+€438.6 Million: EU Releases Partial RRP Payment to Bulgaria, Holds Back €214.5 Million
Bulgaria has received a new tranche of 438.6 million euros in grants from the European Union under the Recovery and Resilience Facility
Following the 2-in-1 elections in Bulgaria, the Central Election Commission (CEC) has finalized the mandates for the European Parliament. Notably, Rosen Zhelyazkov from GERB and Jevdet Chakarov and Iskra Mihailova from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) declined their positions as MEPs.
GERB secured five MEPs: Andrey Kovachev, Andrey Novakov, Emil Radev, and Eva Maydell. For the first time, SDS General Secretary Iliya Lazarov will join them. All these representatives will be part of the EPP group.

The DPS will have three parliamentary seats filled by Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Taner Kabilov, and Elena Yoncheva. Yoncheva, previously an MEP elected on the BSP list, will now be part of the group of liberals with the other DPS MEPs.

"We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) also secured three seats. The preferences have significantly rearranged their list, resulting in Nikola Minchev, Hristo Petrov (Itso Hazarta), and Radan Kanev heading to Brussels. Kanev, associated with the EPP, is expected to continue in the EPP group, while the group affiliations of Minchev and Petrov remain unclear, as WCC aims to join the Liberals (Renew Europe).

"Revival" won three seats in the European Parliament, represented by Stanislav Stoyanov, former BNR journalist Petar Volgin, and Rada Laikova.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), which previously had five MEPs, will now have only two. Kristian Vigenin leads their list, followed by Rumen Gechev. However, Tsvetelina Penkova, previously an MEP, replaced Gechev through preferences. Thus, Vigenin and Penkova were elected and will join the group of Socialists and Democrats.

"There Is Such a People" (TISP) will be represented by one MEP, Ivaylo Valchev.

Support for Ukraine must remain unwavering, participants in the “Defence and Democracy Dialogue: Fortifying Freedom” conference in Sofia emphasized
Europe must begin treating the protection of democracy as an integral part of its defense policy, not merely as an ideological concept, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said
Bulgaria has allocated over 114 million leva (58 million euros) for the continued operation of its MiG-29 and Su-25 fighter aircraft in 2026
Bulgaria faces an urgent need to access its fuel reserves stored overseas
Bulgaria’s ruling party does not plan to alter the proposed state budget for 2026, following a meeting between union leaders and GERB chairman Boyko Borissov
Moscow’s ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, described the Bulgarian authorities’ recent actions regarding Lukoil’s assets in the country as hasty and legally questionable
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When Politics Means Violence