Send to Kindle
Vending machine in Bansko @novinite.com
The Bulgarian Parliament has passed, at first reading, a bill allowing for the installation of vending machines for medicinal products in areas where there is a lack of pharmacies. The proposal, submitted by the "Revival" party, was approved with 119 votes in favor, 12 against, and 22 abstentions.
Support for the bill came from GERB, "Revival," the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), "There Is Such a People," three members of "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB), and five independent deputies.
The legislation provides state funding for the establishment of pharmacies, including 24-hour ones, or for vending machines to sell medicinal products in regions identified as having a pharmacy shortage, as outlined in the National Pharmacy Map. The funding will follow criteria set by an ordinance issued by the Minister of Health, in consultation with the Minister of Finance.
Additionally, an 8% reduction in corporate tax is proposed for legal entities engaged in the retail trade of medicinal products in small settlements where no pharmacy is present. These entities must have an employment or management contract with a licensed pharmacist.
Kubrat Pulev has been dethroned as the regular World Boxing Association champion after suffering a knockout defeat to Russia’s Murat Gassiev
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev met with EU ambassadors at the Danish Embassy on December 4 to discuss pressing challenges facing the European Union
Nearly 60% of the pork available on the Bulgarian market comes from domestic producers
North Macedonia’s Prime Minister, Hristijan Mickoski, dismissed the assault on Bulgarian journalist Vladimir Perev as an act of self-inflicted harm
The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received any official confirmation from Serbian authorities concerning the alleged “arrest of Bulgarian spies” or the “dismantling of a Bulgarian spy network” in Serbia
The Bulgarian government has approved a 120 leva (€61) Christmas bonus for pensioners living below the poverty line
In 2025, Bulgaria is set to record another increase in the number of households connected to the internet.
Preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) show that Bulgaria employed 3,726,500 people in the third quarter of 2025
From December 1, pensions in Serbia rose by 12.2%, bringing the average pension for retirees to 485 euros
Bulgaria’s bagpipe tradition has received one of the highest international honors after being officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
A series of non-working days is approaching around Christmas and New Year
Long lines of trucks have formed along the Maritsa highway near Svilengrad, caused by heavy year-end traffic and ongoing protests by Greek farmers.
Bulgaria's Strategic Role in the EU's Drone Wall Defense Initiative
When Politics Means Violence
