Bulgaria
Bulgaria’s Gerb nominates ex-parliament speaker Rossen Zhelyazkov for PM
Gerb proposes a minority government after failing to secure enough support for a majority in the fragmented new parliament.
Local, international and regional chains vie for Balkans’ expanding food retail market
Consumer markets in Southeast Europe are booming, in what is largely a catch-up story.
Bulgaria is not ready for eurozone, say European Commission and ECB
Given the political instability and the slim chances of a regular government being formed in the current parliament, Bulgaria has little chance of joining the eurozone any time next year.
Death threats and police snipers feature in the dirty battle to form Bulgaria’s new government
Security has been stepped up outside Bulgarian ex-PM Boyko Borissov’s home as he struggles to form a new government, while MPs claim they are being blackmailed to join.
We are in the epicentre of the information war, says Jourova
The European Commission is investigating whether “new risks”, notably the use of artificial intelligence and cyberattacks, influenced this month’s European Parliament elections
Bosnia and North Macedonia report lowest electric vehicle adoption in Europe
EV adoption has surged in Europe, but under 1% of vehicles are electric in some countries.
BALKAN BLOG: The creeping success of the far right in Southeast Europe
Far-right parties are now a third force in Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania, despite victories for centrists on election day.
VISEGRAD BLOG: Rise of far right in CEE's European elections is a worrying sign for the future
Far-right parties are now an established part of the political spectrum in CEE member states, but they are not yet topping the polls as in the eye-catching results in France, Belgium and Austria in Western Europe.
Bulgaria’s Gerb wins snap general election amid record-low turnout
Gerb a position to form a coalition government with the DPS and populist ITN as disillusioned voters shun reformist CC-DB.
German, French luxury carmakers lobby EU to hold off on export restrictions to Belarus
The German and French makers of luxury cars are lobbying the EU to prevent sanctions on exports of their products to Belarus, which eventually end up in Russia.
More instability set to follow Bulgaria’s sixth general election since 2021
Another failure to get a regular government will delay Bulgaria's entry to the eurozone and the lifting of land borders in the Schengen area.
Saudi STC Group reportedly eyes purchase of United Group
Potential deal could value United Group, owner of telecoms and pay-TV channels across Southeast Europe, at around €8bn.
Bulgaria’s pro-Russian president says Nato risks world war, nuclear Armageddon in Ukraine
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Rumen Radev cut ties with Bulgaria's pro-Western reformers and opposes military support for Kyiv.
CEE's authoritarian nationalists seek to 'occupy' Brussels
Populist parties could come first in 11 of the 27 member states in the European Parliament elections, six of which are in Central and Eastern Europe.
CEE countries still lag behind Western Europe on prosperity
Several Central and Eastern European countries still rank in the bottom third of the new Prosperity Index of EU countries published by Erste Group Research.
Developed world countries gave developing countries more than $100bn to tackle climate change for the first time in 2022
Developed countries provided $115.9bn in climate finance to developing nations in 2022, exceeding the $100bn annual commitment for the first time, according to data from the OECD.
Bulgarian prosecutors seek to break up pro-Russian paramilitary groups
Far-right paramilitaries organise combat training and civilian patrols of Bulgaria-Turkey border.
Israel's Leviathan gas field is on standby but is Bulgaria's Khan Tares next for SOCAR?
Azerbaijan's national oil and gas company SOCAR is eyeing new Black Sea oil & gas projects, while the Israeli gas field is on hold for now due to the war.
The use of the ruble in EU trade settlements reaches a record $15.2bn in March
The use of the ruble in settlements for goods and services exported by Russia to European partners was up 58.5% in March 2024 to record levels, according to data from the Central Bank of Russia.
BOFIT: The bilateral relations between China and the European Union are important but challenging
In early May, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Europe for the first time since 2019. The destinations of the visit were France, Hungary and Serbia. China sought to improve its relationship with Europe, but relations remain tense.