Bulgaria facing health tax increase, as budget deficit risks Euro exclusion

Health contributions in Bulgaria make up 8% of salaries, while in Germany they reach 14% and in Romania 10%. Medics insist a public debate on financing the health system should be launched

Bulgaria acknowledges discrimination against patients with rare diseases

A new binding decision in Bulgaria could add millions of leva to the health budget of one of the poorest EU countries, as rare disease patients can now seek compensation for discrimination.
The post Bulgaria acknowledges discrimination against patients…

Sanctioned Russian cleric visits Bulgaria at the request of the Bulgarian Patriarch

SOFIA – Nikolai Balashov, a senior Russian Orthodox priest sanctioned by Ukraine and reportedly a former KGB colonel general, was granted entry into Bulgaria following the Patriarchโ€™s invitation and insistence. The story unfolded several months after t…

Bulgaria could meet all eurozone criteria this month

The report comes after the government said it was postponing the request a final report for Eurozone accession from EU institutions last week.
The post Bulgaria could meet all eurozone criteria this month appeared first on Euractiv.

Orbรกnโ€™s power to disrupt is exaggerated

The economic difficulties facing the Hungarian leader with will further undermine his ability to hijack โ€” let alone drive โ€” the EUโ€™s agenda.

Woman accused of stealing Ukrainian soldiersโ€™ mobile numbers, court hears

Prosecutor at Old Bailey says Katrin Ivanova was only member of Bulgarian spy ring able to pull off plotA lab technician has been accused of being the only member of a Bulgarian spy ring able to pull off a plot to steal the mobile numbers of Ukrainian …

Bulgarian police โ€˜blocked rescueโ€™ of teenage migrants who froze to death

Report by rights groups alleges border police refused to rescue boys and blocked activistsโ€™ efforts to save themBulgarian authorities have been accused of ignoring emergency calls and obstructing efforts to rescue three Egyptian teenage boys, who later…

Slovakia leads EU charge to rein in supermarket power

Slovakiaโ€™s right-wing government is spearheading a push to strengthen EU rules on unfair trading practices, saying the current reforms donโ€™t go far enough.

Poland on track to cut benefits for Ukrainian refugees

In todayโ€™s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Bulgaria not asking for asking for final clearance to join the eurozone, Argentine President Javier Milei taking aim at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sรกnchez, and so much more.ย ย 
The post Poland on…

Bulgaria expects new drug production boost from EU pharma package

Currently, patients in the Balkan country have access to only 45% of new authorised therapies for cancer, while in Germany, that percentage is 90%.
The post Bulgaria expects new drug production boost from EU pharma package appeared first on Euractiv.

Putinโ€™s grip on Belarus sickens opponents of Lukashenko regime

Dissidents despair at the Russian presidentโ€™s influence ahead of this monthโ€™s rigged election.ย 

Bulgaria breaks political stalemate and finally appoints new PM

Rosen Zhelyazkov is Bulgaria’s new head of government.

Italian opposition calls school reform โ€˜tool of mass controlโ€™

In todayโ€™s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Czechia being ready to negotiate AI chip export limits with the US, Bulgaria being on the verge of having a cabinet, and so much more.ย 
The post Italian opposition calls school reform โ€˜tool of mas…

German farmers fear โ€˜massiveโ€™ hit from foot-and-mouth outbreak

Several countries have already taken precautionary measures or imposed bans, as the German livestock sector braces for longer-term impact.

Leader of Moldovaโ€™s separatist region travels to Moscow for gas crisis talks

One option is Russia to start shipments through the Balkan corridor (Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania), without Moldova paying off the arrears, an analyst explained.
The post Leader of Moldova’s separatist region travels to Moscow for gas crisis talks a…

Sofia criticized for lack of reforms in healthcare despite record budget

A lack of hospital and pharmaceutical reforms means ‘Bulgarians will get the same healthcare while paying 16.5% more,’ says former health minister.
The post Sofia criticized for lack of reforms in healthcare despite record budget appeared first on Eura…

Ukraine tried to attack TurkStream infrastructure in Russia, Moscow says

TurkStream continues to supply Russian gas to Serbia and Hungary via Bulgaria.
The post Ukraine tried to attack TurkStream infrastructure in Russia, Moscow says appeared first on Euractiv.

Spain taxes tourism to save housing

In todayโ€™s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Spain’s Sรกnchez announcing tax hikes on tourist flats, Bulgaria hoping to join the US visa waiver programme in 2026, and so much more.ย 
The post Spain taxes tourism to save housing appeared first …

Azerbaijan halts gas deliveries to Serbia, Bulgaria

Supplies were interrupted because of “an issue” at the Alpha platform at the offshore Shah Deniz gas field in the Caspian Sea.
The post Azerbaijan halts gas deliveries to Serbia, Bulgaria appeared first on Euractiv.

Cyprus could join Schengen this year, president says

Cyprus is a unique case as the island has been divided since 1974 between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish-occupied north.

Open borders defy rising nationalism in Europe. We must protect them | Alexander Hurst

Reimposing passport checks in the Schengen area creates new political lines in our minds โ€“ and that poses its own dangerWith so many economic and political challenges looming, the EU nevertheless began 2025 with a little bit of its old magic and a remi…

Czechia steps up fight against Russian espionage

In todayโ€™s edition of the Capitals, find out more about a Kazakh company reportedly bidding for Bulgariaโ€™s only refinery, the Czech Senate looking to debate an anti-spy bill aimed at Russian sabotage activities, and so much more.ย 
The post Czechia step…

US to lift visa requirement for Romanian citizens

At present, Cyprus, Romania, and Bulgaria are the only EU countries whose nationals still need a visa to enter the US.
The post US to lift visa requirement for Romanian citizens appeared first on Euractiv.

The Transnistria crisis explained

In todayโ€™s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Strasbourg court rules against Bulgaria over unfair trial of MEP Elena Yoncheva, the soaring support for Spain’s far-right parties, and so much more.ย 
The post The Transnistria crisis explained ap…

Headless Europe: As the crises mount, the continentโ€™s leaders are AWOL

Political uncertainty in several EU countries could weaken the bloc’s hand in talks with Donald Trump.
The post Headless Europe: As the crises mount, the continent’s leaders are AWOL appeared first on Euractiv.

5 green targets EU countries will (mostly) miss in 2025

EU countries are behind on most, if not all, their sustainability commitments.

Truck drivers celebrate as Romania, Bulgaria join borderless Schengen area

Lorry drivers, who currently wait up to 20 hours at border crossings, celebrated the news of Bulgaria and Romania’s full Schengen accession.
The post Truck drivers celebrate as Romania, Bulgaria join borderless Schengen area appeared first on Euractiv.

2024 by the numbers โ€• from victims of war to a warming planet

Out with the old, in with the … old. Familiar trends characterized a year of elections and bloodshed.

Weather tracker: Storm brings well over a metre of snow to peaks in Alps

Several days of snow brought avalanche risk at Christmas, as wintry weather also caused four deaths in IndiaA snowstorm developed across the Alps on Saturday 21 December due to a low-pressure system situated over the Adriatic Sea. This depression allow…

Bulgarian healthcare system inaccessible for vulnerable people, says new report

Bulgaria has the highest level of catastrophic health expenditures in the EU, a hurricane of limited financial protection and excessively high household spending on health.
The post Bulgarian healthcare system inaccessible for vulnerable people, says n…

The CJEU ruling in Changu: โ€˜If Iโ€™ve said it once, Iโ€™ve said it a thousand times: the Return Directive in conjunction with the Charter of Fundamental Rights does not oblige EU Member States to grant a right to remain to irregularly staying migrantsโ€™

  

Alan Desmond, University of Leicester

Kevin Fredy Hinterberger, Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour

Photo credit: Luxufluxo,
via Wikimedia Commons

 

Introduction

The 2008 Return
Directive sets out common standards and procedures…

Putin vows no new Russian gas deal for EU as Orbรกn, Fico plead for extension

An agreement that allows Moscow to pump fuel via Ukraine is set to expire at the end of the year.

Czech lawmakers approve controversial citizenship restrictions for Russians

In todayโ€™s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visiting Bulgaria to likely discuss the transit of Russian gas, Czech lawmakers approving citizenship restrictions for Russians, and so much more.ย 
The post C…

Russia says it will protect its citizens in Moldovaโ€™s Transnistria

The statement was made as the parliament of the separatist enclave of Transnistria appealed to Moscow for help resolving disruptions in natural gas supply.
The post Russia says it will protect its citizens in Moldova’s Transnistria appeared first…

Bulgaria trying to force out Syrian asylum seekers after fall of Assad

Exclusive: NGO finds Syrians subjected to interrogations and reportedly pressed into signing return documents After the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Bulgaria is attempting to force out Syrian asylum seekers by reportedly pressing them into signing…

Meloni: Trump not an โ€˜enemyโ€™, wants โ€˜pragmaticโ€™ EU approach

In todayโ€™s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the latest in Franceโ€™s political saga, Madeiraโ€™s government collapse, Bulgariaโ€™s opposition to EU seed regulation, and so much more.
The post Meloni: Trump not an ‘enemy’, wants &#821…

Russia continues to ship oil directly to the EU despite sanctions, investigation finds

Russian oil arrived at ports in Romania and Bulgaria in November 2024, the investigation found.
The post Russia continues to ship oil directly to the EU despite sanctions, investigation finds appeared first on Euractiv.

Borissov starts government talks with EPP partners, pro-Russian and populist parties

Bulgaria has been in a deep political crisis for four years with little end in sight.
The post Borissov starts government talks with EPP partners, pro-Russian and populist parties appeared first on Euractiv.

Bulgariaโ€™s transplant patients struggle to find stable drug supply

Parallel trade of immunosuppressant medicine is putting transplant patientsโ€™ lives at risk. Sufficient quantities of the medicines are imported into Bulgaria, but a substantial volume is then exported by wholesalers.
The post Bulgaria’s transplan…

Press release – President Metsola welcomes the accession of Bulgaria and Romania into Schengen

President Metsola opened the 16-19 December plenary session in Strasbourg by praising Georgiaโ€™s protestors, and marking the cyclone in Mayotte with a minuteโ€™s silence for victims. Source : ยฉ European Union, 2024 – EP

Bulgarian patients suing the state, seeking revolution in equal access to medicine

Bulgarian law hinders lifesaving and life-altering treatment access for patients over 18. Two patients are forced to pay โ‚ฌ6,000 for infusions every 21 days.
The post Bulgarian patients suing the state, seeking revolution in equal access to medicine app…

Moldova declares state of emergency as risk of Russian gas cutoff looms

Prime Minister Dorin Recean said Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to leave the population of Transnistria without gas” in order to destabilise the situation in Moldova.”
The post Moldova declares state of emergency as risk of Russian gas cutoff …

Romania and Bulgaria get the Schengen green light

The internal land borders will be lifted as of January.

Romania and Bulgaria are granted full Schengen membership, with one caveat

Romania and Bulgaria will become full-time members of the Schengen Area as of 1 January 2025, completing a process that dates back to 2011, when the European Commission declared both countries ready to join.

Bulgaria, Greece fine-tune details to lift border controls

EU interior ministers are expected today (12 December) to rubber-stamp the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen by land.
The post Bulgaria, Greece fine-tune details to lift border controls appeared first on Euractiv.

Bulgarian public healthcare increasingly dependent on private funding

Bulgaria’s pharma industry is calling for an urgent 15 per cent increase in the 2025 pharmaceutical budget. Each year the state budget for medicines runs out earlier.
The post Bulgarian public healthcare increasingly dependent on private funding appear…

Time to halt Russian pipeline gas imports in Europe

A complete phaseout of Russian pipeline gas would strike a decisive blow against the Kremlinโ€™s economic leverage.

German centrist parties add support for early revision of CO2 car rules

Countries pushing for an early revision of EU CO2 car rules include Italy, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and France.

Fighting disinformation is a daily struggle, former EU commissioner Mariya Gabriel says

Social media platforms play an increasingly important role in election campaigns, as the first round of the Romanian presidential election โ€“ in which a NATO-sceptic populist came out on top โ€“ amply demonstrates. Our guest is Mariya Gabriel, a former E…

Bulgaria spearheads COP29 initiative to bring down electricity prices

Energy ministers from seven EU countries have backed the initiative.