Embassy evacuation as Tehran is hit
Bulgaria has evacuated its embassy in Iran's capital of Tehran due to security risks, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced. He clarified that the diplomatic mission is not closed but temporarily relocated to Baku, Azerbaijan. The decision followed a warning from the Israeli armed forces advising evacuation from Tehran's third district, near the Bulgarian embassy. Seventeen Bulgarian citizens, including 12 diplomats and their families, have already arrived in Baku.
The evacuation convoy, consisting of 11 vehicles, took over six hours to reach the border and faced lengthy checks. The evacuation was coordinated with both Iranian and Israeli authorities, and the Bulgarian nationals will return home by land or air at their discretion.
BTL Industries launches full operations at new plant
Nearly six years and 100 million levs after beginning construction, medical equipment manufacturer BTL Industries is now fully operational at its new facility in Plovdiv. The project, delayed slightly by design changes and inflation, consolidates nearly all of the company's activities under one roof, enabling greater efficiency and in-house component production. The facility, built on the site of the former Pulpudeva tannery, spans 29 out of a 50-decare plot and includes manufacturing, storage, administrative, and communal spaces.
The large area allows room for future expansion, with plans to accommodate more than 1,500 employees if needed. Currently, the factory employs more than 700 people, with expectations to reach 800 by the end of 2025.
Growth is slow, but it's there
Household well-being in Bulgaria continues to improve, with Actual Individual Consumption (AIC) per capita, which measures the goods and services consumed by individuals, reaching 74% of the EU average. This is a rise of 20 percentage points over the past decade, placing Bulgaria among the fastest-growing in the EU, just behind Romania, and now ahead of Hungary and on par with Estonia. Despite this progress, Bulgaria remains among the countries with the lowest AIC in the EU.
Eurostat data also shows that only nine EU countries have per capita incomes above the EU average, with Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Germany leading the way. Conversely, 18 countries fall below the average, with Hungary, Bulgaria, and Estonia having the lowest figures, at 28% and 26% below the EU average, respectively.
Embassy evacuation as Tehran is hit
Bulgaria has evacuated its embassy in Iran's capital of Tehran due to security risks, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced. He clarified that the diplomatic mission is not closed but temporarily relocated to Baku, Azerbaijan. The decision followed a warning from the Israeli armed forces advising evacuation from Tehran's third district, near the Bulgarian embassy. Seventeen Bulgarian citizens, including 12 diplomats and their families, have already arrived in Baku.
