Bulgaria's EU presidency officially launched in Sofia

Bulgaria's six-month rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) was officially launched here on Thursday evening at a special ceremony attended by the highest local and EU officials.

Bulgarian activists erect border fence to deter Turkish ‘election provocations’

Bulgarian volunteers have begun erecting a fence on the country’s border with Turkey without authorization from the government to “prevent Turkish provocations" during elections, RIA Novosti reports.

Serbia dissatisfied with EU's failure to fulfill promises over migrant crisis: PM

Serbia is doing all it can to assist European countries to prevent illegal migrations but is dissatisfied with Europe's lack of a common solution for the migrant crisis, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz on Monday in Belgrade.

Balkan countries illegally push back migrants: UNHCR

Illegal deportations of migrants seeking to reach western Europe along the so-called Balkans route have been on the rise, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned Monday.

Turkey's refugee warning to open border with EU

Turkey’s strained relationship with the EU has boosted the hopes of refugees aiming to reach Europe.

Bulgaria bans full-face Islamic veil

Bulgaria's parliament approved on Friday legislation outlawing face-covering Islamic veils in public, joining a small number of EU countries as debate rages across Europe about religious freedoms.

The law "bans wearing in public clothing that partially or completely covers the face," referring to the burqa or the more common niqab.

Bulgarian parliament adopts ban on face veils

The Bulgarian parliament has approved a bill that would ban the wearing of garments concealing the face entirely or partially in public places.

Stara Zagora becomes second Bulgarian municipality to ban the burqa

The southern Bulgarian municipality of Stara Zagora became the second in two days to vote to ban the wearing of the burqa in public places.

More than half of Bulgarians back "migrant hunters" , so-called “citizens’ patrols”

More than half of Bulgarians support to one degree or another “migrant hunters”, the self-proclaimed “citizens’ patrols” by vigilante groups who capture and force refugees out of the country, according to the results of a poll by Alpha Research.

Muslims in Bulgarian village restore Christian church

The Muslim community in a Bulgarian village have raised funds and contributed their labour to restore a century-old Orthodox Christian church.

European countries must stop forced evictions of Roma

European countries must stop forced evictions of Roma people, Nils Muiznieks, the Council of Europe (CoE)'s human rights commissioner said Tuesday.

Bulgaria: Mother tongue use in campaigns remains prohibited

An opposition party in Bulgaria decided to withdraw its draft amendment aiming to abolish the obligatory use of Bulgarian language in the country’s political activities.

Bulgarian Ex-Presidents Slam F.Y.R.O.M. Blockade

Three former presidents of Bulgaria have criticized recent moves to oppose setting a start date for EU accession negotiations with FYROM.
The three ex-Presidents made their criticisms known following Tuesday's decision of the European Council for General Affairs.

Bulgarian FM Reissues EU Warning to F.Y.R.O.M.

F.Y.R.O.M. news (from novinite com)
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FYROM must put to an end "the anti-Bulgarian campaign" supported by its government, stated Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Mladenov Saturday.