbollah are the prevented terror attack in Cyprus and the one in Bulgaria's Burgas one year ago.

The same source has also said that EU humanitarian aid for Lebanon over the Syrian refugee crisis will remain in place and despite more and more EU Member States joining around the decision to blacklist Hezbolla's military wing, the common desire is to keep political dialogue with Lebanon and all its political parties.

He has noted that there is no legal definition of "military wing of Hezbollah," thus the EU was seeking ways to apply the said sanctions.

Another diplomat, citied by France Press, informs that Ireland and Malta continue to oppose adding Hezbollah to the list of designated terror organizations, but Austria has lifted its veto under the pressure of Great Britain, France and the Netherlands.

The position of the Czech Republic and Slovakia remains unknown, however, the common opinion of sources speaking off-the-record is that EU Member States are getting closer to consensus.

For the designation to be made, a unanimous vote of all 27 member states is required.

Bulgaria marked Thursday the one year anniversary of the terror act in Burgas.

On July 18, 2012, a bus bombing at the Sarafovo airport of the Black Sea city of Burgas killed six Israeli tourists, their Bulgarian bus driver, Mustafa Kiosov, and the bomber.

A pregnant woman was among the fatalities. 35 people sustained injuries.

On Tuesday, Israeli media quoted high ranking Israeli Foreign Ministry officials in saying the EU's Foreign Ministers are likely to add Hezbollah's military wing to the body's list of designated terror organizations.

The officials have said Britain and the United States are pressing several EU countries that are reluctant to back such a move.

Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin on Sunday convened a special meeting at the Foreign Ministry to discuss efforts to include Hezbollah on the EU's list of terrorist groups. One senior Foreign Ministry official said EU institutions are expected to conduct several meetings on the matter in the coming days.

In February 2013, Bulgaria's then-Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov in the Cabinet of the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, suggested that the evidence collected by the investigating authorities led to a "reasonable assumption" about the involvement of the Lebanese militant group in last year's terror attack at the Burgas airport.

Bulgaria's new Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin recently refuted reports that the country was trying to shift blame for the Burgas terror attack from Hezbollah.

Vigenin said on June 5 that "the evidence is not categorical" that Hezbollah planned the attack. International media then commented that the Balkan country had "backed away from charges" that the Shi'ite Muslim militant group had carried out the attack.

International media then commented that the Balkan country had "backed away from charges" that the Shi'ite Muslim militant group had carried out the attack.

Announcing plans for reforms in the security sector at the beginning of June, current Interior Minister Tsvetlin Yovchev Yovchev and Chief Secretary Svetlozar Lazarov made clear the stance of the Ministry on the terror attack.

"There is no change in the Bulgarian stance on the act of terror in Sarafovo. My expert opinion, as I am acquainted with the conclusions and the facts, gathered up to now in the investigation, is that the announced stance of my colleagues is right and I support it," the Interior Minister stated.

On Thursday, July 18, Bulgaria held a solemn ceremony at Sarafovo. The memorial in homage to the victims was officially inaugurated as well.

Family members, friends and relatives arrived from Israel along with the General Director of the Israeli Red Shield of David and the Director of the "Ihilov" hospital in Tel Aviv. The ceremony was attended also by the Israeli Ambassador, diplomats, Bulgarian politicians, ministers, Prime Minister, Plamen Oresharski, Interior Minister, Tsvetlin Yovchev, and representatives of the Israeli community and business in Bulgaria.

A ceremony to thank people and organizations that played key roles with assistance during and after the tragedy was held later in the evening at the Burgas Culture Center.

The investigation of the terror attack is still ongoing.

It was reported that with the help of Europol three of the four suspects have been identified. They entered Bulgaria two and a half weeks before the incident with fake ID documents.

The initial lead that the attack was perpetrated by a suicide bomber was replaced by one that he was blown remotely. The explosives have been in his backpack and he might have been unaware of the sinister plan.

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