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Bulgaria and the EU

Latest business news about Bulgaria and the European Union.

Bulgaria, Romania to join Schengen area through air and sea 02 January 2024, 22:05 CET
EU member states reached agreement Saturday for Bulgaria and Romania to join the Schengen border-free area with a first removal of air and maritime internal border controls.

EU ends transitional measures for Bulgaria, Romania 18 September 2023, 17:43 CET
The EU Commission formally recognised 'important reforms' made by Bulgaria and Romania Friday, as it put an end to transitional measures introduced as part of their accession to the EU in 2007.

EU Commission closes Cooperation & Verification Mechanism (CVM) for Bulgaria and Romania - guide 15 September 2023, 18:04 CET
The European Commission on 15 September formally closed the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) for Bulgaria and Romania.

Euro candidates still to meet EU convergence demands 11 June 2020, 23:00 CET
The European Commission published the 2020 convergence report Wednesday, in which it provides its assessment of the progress non-euro area Member States have made towards adopting the euro.

EU raises concerns over rule of law in Romania 24 October 2019, 00:21 CET
Romanian authorities have backtracked in relation to developments on judicial reforms and the fight against corruption, the EU Commission reported Tuesday, while Bulgaria is meeting accession commitments.

Cooperation and Verification Mechanism Reports for Bulgaria and Romania 22 October 2019, 23:48 CET
The European Commission adopted on 22 October its latest Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) Reports on steps taken by Romania and Bulgaria to meet their post-accession commitments on judicial reform and the fight against corruption, and in the case of Bulgaria on tackling organised crime.

Bulgaria and Romania Cooperation and Verification Mechanism Reports 2018 14 November 2018, 00:03 CET
The European Commission issued on 13 November its latest reports on steps taken by Bulgaria and Romania to meet their commitments on judicial reform and the fight against corruption, and in the case of Bulgaria organised crime, in the context of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).

Bulgaria makes progress, Romania backtracks on judicial reform, corruption 14 November 2018, 18:31 CET
Bulgaria has made good progress in fighting corruption and organised crime, but Romania has gone backwards, particularly with regard to judicial reform, the EU said in its annual review published Tuesday.

Priority dossiers under the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency 19 January 2018, 00:42 CET
Bulgaria will hold the EU Council Presidency from January to June 2018. Its Presidency is part of the Trio Presidency composed of Estonia, Bulgaria and Austria. This will be the first time Bulgaria has held the rotating presidency since it joined the EU in 2007.

Bulgaria EU presidency promises unity in face of Brexit 09 January 2018, 23:20 CET
"United We Stay Strong" is the motto of Bulgaria's presidency of the EU Council, which began 1 January 2018, and underlined the EU's focus on solidarity as pivotal to the EU's future in the face of Brexit.

Cooperation and Verification Mechanism Reports on Bulgaria and Romania 17 November 2017, 12:01 CET
The European Commission issued today its latest reports on steps taken by Bulgaria and Romania to meet their commitments on judicial reform and the fight against corruption, and in the case of Bulgaria organised crime, in the context of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) set up when the countries joined the European Union in 2007.

More progress needed on Romania, Bulgaria reform 15 November 2017, 23:28 CET
Romania and Bulgaria have still more progress to make in judicial reform and the fight against corruption, according to the EU's latest Cooperation and Verification Mechanism Reports on the countries.

Bulgaria, Romania still have work to do on corruption 26 January 2017, 22:10 CET
The fight against corruption and organised crime in Romania and Bulgaria still has some way to go, the EU Commission said in a report on judicial reform and the fight against corruption in the countries.

Progress in Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism - Commission report 27 January 2016, 16:19 CET
The European Commission issued on 27 January its latest report on steps taken by Bulgaria on judicial reform and the fight against corruption and organised crime, in the context of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).

Report on Progress under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism in Bulgaria 18 July 2012, 18:14 CET
The European Commission has adopted a report on progress made by under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM). The report covers a period of five years since Bulgaria's accession to the EU in 2007 and presents the Commission's assessment of progress achieved in Bulgaria during this period in the area of judicial reform, the fight against corruption and the fight against organised crime. Its main conclusion is that deeper implementation of reforms is needed in order for the process to become irreversible.

Excessive Deficit Procedure recommendations on Bulgaria, Germany and Hungary - guide 30 May 2012, 16:24 CET
Along with the country-specific recommendations and the conclusions of the in-depth reviews, the European Commission is today also making three proposals to the Council related to the Excessive Deficit Procedure (EDP). Firstly, the Commission is recommending that the Council abrogate the EDP for Bulgaria and Germany, as foreseen in Article 126(12) of the Treaty. In March, Bulgaria and Germany notified that their 2011 general government deficit was below 3% of GDP. Following the validation of these figures by Eurostat on 23 April 2012, and also taking into account that the Commission's 2012 spring forecast shows that these deficits will remain durably below 3% of GDP, the Commission has concluded that the correction of their excessive deficits is ensured. Secondly, the Commission has adopted a proposal for a Council decision to lift the suspension of commitments from the Cohesion Fund for Hungary, after concluding that the country has taken the necessary action to correct its excessive deficit, in line with the Council Recommendation of 13 March 2012. More specifically, the Commission has concluded in its assessment that the 2012 budget deficit target of 2.5% of GDP is expected to be reached and the 2013 budget deficit is expected to be well below the 3% of GDP reference value, despite the slight weakening of the macroeconomic environment, as indicated by the Commission in its 2012 spring forecast. The Commission will continue to closely monitor budgetary developments in Hungary, in accordance with the Stability and Growth Pact.

Doing business in Bulgaria: Sustainability 23 May 2012, 13:14 CET
This guide outlines the corporate social responsibility standards that businesses in Bulgaria have to comply with.

Bulgaria: country overview 21 September 2021, 16:40 CET
The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

Interim Report on Progress under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism in Bulgaria 08 February 2012, 17:25 CET
When they joined the EU on 1 January 2007, Romania and Bulgaria still had progress to make in the fields of judicial reform, corruption and organised crime. To smooth the entry of both countries and at the same time safeguard the workings of its policies and institutions, the EU decided to establish a special "cooperation and verification mechanism" to help them address these outstanding shortcomings. In December 2006, the Commission set criteria ("benchmarks") for assessing progress made on these issues (consult the reports). The decision to continue assessing Bulgaria and Romania shows the EU's commitment to see the two countries develop the effective administrative and judicial systems they need to deliver on the obligations of membership as well as enjoying the benefits. Progress on judicial reform, corruption and organized crime will allow Bulgarians and Romanians to enjoy their full rights as EU citizens.

EU Financial assistance for the decommissioning of nuclear plants in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia: Achievements and Future Challenges - ECA Special Report No 16/2011 08 February 2012, 11:39 CET
In the framework of the EU accession negotiations, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia committed to the early closure and decommissioning of eight nuclear reactors, thus facing a significant production capacity loss. The Court assessed the effectiveness of the EU financial assistance (2 850 million euro up to now) in supporting recipient countries’ efforts to decommission their closed nuclear reactors and to address the consequences of the early closure. The Court found that progress has been slow, no comprehensive assessment of future needs exists, and available funding is plainly insufficient. The Court recommended making conditional any further support upon an evaluation of the EU added value.

EC Report on the functioning of the Transitional Arrangements on Free Movement of workers from Bulgaria and Romania 14 November 2011, 15:52 CET
A new report published by the European Commission highlights the overall positive role that mobile workers from Bulgaria and Romania (EU-2) have played in receiving countries' economies. These workers have contributed to the skills mix as well as filling vacancies in sectors and jobs with labour shortages such as in construction and the domestic and food services sectors. Estimates also show a positive impact of the free movement of Romanian and Bulgarian workers on the EU's long-term GDP with an increase by about 0.3% for EU-27 (0.4% for eu-15). Studies show too that there has been no significant impact on unemployment or wages of local workers in receiving countries: in the EU-15 studies show wages are on average only 0.28% lower they would have been without mobility of the EU-2. The report also highlights that there is no evidence of a disproportionate use of benefits by intra-EU mobile EU citizens and that the impact of recent flows on national public finances is negligible or positive.

Commission report on transitional arrangements regarding free movement of workers from Bulgaria and Romania 14 November 2011, 15:48 CET
A new report published today by the European Commission highlights the overall positive role that mobile workers from Bulgaria and Romania (EU-2) have played in receiving countries' economies.

Reports on progress in Bulgaria and Romania 18 July 2012, 17:11 CET
The Commission reports under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism every 6 months on progress with judicial reform, the fight against corruption and, concerning Bulgaria, the fight against organised crime.

Reports on progress in Bulgaria and Romania 17 November 2017, 12:06 CET
The reports assess progress under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, with judicial reform, the fight against corruption and, concerning Bulgaria, the fight against organised crime.

GS Georgieva & Partners 16 July 2014, 23:58 CET
GS Georgieva & Partners is a team of Legal Professionals who provide expert legal advice and assistance in the UK and to foreigners in Bulgaria.