Bulgaria and the Euro: What Happens to National Monetary Sovereignty?
One of the most debated topics around Bulgaria’s upcoming transition from the lev to the euro is whether the country is giving up its sovereignty
Bulgaria lacks coherence if one judges by its attitude to various energy projects, Russia's permanent envoy to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, has claimed.
Chizhov said Moscow was ready to continue South Stream talks with Austria, Hungary and Serbia, but due to the complicated political situation in Bulgaria the country is not considered "reliable".
Speaking for Russia 24 channel days after Russian President Vladimir Putin scrapped the South Stream pipeline project over Bulgaria's decision to freeze construction on its soil, the Russian envoy also voiced his surprise at the fact that the EU "has not expressed its gratitude" after Moscow backed its "position on stopping the project".
"I have much sympathy for Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people, but this country did not perform as a reliable partner," he argued.
Chizhov blamed Bulgaria for blocking the construction Belene NPP and Burgas-Alexandroupoli oil pipeline, two projects terminated by the previous GERB-led administration.
He also praised Turkey's political behavior after Putin announced earlier this week the country would host a pipeline alternative to South Stream instead of Bulgaria.
"Turkey is behaving in a sovereign enough manner. When it comes to fulfilling one's own decisions, the country also has both the political will and the resources to carry them out... We do not forget that Turkey is a NATO member and EU accession candidate, but the Turkish leadership is still... much more self-dependent that, regrettably, the government of Bulgaria," Chizhov added.
Brazen Bulgarian gangs "terrorise the elderly and rob them over their life savings with increasingly aggressive phone scams nettling millions of euros," according to an AFP story.
The prospect of US President Donald Trump's moving closer to Russia has scrambled the strategy of "balancing East and West" used for decades by countries like Bulgaria, the New York Times says.
Bulgarians have benefited a lot from their EU membership, with incomes rising and Brussels overseeing politicians, according to a New York Times piece.
German businesses prefer to trade with Bulgaria rather than invest into the country, an article on DW Bulgaria's website argues.
The truth about Bulgaria and Moldova's presidential elections is "more complicated" and should not be reduced to pro-Russian candidates winning, the Economist says.
President-elect Rumen Radev "struck a chord with voters by attacking the status quo and stressing issues like national security and migration," AFP agency writes after the presidential vote on Sunday.
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