Bulgaria
Bulgaria’s life expectancy lowest in the EU, says Eurostat
Life expectancy at birth in Bulgaria stood at 75.9 years in 2024, well below the EU average of 81.7 years.
Von der Leyen pledges unwavering support for Ukraine, unveils competitiveness reforms in EC state of the Union speech
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her annual EU State of the Union address on September 10 to reaffirm the bloc’s commitment to Ukraine, signal a tougher stance on Israeli settler violence, and outline reform
India, China, Europe, all face population declines by the end of the century – OWID
This chart tracks the UN’s latest demographic projections for four large populations: India, China, Europe, and the United States. Together, they account for about half of today’s world population, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
KYIV BLOG: Brexit on steroids
The coalition of the willing Paris summit on September 4 ended in disaster. The European team has been working really hard for several weeks to thrash out a plan to save Ukraine and came together in Paris.
Trump chews coalition of the willing leaders out over Russian oil imports
US President Donald Trump got into another shouting match over the Ukraine conflict, this time with Europe’s top leaders of the coalition of the willing, in a phone call following the end of the Paris summit on September 4.
The coalition of the willing meet in Paris to try and stop the war in Ukraine
President Zelenskiy travelled to Denmark and France on September 3 to meet with leaders from 35 countries that make up the coalition of the willing (COW) and discuss the need for strong measures to pressure Russia to negotiate an end to the war.
LONG READ: Europeans face recession, financial crises, as they struggle to boost defence spending
US President Donald Trump has dropped the burden of supplying and supporting Ukraine’s battle against Russia firmly in Europe’s lap. But cash-strapped and with the UK and France on the verge of crisis, they are going to struggle to manage.
Nato’s Zeitenwende to reach 2% spending goal – Statista
New data released last week by Nato exemplifies how profoundly the realities of foreign relations have changed over the course of the past three years, Statista reports.
Future 500 Forum to tackle Europe’s chronic scale-up gap
As Europe lags Asia and the US on competitiveness, a new initiative aims to give Central and Southeast Europe’s most promising companies a shot at becoming global champions, co-founder Stjepan Orešković tells bne IntelliNews.
BRICS leaders gather in China to coordinate anti-Trump alliance
The EU’s 27 foreign ministers will debate seizing Russia’s frozen $200bn at an informal gathering in Copenhagen, as the leading BRICS nations gathered in Beijing to form a common strategy to deal with US trade aggression on August 30.
EU foreign ministers meet to discuss Russia problem
European foreign ministers gathered in Copenhagen to discuss a number of issues with holding Russia to account for the war with Ukraine at the top of the agenda.
Rheinmetall to invest over €1.5bn in Balkan munitions factories
German defence giant's investments are part of a broader European effort to boost defence production since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
EU commits to huge increase in energy imports from US - Statista
One of the key components of the trade deal that the European Union and the US agreed upon on July 27 is the EU’s commitment to massively ramp up energy imports from the United States, Statista reports.
EU faces worst wildfire season on record as over 1mn hectares burn
The European Union is enduring its most severe wildfire season since records began, with more than 1.01mn hectares of land scorched so far this year,
US-based Marlabs buys Bulgarian INDEAVR
Acquisition to allow Marlabs to deepen its service offerings in sectors including energy, pharmaceuticals and industrial engineering.
Bulgaria moves to tackle worsening water crisis
Mostly built during the communist era, Bulgaria's water supply network suffers from chronic underinvestment, ageing pipelines and environmental degradation.
Bulgaria sees rising public support for euro adoption in 2026
Support for Bulgaria’s adoption of the euro is growing among both citizens and businesses, according to a survey by Alpha Research.
Peace turns on possible new Western security deals for Ukraine
Mixed results for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy following the historic meeting with US President Donald Trump and seven European leaders on August 18 in the White House.
High stake talks in Washington between Trump, Zelenskiy and EU leaders
Following the underwhelming Alaska summit, US president Donald Trump has invited five European leaders, NATO, and the EU to the Oval Office as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to close a deal that could end the war on August 18.
Bulgaria’s Uni Energy to acquire NIS petrol network for over €30mn
NIS, majority-owned by Russia’s Gazprom and its subsidiary Gazprom Neft, is divesting its Bulgarian assets amid increasing pressure from secondary US sanctions.