Turkey Bombing; Bulgaria charges 5 persons in connection with Istanbul deadly bombing

Five suspects have been indicted in Bulgaria in connection with a deadly bomb blast in Istanbul on 13 November, which Turkish authorities blamed on Kurdish PKK fighters and their allies in Syria.

"Five people have been charged with helping one of the alleged perpetrators of the attack to flee," said Siyka Mileva, spokeswoman for the Sofia prosecutor general.

Their role was "logistical", she said, adding that the prosecutor's office had requested detention for four of them.

According to local TV stations, three were from Moldova and one from an unspecified Arab country.

Read more at : https://www.euronews.com

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IMF: Jeroen Dijsselbloem loses out in race to take over at IMF -

Former finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem has lost out to Bulgaria’s Kristalina Georgieva in the race to become the next head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Dijsselbloem and World Bank chief Georgieva were the only contenders remaining after Finnish central bank governor Olli Rehn and Spanish economics minister Nadia Calvino dropped out earlier in the day.

 Dijsselbloem congratulated his rival on Twitter when it became clear she had won the ballot of Europe’s 28 finance ministers, who voted by email. ‘I congratulate Kristalina Georgieva with the outcome of todays European votes,’ he wrote. ‘I wish her the utmost success .’ I congratulate Kristalina Georgieva with the outcome of todays European votes.

 I wish her the utmost sucess.

Read more at: Jeroen Dijsselbloem loses out in race to take over at IMF - DutchNews.nl

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EU -Israel Relations: Netanyahu lashes at ‘hostile’ EU, but finds friends on Bulgaria trip

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the EU’s “hypocritical and hostile attitude” on Thursday (1 November) as he left for talks with four eastern European leaders in Bulgaria.

Netanyahu has regularly made such comments against the European Union, which is critical of Israel’s occupation of and settlement building in the West Bank.

To counter such criticism, he has sought alliances with sympathetic EU countries including Hungary, whose nationalist stance has been a thorn in Brussels’ side.

Read more: Netanyahu lashes at ‘hostile’ EU, but finds friends on Bulgaria trip – EURACTIV.com

Bulgaria takes up EU presidency for 2018

Bulgaria, the EU's poorest member state and seen as its most corrupt, takes up the rotating presidency of the EU Council from January 1
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Among its priorities are the "EU candidate countries":http://ec.europa.eu/environment/enlarg/candidates.htm in the Western Balkans.

"The pre-accession period is very important for these countries," Daniel Smilov from the Center for Liberal Strategies told Euronews.

"In fact, Bulgaria experienced its fastest development and most important reforms during this period. So if we give the Western Balkans a clear perspective, we can expect a good development. On the other hand, the government will be able to divert attention from topics that are not very pleasing to it, such as the fight against corruption."

Bulgaria and the fYRoM signed a "friendship treaty":https://www.reuters.com/article/us-macedonia-bulgaria-treaty/macedonia-bulgaria-sign-treaty-to-improve-ties-idUSKBN1AH4E3 in 2017, but difference still exist between the neighbours.

"The problem that arises every time between Bulgaria and Macedonia (fYRoM) always has the same origin: the non-recognition of the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria and the questioning of the Macedonian nation," explained Stoiko Stoikov, OMO-Ilinden-Pirin.

"It has always caused conflict. Unfortunately, since the signing of this agreement, and with Sofia's policy, there has been no real development on this issue."

An "EU-Western Balkans summit":http://www.balkaneu.com/bulgaria-to-host-western-balkans-summit-in-sofia-in-may-2018-during-eu-presidency/ is scheduled for May 2018.

Read more: Bulgaria takes up EU presidency | Euronews

EU-Motherhood: Which EU country has the most teenage mothers? - by Chris Harris

Romania and Bulgaria have the highest proportion of teenage mothers in the European Union, new figures have revealed.

Nearly one-in-ten births in both countries was to a teenager or girl even younger in 2015, the latest year for which data is available.

That is more than three times the EU average.

Read more: Which EU country has the most teenage mothers? | Euronews

European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for Americans - by Jon Sharman

The European Parliament has voted to end visa-free travel for Americans within the EU.

It comes after the US failed to agree visa-free travel for citizens of five EU countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania – as part of a reciprocity agreement. US citizens can normally travel to all countries in the bloc without a visa.

The vote urges the revocation of the scheme within two months, meaning Americans will have to apply for extra documents for 12 months after the European Commission implements a “delegated act” to bring the change into effect.

The Commission discovered three years ago that the US was not meeting its obligations under the reciprocity agreement but has not yet taken any legal action. The latest vote, prepared by the civil liberties committee and approved by a plenary session of parliament, gives the Commission two months to act before MEPs can consider action in the European Court of Justice.


Australia, Brunei, Japan and Canada were also failing in their obligations, but all four have lifted, or are soon to lift, any visa restrictions on travel for EU citizens

The Commission is legally obliged to act to suspend the visa waiver for Americans, but the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union have the chance to object to the “delegated act” it uses to do so.In December, MEPs pressed for the move in order to “encourage” Washington to play its part, according to a statement by the parliament.

But Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned of “consequences”, including potential “retaliation” and a drop in visitor numbers precipitating substantial losses for the continent’s tourism industry.

In December, MEPs pressed for the move in order to “encourage” Washington to play its part, according to a statement by the parliament.But Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned of “consequences”, including potential “retaliation” and a drop in visitor numbers precipitating substantial losses for the continent’s tourism industry.

But Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned of “consequences”, including potential “retaliation” and a drop in visitor numbers precipitating substantial losses for the continent’s tourism industry.

Just days ago the Council said it would liberalise the visa regime for citizens of Georgia travelling into the EU.

Georgians can now, subject to final approval of the regulation, stay in any EU  country for 90 days in any period of 180 days without needing a visa.

Carmelo Abela, Malta’s minister for national security, said: “This agreement will bring the people of Georgia and the EU closer together and will strengthen tourism and business ties. It follows the completion of the necessary reforms by Georgia, addressing document security, border management, migration and asylum.”

Last month it was reported that the EU was considering the adoption of a US-style electronic travel permit scheme – a move that could create a new administrative hurdle for British tourists after Brexit.

Read more: European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for Americans | The Independent

EU: Will Bulgarians and Romanians be toasting their ten years in the EU?

Bulgaria’s GDP per capita was 41 percent of the EU average when it joined in 2007, rising to 47 percent in 2015, the latest year for which data is available.

Romania’s, meanwhile, stood at 57 percent in 2015, up from 43 percent in 2007, according to data from Eurostat.

There is also a smaller proportion of people in both countries at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

In Bulgaria, around 60 percent fell into this category in 2007, falling to 41.3 percent in 2015.

In Romania the figure fell from 47 percent a decade ago, to 37.4 percent in 2015.

Yet despite these positive indicators, people in Romania are not all feeling this in their pockets, Romanian political analyst Radu Magdin told Euronews.

“Yes you can say we registered economic growth, yes you can say after the economic crisis Romania is the economic tiger of Europe,” he said. “But there is some frustration – which is not attributable to Europe – in the sense that the economic growth is not being reflected in people’s pockets.

“The structure of the economy is mostly based on exports. The profits being made by multinational companies are reflected in this growth but it’s very difficult to translate this growth into people’s pockets because we’re not talking redistribution.”

Read more: Will Bulgarians and Romanians be toasting their ten years in the EU?

NATO: Bulgaria Throws Wrench In Works Of NATO Black Sea Plans

Bulgaria's prime minister has said the country will not participate in a proposed joint NATO naval fleet in the Black Sea, slowing the momentum of a project that had thus far received broad support from NATO members and partners.

The move would “turn the Black Sea into a territory of war,” Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Thursday, adding that he “wants to see cruising yachts, and tourists, rather than warships.”

“To send warships as a fleet against the Russian ships exceeds the limit of what I can allow,” Borissov told reporters in Sofia on Thursday, as quoted by Bloomberg. “To deploy destroyers, aircraft carriers near Bourgas or Varna during the tourist season is unacceptable.”

The Romanian-led proposal to create a sort of joint NATO Black Sea naval force has the support of Turkey, the United States, NATO headquarters, as well as non-NATO members Georgia and Ukraine.

Bulgaria's refusal could have several causes. For one, presidential elections are coming up and Borissov may be concerned that rival, more pro-Russia parties could use the move against him, said Dimitar Bechev, a Bulgarian political scientist and fellow at Harvard's Center for European Studies. "Most of all, I think he's concerned about domestic repurcussions," Bechev said in an interview with The Bug Pit. He added that Bulgaria could likely eventually join whatever NATO naval force emerges in an "under the radar" fashion

Bulgaria also has reasons to be skeptical of the merits of a NATO Black Sea force, added Michael Kofman, a military analyst at CNA Corporation and a fellow at the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute. He noted that Bulgaria is still participating in a new multinational NATO brigade to be based in Romania, sending 400 soldiers.

And Russia maintains an overwhelming superiority in the Black Sea, including such a strong sea-denial system of land-based anti-ship weapons that they could easily destroy any enemy forces in the sea. "There's little sense in further militarizing a space in which there is no chance of coming out on top with the correlation of forces. The consequence is a net security minus for member states. A NATO fleet has little viability and is unnecessary to achieve sea denial in the Black Sea. Bulgaria simply has more common sense than some others.," Kofman said in an interview with The Bug Pit.

It remains unclear what form a joint NATO Black Sea force might take, but Bulgaria's refusal to take part is a significant blow, politically if not militarily. The plan is nevertheless on the agenda of the upcoming alliance summit in Warsaw from July 8-9.

Read more: Bulgaria Throws Wrench In Works Of NATO Black Sea Plans | EurasiaNet.org

Archeology: Europe's oldest prehistoric town unearthed in Bulgaria

Archaeologists in Bulgaria say they have uncovered the oldest prehistoric town found to date in Europe.

The walled fortified settlement, near the modern town of Provadia, is thought to have been an important centre for salt production.

Its discovery in north-east Bulgaria may explain the huge gold hoard found nearby 40 years ago.

Archaeologists believe that the town was home to some 350 people and dates back to between 4700 and 4200 BC.

That is about 1,500 years before the start of ancient Greek civilisation.
The residents boiled water from a local spring and used it to create salt bricks, which were traded and used to preserve meat.

Salt was a hugely valuable commodity at the time, which experts say could help to explain the huge defensive stone walls which ringed the town.

Read more: Europe's oldest prehistoric town unearthed in Bulgaria - BBC News

EU Immigrants: Is Bulgaria’s border wall forcing migrants to risk deadly crossings?

Europe-bound migrants are being forced to try the world’s deadliest sea crossing because of tighter security at other land borders, latest figures suggest.

Migrants arriving in Italy via the Mediterranean Sea rose by 295 percent in 2014, according to data from the UN’s refugee agency.

In contrast, numbers entering Greece and Bulgaria by land from Turkey have decreased over the last two years, after both countries introduced increased border security.

William Spindler, spokesman for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), said there is a link between the two trends, claiming increased security on the borders with Bulgaria and Greece has ‘made migrants try more dangerous routes’.

Up to 1,500 migrants have died in the Mediterranean in the first four months of this year, against the 3,500 that perished in 2014.

Read more: Is Bulgaria’s border wall forcing migrants to risk deadly crossings? | euronews, world news

Energy: Norway Offers Gas to European Union; Serbia Tells Sergei Lavrov South Stream Construction Will Begin

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Serbia will continue construction of the South Stream pipeline in July as Norwegian gas company Statoil told the European Union it will help with gas supplies. Russia cut off gas to Ukraine on Monday, which could affect Europe’s gas supply. "We can increase somewhat but we cannot replace Russian gas," CEO Helge Lund said.

Gazprom is the dominant force in the natural gas market at 16% and Statoil is barely behind with 14% of the market share. Europe receives 30% of its gas from Gazprom and half of those pipelines run through Ukraine. CEO Alexei Miller said Gazprom will continue to provide gas to Europe, but made a snide remark that Ukraine might take some for them and he will not make up the difference.

Norway is not in the EU and it does not look like it will happen any time soon. The country rejected the referendum in 1972 and 1994 and in 2013, and a poll showed less than 20% of Norwegians want to join the EU. However, Norway does belong to the European Economic Area and European Free Trade Area. In 1998, “

Trade from Norway to the EU amounted to €91.85 billion" while the “EU’s exports to Norway amounted to €43.58 billion.”

Russia is looking to bypass Ukraine and wants to open the South Stream pipeline, which would travel through the Black Sea into Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, and Austria. It should be completed in 2015, but the EU said the pipeline might break the bloc’s rules and “is concerned that the contracts for the Bulgarian portion of South Stream were not awarded transparently.

” Bulgaria, which receives almost 90% of all gas from Russia, suspended work on June 8. Serbia did not want to stop construction, but Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Zorana Mihajlovic said the country might have to halt because of Bulgaria.

But, as much as Serbia wants to join the EU, the country has ties to Russia. Gazprom owns 51% of Serbian company NIS. Lavrov visited Serbia on Tuesday and said despite the setbacks, Serbia assured him South Stream construction will begin on schedule.

"We confirmed our readiness for South Stream and the need to carry it out as it is the only realistic project for gas security in southeastern Europe," Lavrov said. "All agreements remain in force and no changes have occurred. We consider that everything will proceed as planned."

Read more: Norway Offers Gas to European Union; Serbia Tells Sergei Lavrov South Stream Construction Will Begin

Energy-Gas: Bulgaria halts South Stream ‘pending consultations with EU’

Bulgaria has stopped all activities linked to the building of the South Stream gas pipeline project pending full compliance of the project with European Union law, Plamen Oresharski, occupant of the prime minister’s chair in the embattled Bulgarian Socialist Party cabinet, said on June 8 2014.

Oresharski made the announcement in Sofia after talks with three visiting United States senators, six days after it emerged that the European Commission was launching an infringement procedure against Bulgaria on suspicion that Bulgaria breached internal market rules on public procurement in picking Russia’s Stroytransgaz and a consortium of five Bulgarian firms to carry out construction of the Bulgarian section of the pipeline without a public procurement tender.

The US underlined its stance on June 6 with a statement by Washington’s ambassador in Sofia, Marcie Ries, warning that companies or individuals that provide material support to Stroytransgaz – the company to which Bulgaria awarded the contract to build the land section of the South Stream pipeline in the country – could be subject to US sanctions.

Oresharski, nominal head of a government that is teetering under enormous political pressure and that is widely expected to give way for long-demanded fresh elections some time before the end of 2014, said that he had ordered the suspension of all activities related to the start of South Stream while consultations with the European Commission were underway.

Readmore: Bulgaria halts South Stream ‘pending consultations with EU’ | The Sofia Globe

EU Economy Improves in 2013, Bulgaria Lags Behind

The overall improvement of the economic situation in the EU in the last year has not had a positive effect on Bulgaria's economy, according to an expert.

Although the European Union has began to shake off the crisis effects, Bulgaria has not recorded economic growth, economist Georgi Ganev told private TV station bTV.

It is alarming that the labor market in Bulgaria has not recorded any drop in unemployment rates and there have not been more job openings, Ganev commented. Still, the fact that savings deposits of Bulgarian households reached BGN 40.3 B in the end of Q1 2014 is good news, he claimed.

"Of course, these are not only household savings, the statistics include business deposits, as well. In recent years, households have increased their savings as a reaction to the crisis. This is good because these funds are a source of long-term growth," Ganev added.

According to him, it is a normal trend that the number of people having deposits for over BGN 1M is increasing. The reason is the purely nominal growth of Bulgarian economy, Ganev said.

Read more: EU Economy Improves in 2013, Bulgaria Lags Behind - Expert - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency

EU Opinion: 'It's about the future of Europe' - by Alexander Andreev

"The migrants are coming!" It's a battle cry currently heard across large parts of Europe - an issue dominating not only the headlines in the British press, but also the talk in German pubs and even the toned-down, politically-correct documents of the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parties.

We are currently experiencing an attempt to reduce a complex problem involving party politics and European policies to a single aspect – namely the dangers associated with the alleged flood of immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania and their impact on the public welfare systems.

But the reality is much more complicated. First of all, it concerns citizens of two different EU member states. Secondly, the migration isn't homogenous. While some Bulgarians and Romanians have a sincere desire to find work, others hope to collect child and unemployment benefits.

And some of these people are Roma. Bulgaria and Romania have millions of Roma people, most of whom are very poor, and very badly treated by the majority population. Thirdly, the migrants' qualifications vary. While some are doctors and engineers, others can hardly read and write. And fourthly, there are no reliable forecasts of the number of possible immigrants, nor of the advantages or disadvantages for the labor market and welfare systems.

Read more: Opinion: 'It's about the future of Europe' | Europe | DW.DE | 02.01.2014

Bulgarians allege government-mafia ties

Opposite the diminutive Bulgarian parliament building, beneath the dual shadows of the gleaming Radisson hotel and the neoclassical monument to Tsar Alexander II, a handful of scruffy tents flap in the breeze.

As dusk approaches, police officers wearily begin the daily ritual of erecting metal fencing around government buildings, dotted all the way down the Tsar's eponymously named boulevard, as the tones of drums and vuvuzelas combined with the clamour of Ostavka["resign!"] strike up in the distance.

What begun in February as a spontaneous outpouring of scorn by Bulgarians of all ages following a dramatic hike in energy bills led to the resignation of the centre-right GERB party. It has since mushroomed into a daily demand for increased transparency and accountability in public life.

Oresharski's new government almost immediately blew much of its perceived credibility on June 14, following the appointment of Delyan Peevski, a controversial media baron, to head the national security agency.

Despite Peevski's speedy resignation, the crowd had already mobilised, registering frustration at the political chicanery of all parties, spawning demonstrations that have been remarkable for their longevity.

Atanas, currently unemployed but desperately seeking a job, took a few moments away from softly playing the national anthem on the piano placed by activists beneath the Tsar statue to echo sentiments widely held by the crowd:  "We are against all those who ever ruled Bulgaria. We want our government to be ruled by regular people like us, not these parties or oligarchs and mafia."

Read more: Bulgarians allege government-mafia ties - Features - Al Jazeera English

Emerging Europe Is a Haven in Selloff - by C. Connaghan and L. Davidson

Propelled by the euro zone's recovery, Europe's emerging markets are rising above the storm that has hit other developing economies.

Stock markets in Central and Eastern Europe are up 1.2% in the past three months, compared with a 7.5% drop in emerging markets overall, according to index provider MSCI. These markets have risen 2.3% when Russian companies, which have been hard hit by falling commodity prices, are excluded.

Currencies such as Poland's zloty and the Bulgarian lev also are up against the dollar since May, while India's rupee and Turkey's lira have slid to record lows.

Read more: Emerging Europe Is a Haven in Selloff - WSJ.com

Bulgaria: Concerns over Security Agency Choice Show Need for Bulgaria Reforms

The public protests that followed Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski's selection of a media mogul as the country's top security chief highlight the need for further reforms in Bulgaria to "give confidence to the Bulgarian people," a European Union spokesman said Monday.

The prime minister, who has only been in office for a month, faced calls to resign from thousands of protesters over the weekend despite reversing last week's decision to pick 32-year-old Delyan Peevski as head of the national security agency DANS, AFP reported.

Asked about the situation, Olivier Bailly, a spokesman at the European Commission said the protests showed "the depths of concerns in Bulgarian society about the rule of law."

He said the controversy shows "the need for reform" in Bulgaria to create "procedures which can give confidence to the Bulgarian people."

 Read more: Concerns over Security Agency Choice Show Need for Bulgaria Reforms - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency

The Netherlands: Immigrants tangled up with Turkish gangs

Are Bulgarian immigrants abusing the welfare system? Several cases of benefit fraud have sparked controversy. But often, the suspected fraudsters are themselves simply victims of organised crime networks. 

Turks in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Bulgaria play a major role in organising fraudulent benefit claims in the Netherlands. Not to mention the exploitation of illiterate Bulgarians. Bulgaria has quite a large Turkish-speaking minority. It comprises ethnic Turks and Roma, who began calling themselves Turkish after 1989. Their shared language and religion enable them to easily befriend the large Turkish communities in western Europe. Mitko received €200, but never saw any sign of the promised phone.

A few weeks later, however, his old phone began to ring incessantly. It was invariably a Dutchman on the line, who he could not understand. After a while, he realised that it had to be a man from the bank. Mitko thinks that it is the Dutch bank with an orange lion in its logo, because he once saw the symbol on a bank card.

 Read more: The Netherlands: Immigrants tangled up with Turkish gangs | Presseurop.eu: European news, cartoons and press revie

Offshore Banking: Britain under pressure to clean up Caribbean, S. American tax havens

British Overseas Territories in the Western Hemisphere will abandon their "tax haven" status as London struggles to raise cash and counter European charges its Caribbean and other overseas territories encourage tax evasion.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said London signed agreements with its overseas territories that will automate tax information exchange between Britain, its major international partners and Europe.

The sharing of tax information exposes bank account holders to tax collection authorities not only in Britain but also other countries and follows large-scale bank account disclosures secured as part of the European Union's financial rescue of Cyprus.

EU pried the information out of Cyprus by encouraging a media vilification campaign that focused on Russian account holders and suspected money laundering activities in Cyprus.

But the measure also targeted European tax evaders, Middle East financiers and anyone else interested in hiding assets from the taxman.

EU campaigns were aided by online leaks of alleged tax evaders' personal data. Luxembourg and non-EU Switzerland have also given in -- though only to some degree in the case of Switzerland -- to EU demand for disclosures.

Read more: U.K. under pressure to clean up Caribbean, S. American tax havens - UPI.com

EU poverty 'eating into the heart of society'

The amount of food aid distributed to people in Europe by the Red Cross has reached levels not seen since World War II. The economic crisis is putting millions at risk of poverty. Bulgaria and Spain are most affected.

Today, the International Red Cross distributes food aid in almost 20 EU member states as result of rising poverty levels.

In Spain alone, some three million people now depend on help to survive. The Red Cross does not just distribute food aid, but also supports the needy with financial aid to pay rent, water and electricity bills.

 to help the poor.

 

"Even people from the middle class who have lost one or two jobs in their households now need our help," said the spokesperson of the Red Cross, Jose Javier Sanchez Espinosa.

A report by the European Commission suggests that young people, migrants and single parents are most at risk of permanent poverty.

Read more: EU poverty 'eating into the heart of society' | Europe | DW.DE | 13.03.2013