On Thursday, Bulgarian authorities launched a one-stop-shop website for Ukrainians fleeing war in the country and volunteers who want to support them. The portal Bulgaria for Ukraine compiles information ranging from refugee and asylum rules, information about housing opportunities, volunteering and donations through to the various initiatives and NGOs that help Ukrainians across the country.
In judicial news, the Supreme Judicial Council announced it will postpone making a decision about the fate of Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev, a motion brought up by Justice Minister Nadezhda Yordanova.
Sofia to submit updated version of the Resilience and Recovery Plan on 15 March
Finance Minister Assen Vassilev has announced during a Parliamentary hearing that Sofia will finally submit a revised version of its Resilience and Recovery Plan to the European Commission next Tuesday. The plan has undergone serious changes, especially in the Transport and Energy sections, since it was first submitted by the second Stefan Yanev cabinet in October 2021, but was returned for revisions two months later by Brussels. Expect an analysis of the revised version of the plan next week in KInsights.
Manufacturing grows for the sixth month in a row and by 16.5% year-on-year in January
Industrial manufacturing continued growing for the sixth consecutive month. In January, the industrial production index grew by 16.5 percent compared to the same month of 2021 according to preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute (NSI). The monthly increase was 1.9 percent compared to December, NSI said. The increased output comes from an increase in mining (56.3 percent increase on an annual basis), electricity production and distribution (29.6 percent) and processing industry (11 percent).
Greece-Bulgaria gas interconnector postponed - yet again - until autumn
The new Greece-Bulgaria gas interconnector (IGB) is unlikely to start operating until the autumn, according to the director of the company that is designing it from the Bulgarian side (ICGB) Teodora Georgiva. She maintained that the deadline set by the political leadership in both countries - 1 July - would be hard to attain, as the gas measuring station in the Greek town of Komotini is still not complete, while the project is still pending approval from the Greek energy regulator.
On Thursday, Bulgarian authorities launched a one-stop-shop website for Ukrainians fleeing war in the country and volunteers who want to support them. The portal Bulgaria for Ukraine compiles information ranging from refugee and asylum rules, information about housing opportunities, volunteering and donations through to the various initiatives and NGOs that help Ukrainians across the country.
In judicial news, the Supreme Judicial Council announced it will postpone making a decision about the fate of Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev, a motion brought up by Justice Minister Nadezhda Yordanova.