Monday's news was dominated by a verbal confrontation between WCC MP Iskren Mitev and Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov, which escalated into a physical clash in the National Assembly. The argument started during parliamentary debates surrounding changes to the law of exposing members of the former Communist-era Secret Police. In other news:
US F-35s from Germany join air policing over Bulgaria after Dutch planes leave
On May 30, US F-35 fighter jets joined Dutch fighter jets for air operations in Bulgaria, NATO said in a statement on Wednesday, without specifying the number of aircraft. Popularly known as "air policing," the duties of the allied airplanes consist of guarding the country's air sovereignty. The activity is also part of the strengthening of the Alliance's eastern flank, which is of particular importance in the context of the war in Ukraine. "Alliance aircraft are working together in the Black Sea region to improve communications skills and enhance interoperability for future missions. F-35s deployed to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany conducted a long-range mission to Bulgaria in support of NATO's eastern flank vigilance activities," the official release said.
Radev says he won't meet Macron over N. Macedonia EU accession progress, calls for referendum
"There is no progress on the open issues between Sofia and Skopje and that is why there are no conditions for my visit to Paris. I appreciate the commitment and efforts of our European partners, but I want to see real results," President Rumen Radev told journalists today in response to claims that he and Prime Minister Kiril Petkov would visit France to discuss the prospect of N. Macedonia's EU membership with French President Emmanuel Macron. He also said that, even if the Bulgarian Parliament decides to drop the veto over Skopje's EU bid, he might call for a referendum on the topic."The last instance is always the people and there are constitutional mechanisms for their consultation," the head of state told reporters.
State compensation for high energy prices to continue in June: Petkov
State-sponsored compensation for businesses in the wake of high electricity prices will continue for bills issued in May and June, the government decided at today's meeting. Domestic consumers of natural gas will also be supported for their May bills. The amount of the support envisaged under the programme for the period from 1 May to 30 June is a fixed amount per MWh. The compensation is calculated as 80 percent of the difference between the actual average monthly exchange price for base load on the day-ahead segment of the Bulgarian Independent Energy Exchange for the relevant month and a base value of 200 BGN per MWh, VAT excluded. Customers with electricity prices below the base, or below the calculated compensation amount, are not eligible for support.
Monday's news was dominated by a verbal confrontation between WCC MP Iskren Mitev and Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov, which escalated into a physical clash in the National Assembly. The argument started during parliamentary debates surrounding changes to the law of exposing members of the former Communist-era Secret Police. In other news:
