Новости за 25.11.2025

The European Commission has flagged Bulgaria’s 2026 budget plans as potentially failing to meet the EU’s fiscal requirements. The warning was included in the presentation of the European Commission’s economic priorities for 2026 to member states, highlighting Bulgaria as a country at risk of non-compliance with the bloc’s fiscal framework. The Commission expressed concerns that the national budgetary policy for 2026 may not fully adhere to current EU fiscal rules. ...

On Wednesday, much of Western Bulgaria will experience predominantly cloudy skies, with rain in many areas, particularly heavy in the extreme western and southern regions. In contrast, Eastern Bulgaria will see more broken cloud cover, accompanied by a moderate to occasionally strong southerly wind. In the western part of the country, winds will shift to a northwesterly direction, bringing colder air into the region....

Bulgarian authorities have dismantled an organized criminal network involved in transporting migrants to Western Europe through Bulgaria, uncovering a highly structured operation that charged individuals between 4,000 and 15,000 euros per person. The migrants, primarily from Syria, Iraq, and Iran, included women and children. The scheme operated with a strict hierarchy, coordinated largely from outside Bulgaria, while Bulgarian participants provided logistical support and arranged accommodation for those awaiting onward travel. Читать дальше...

The Center for Urban Mobility presented the updated ticket and pass prices that will take effect once Bulgaria adopts the euro. From January 1, 2026, all public transport payments in Sofia will shift to the new currency. According to the CGM, the revised prices are intended to be more favorable for regular passengers, with most products converted into comparatively lower euro amounts. ...

A new nationally representative survey conducted by the "Myara" agency for the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CITUB) in Bulgaria shows that the overwhelming majority of Bulgarians feel their earnings are not keeping pace with living costs. The poll, carried out between October 30 and November 7 among 804 adults, found that over 86 percent view the wage increases they received this year as insufficient, while just over 11 percent say the rise they received was adequate. More than half... Читать дальше...

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that all EU member states are required to recognize same-sex marriages legally conducted in another EU country for the purposes of rights derived from European law. The decision, announced by the court’s press center in Luxembourg, arose from a case involving two Polish citizens married in Germany, whose marriage certificate was rejected by Polish authorities due to Poland’s national law not allowing same-sex marriage - a situation mirrored in Bulgaria. Читать дальше...

The Ministry of Innovation and Growth (MIR) is set to relocate from its current location near the City Garden in central Sofia to the Sofia Tech Park (STP), according to the transcript of a government meeting held on November 5. This move is part of a broader strategy involving the transfer and exchange of properties among several government departments, including the Ministry of Defense. Military Minister Atanas Zapryanov highlighted that the relocation will save the state approximately 300 million leva (€153 million)... Читать дальше...

The ruling parliamentary majority in Bulgaria, represented by Kostadin Angelov (GERB), Dragomir Stoynev (BSP), and Yordan Tsonev (DPS-New Beginning), has submitted a proposal to amend the Gambling Act within the transitional and final provisions of the State Budget Law. The submission, sent on November 24 to both the Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Chairman of the National Assembly, aims to grant a long-term concession for the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator (BST), with the State... Читать дальше...

Serbia’s only operational oil refinery, located in Pančevo, has ceased production and shifted to so-called “warm circulation,” N1 TV reported. This mode allows a limited amount of crude to circulate through the system to maintain the facility’s operational integrity, according to sources familiar with the matter. The stoppage comes as a direct consequence of U....

The International Monetary Fund has finalized its 2025 consultation for Bulgaria, approving its expert conclusions through the “silent procedure” after a mission visited the country in September under the leadership of Fabian Bornhorst. The institution’s assessment underscores that domestic demand remains the central engine of Bulgaria’s economic expansion, with gross domestic product rising by 3.4 percent in 2024 and by 3....

A volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region, long considered inactive, erupted suddenly on Sunday, marking the first known activity from the Hayli Gubbi volcano in nearly 10,000 years. Satellite observations captured the moment the eruption sent towering ash clouds into the atmosphere, rising to an estimated 45,000 feet. The plume spread rapidly, crossing the Red Sea toward Yemen and Oman before moving over the Arabian Sea and reaching several regions of India. ...

An elderly journalist long associated with the Bulgarian community in North Macedonia has reported a new case of hate-motivated aggression in Skopje. Vladimir Perev, 80, says he was verbally assaulted and struck in the face while waiting in line at a shop in the Macedonian capital. In his account published on the "Tribuna" website, he describes how a man around 40 years old shouted ethnic insults at him, broke his glasses and threatened him with further violence if he continued to identify as Macedonian... Читать дальше...

A late-night collision on the Plovdiv ring road claimed the lives of three people and left a seven-year-old child fighting for survival. The crash occurred at the junction with Zaharidovo Street, with the alert to the police coming shortly after 10 p.m. ...

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev stressed that North Macedonia must include Bulgarians in its constitution as an ethnic community, reaffirming Sofia’s longstanding position ahead of Skopje’s EU accession talks. “I have had multiple discussions with North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timčo Mucunski, who is fully aware of our stance. His task is to persuade his government to respect the 2022 consensus,” Georgiev told BNT, as reported by BGNES. ...

Former European Investment Bank vice-president Lilyana Pavlova (from the ruling party GERB) has assured Bulgarians that joining the eurozone will not obligate the country to cover the debts of other struggling member states. Speaking to Bulgarian National Radio, Pavlova stressed that eurozone participation involves contributions proportional to GDP, with funds managed through the European Stability Mechanism, ensuring that support in times of crisis does not endanger the economies of member states. Читать дальше...