Sofia Airport Renamed in Honor of Bulgarian Hero Vasil Levski
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has officially renamed Sofia Airport
Bulgarians gathered in the northeastern town of Dobrich to protest against the potential use of the hydraulic fracturing technology in neighboring Romania.
The moratorium on the exploration and exploitation of shale gas by the use of the above technology in Romania expires Thursday.
The rally was held under the motto "Two Countries, Same Water - Two Nations, One Fight."
Locals fear that if the moratorium is lifted, the technology will for sure affect Bulgarian regions close to the Bulgarian-Romanian border and will destroy the soil and poison the waters. They demand not only extending the moratorium, but a law banning the technology. They filed the demand with the City Hall.
The demonstrators are also asking the Prosecutor's Office to probe for conflict of interest Dobrich Mayor, Detelina Nikolova, and all officials accompanying her in a recent trip to the USA on the invitation of the American Embassy in Sofia to learn about shale gas exploration and exploitation.
Nikolova has visited Texas, Pennsylvania, and Colorado to meet with agencies and commissions regulating shale gas exploration and exploitation. She firmly denies being in conflict of interest.
A rally in support of 20 Romanian cities protesting Thursday against hydraulic fracturing (fracking) was also held in front of the Romanian Embassy in Sofia.
Dobrich is located in Southern Dobrudzha, a grain-growing region known as "the granary of Bulgaria."
The Bulgarian Parliament adopted on January 18, 2012, an indefinite moratorium on hydraulic fracturing. Thus, Bulgaria became the second EU country to ban test drilling for shale gas using the metod. The decision followed a wave of environmental protests.
On January 17, 2012, the Bulgarian government revoked a shale gas exploration permit granted to Chevron for deposits in Northeastern Bulgaria, citing the insufficient proof of the environmental safety of hydraulic fracturing.
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has passed a law allowing the purchase of two Russian-made nuclear reactors originally intended for Bulgaria's Belene Nuclear Power Plant
Ukraine's parliament has given the green light for the acquisition of two nuclear reactors initially intended for Bulgaria's Belene Nuclear Power Plant (NPP)
For the ninth consecutive year (excluding 2022), the electrical industry remains the largest contributor to Bulgaria's exports, as reported by the Bulgarian Association of Electrical Engineering and Electronics (BASEL)
European natural gas prices have climbed above €55 per megawatt-hour for the first time in 16 months, driven by colder temperatures across the continent that are increasing demand for heating fuel
Serbian oil and gas company NIS, controlled by Russia’s Gazprom, is considering exiting its operations in Bulgaria and Romania due to ongoing difficulties in both markets
The Russian company Lukoil initiated the process of selling its Bulgarian assets in June last year, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced during a parliamentary hearing
Bulgaria's Perperikon: A European Counterpart to Peru's Machu Picchu
Bulgarians Among EU's Least Frequent Vacationers, Struggling with Affordability