WSJ: Bulgaria and Smugglers Escalate Their Migrant-Trafficking Battle
"More hardened criminals" are taking on the lucrative task of shifting migrants in Bulgaria as border patrols stiffen, the Wall Street Journal says.
While the crackdown on "smugglers, drivers and even fellow officers" done by Bulgarian police has helped moderate the flow of migrants into Europe, stricter border controls (not without help from the EU) have brought new risk.
"We've thrown migrants into the hands of organized criminals," Philip Gounev, Deputy Interior Minister, is quoted as saying.
Government actions along the borders are beginning to yield results, with the number of migrants trying to cross falling by half between January and August compared to the same period of last year.
The WSJ's story is available here.
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'Bulgaria Phone Scammers Rob, Blackmail Elderly'
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.
NY Times: Bulgaria Grows Uneasy as Trump Complicates Ties to Russia
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.
NY Times: As Support for EU Flags Elsewhere, Bulgaria Sees Its Benefits
Bulgarians have benefited a lot from their EU membership, with incomes rising and Brussels overseeing politicians, according to a New York Times piece.
DW: German Businesses Prefer Trade with Bulgaria over Investment
German businesses prefer to trade with Bulgaria rather than invest into the country, an article on DW Bulgaria's website argues.
The Economist: Bulgaria, Moldova Presidents 'Less Pro-Russian Than Advertised'
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.
AFP: Bulgaria's Radev 'Struck a Chord by Attacking the Status Quo'
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.