Fuel oil spill covers over a kilometer of the Varna city beach
More than a kilometer of the beach in the coastal city of Varna has been heavily contaminated with fuel oil, the regional environmental protection inspectorate announced today following signals from citizens.
"There will be consequences for the flora and fauna, as well as for the quality of the water," said Erdzhan Sebaytin, director of the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water in Varna. He also noted there are already signs of the damage - dead jellyfish washed ashore as well as dead fish.
At the end of January this year Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, scientific director at the Institute of Water Problems at the Russian Academy of Sciences, warned that fuel oil that spilled from the damaged Russian oil tanker Volgoneft 212 in the Kerch Strait in mid-December last year could potentially reach the shores of Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Abkhazia and Georgia.
He noted, however, that by the time the spill reached the western shores of the Black Sea, the concentration of fuel oil in the water would decrease, although a risk of pollution still existed.
GDP per capita in Bulgaria rises to 66% of EU average but still remains the lowest
Bulgaria continues to gradually catch up with the more developed countries in the European Union in terms of gross domestic product per capita. In 2024, the indicator which is considered an accurate guide to the standard of living, reached 66% of the EU average, having risen by 2 percentage points compared to the previous year.
If the increase continues at the same pace, Bulgaria could catch up with the European average in about 17 years. In reality, however, this will probably take much longer - typically, the closer the target, the slower the progress, judging by the experience of most countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
From April 2 electronic permit required to enter UK
Effective Wednesday, the UK will introduce the issuance of an electronic permit for transit and short-term residence for citizens of all EU countries, including Bulgaria, for which a visa for a short stay is currently not required. People who travel to the UK must obtain permits before entering the country, the British Embassy notes.
Each permit will be valid for 2 years or until the expiration of the holder's passport (whichever comes first) and will entitle the holder to multiple trips for a period of up to 6 months. The permit can only be obtained through the official website of the British government, and the procedure is carried out entirely online. The price of the document is 10 British pounds until April 8 and 16 pounds from April 9 onwards.
