JANUARY
January 4 - Bulgarian Government Reported no Y2K Computer-Related Problems
January 30 - With the four laws that were drafted in 2000, the Bulgarian Environment Ministry completed the harmonization of domestic and EU environmental legislation, Evdokiya Maneva, Environment Minister, announced.
FEBRUARY
February 19 - Prime Minister Ivan Kostov cabled his condolences to the Prime Ministers of Yugoslavia, Zoran Zizic and the Republic of Serbia, Zoran Djindjic, on the tragic death of the victims in the February 16 bombing in Kosovo.
MARCH
March 6 - The case on the claims for pronouncing Balkan Airlines insolvent opened. Claims were officially submitted by the Bulstrad insurance company and the Sofia Airport.
March 21 - Guenter Verheugen, EU Commissioner in charge of Enlargement visited Bulgaria and met high-ranked Bulgarian officials. He expressed his belief that the EU and the EU candidate-countries will agree on transition periods for enlargement in 2001.
March 31 - Bulgaria opened three new chapters at the regular round of accession negotiations with the EU: fishery, free offering of services and competition.
APRIL
April 10 - Bulgarians were allowed to travel without visa restrictions in the countries from the Schengen area.
April 27 - At the African AIDS Summit, Muammar Qaddafi delivered a lengthy speech in which he says that the CIA and the US engineered the AIDS virus in their laboratories and that the epidemic is a major experiment. As evidence, he cited the tragedy in Benghazi where close to 400 children have been infected by a doctor and a group of nurses acting on the orders of the CIA or Mossad. Qaddafi promised that the trial of these people will become an international trial, just as the trial of the Libyans in connection with the Lockerbie airliner bombing.
JUNE
June 16- Court hearing against the medics, charged with intentionally infecting Libyan children with HIV virus a day before the General Elections in Bulgaria. The trial was adjourned until September 17, 2000.
June 17 - 4,6 million voters out of 6,5 million cast their votes to elect the 39th Bulgarian National Assembly in June. 120 seats were taken by the newly established political organization Simeon II National Movement, 51 – from the United Democratic Forces and 21 – by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. The United Democratic Forces, which was in office until June suffered a huge unexpected for the party defeat. 820,996 people supported the United Democratic Forces, down from 2,223,714 in 1997.
JULY
July 5 - The resignation of United Democratic Forces cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Ivan Kostov was submitted to Parliament.
July 15 - President Peter Stoyanov officially presented to Simeon II, leader of the Simeon II National Movement, a mandate to form a government.
July 17 - The chapter on free movement of capital from the EU negotiations was closed.
SEPTEMBER
September 12 - The session of the Bulgarian National Assembly began with one-minute silence that honored the memory of the victims of the terrorist attack in the United States. The Bulgarian National Assembly condemned sharply and categorically the terrorist acts and expressed the opinion that the assaults were an open aggression against modern civilization.
September 17 - Court hearing against the
Bulgarian medics, charged with intentionally infecting Libyan children with HIV virus. The trial was adjourned.
September 17 - The second GSM operator in Bulgaria Globul launched its activities.
October 5 - Meeting of the state leaders of the countries applying for NATO membership in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.
OCTOBER
October 8 - The UN General Assembly elected Bulgaria as a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the East-European regional group, starting from January 1, 2002 until December 31, 2003. More than 120 countries voted in favour of Bulgaria`s joining the UN Security Council.
October 26 - Bulgaria closed the chapter on Telecommunications and Information Technologies and opened two new chapters – Social Policy and Employment and Freedom of Movement for Persons.
October 26 - Stable macroeconomic framework and higher living standards are the topmost aims of the Government of the Simeon II National Movement,` Prime Minister Saxe-Coburg said as he presented the governmental program in Parliament.
NOVEMBER
November 7 - Standard&Poor’s rating agency raised Bulgaria’s long-term rating. Bulgaria’s long-term local currency sovereign credit rating was upgraded to (BB) from (BB-), and the foreign currency sovereign credit rating from (B+) to (BB-).
November 11 - Leftist presidential candidate Parvanov got 36,3%, current president Petar Stoyanov lagged behind with 34,9 %. 19,2% voted for Bogomil Bonev, 3,3% - for George Ganchev, 1,1% - for Petur Beron and 4,9% - for Reneta Indzhova, results from the first round of the presidential elections showed.
November 12 - The first Bulgarian Eurobonds issue were sold for ten minutes. The issue has a 5-year term of validity and matures on March 1, 2007.
November 15 - the Bulgarian President Petur Stoyanov ratified with a decree the agreement between Bulgaria and the United States on US troops overflight, transit passage and stay on Bulgarian territory within the framework of the anti-terrorist campaign “Enduring Freedom.”
November 18 – Bulgarians elected Socialist leader Parvanov to be the new Bulgarian President. He garnered 54,15% (2,039,311 votes) while his rival incumbent President Stoyanov garnered 45,85% (1,726,954 votes)
November 21 - At an official ceremony, the chairman of the Central Electoral Commission Maria Pavlova announced that Georgi Parvanov is elected Bulgarian President and Anguel Marin is elected Bulgarian Vice President at the presidential elections on November 11 and November 18.
November 23- E-signature system was introduced in Bulgaria.
November 23 - US aircraft were hosted by Burgas airport where the first American temporary base was set up in connection with the “Endurable Freedom” operation in Afghanistan. 150 U.S. military personnel was based in “Sarafovo” base to maintain the operation.
November 28 - Bulgaria opened three new chapters from its European Union accession negotiations. The chapters that were opened include energy, regional policy, financial and budgetary provisions.
DECEMBER
December 9 - Sofia mayor Sofianski founded a new party - “Free Democrats.”
December 14 - Bulgaria will receive USD 300 M, allotted in nine tranches under the new agreement with the International Monetary Fund, Finance Minister Velchev announced after the end of the third round of the negotiations between the Bulgarian Government and the IMF. Bulgaria’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund was published on the website of the Bulgarian Finance Ministry. For the first time a text of a memorandum with IMF is released before its approval by the IMF Board of Directors. The agreement with IMF is expected to be approved in February, 2002.
December 15 - at a meeting in Laeken the European Council adopted a declaration according to which ten out of twelve EU candidate countries should be ready to join the union in 2004. Bulgaria was not included in these ten countries.
December 18 - Flag Carrier Balkan Airlines rehabilitation plan was not approved by the Sofia District Court because of procedure infringements upon its filing. The program was filed in the court on December 13 by Balkan receivers Hristo Mollov and Olga Milenkova.
December 19 - The Moody’s international credit rating agency upgraded Bulgaria’s credit rating from B2 to B1 with stable outlook. The upgrading has been based on the Cabinet’s decisive measures in relation to international restrictions - the adoption of budget 2002, the agreement with the International Monetary Fund and the Cabinet’s commitment to speed up the reforms which have been frozen in 2001.
December 19 - Bulgaria must destroy its SS-23 missiles by October 30, 2002, according to a special declaration, approved by Parliament. US acclaimed the decision of the Bulgarian Parliament for the destruction of the SS-23 missiles, pointed out that the decision is assessed as positive step for the permanent stability on the Balkans and demanded as fast as possible destruction.
December 21 - Bulgaria opened and closed the Industrial Policy chapter of the acquis communautaire. Thus, in 2001, Bulgaria opened 27 chapters as part of its EU accession negotiations. The Economic and Monetary Union and Agriculture chapter still remain to be opened.
December 21 - Six girls and a boy aged between 11 and 15 died 21 in a stampede on an icy stairway as hundreds of youngsters tried to get into a Christmas party at the Club Indigo. Dozen of teenagers were injured.
December 22 - The painful verdict against the medics, imprisoned for almost three years in Libya and charged with intentionally infecting Libyan children was postponed again. The next hearing was scheduled for February 17, 2002. The court motivated its decision by the need to continue the investigation into the case. Foreign Minister Passy visited Libya and had a historic meeting with the Libyan leader Qaddafi.
December 23 - Bulgaria declared national mourning a day before Christmas Eve. Tragic event in the Sofia nightclub Indigo shattered the entire country. Six girls and a boy aged between 11 and 15 died late on December 21 in a stampede on an icy stairway as hundreds of youngsters tried to get into a Christmas party at the Club Indigo.
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