Bulgaria
Bulgaria’s outgoing government under scrutiny over sudden hike in budget deficit
Bulgaria reported a consolidated budget deficit of €335.7mn in the first quarter of 2021 and will have to borrow to patch the gap later this year.
M&A hits €8.5bn in CEE in Q1, says Mergermarket
Trend towards bigger deals and more fund investment continues, as deal value rises by half to give best Q1 since 2013.
Bulgaria’s Gerb to nominate Daniel Mitov for next PM amid lack of coalition partners
Boyko Borissov, the leader of the Gerb party, will nominate Daniel Mitov, former foreign affairs minister, as Bulgaria's prime minister, assuming a coalition led by Gerb can be formed.
wiiw raises 2021 CEE growth forecast to 3.8%
But pandemic has delayed restart of convergence with Western Europe until 2023.
Bulgaria’s new sheriff in town
Slavi Trifonov is the favourite to become Bulgaria’s next prime minister while Boyko Borissov is consigned to the dustbin of history. But are the two politicians so different?
Bulgaria’s PM Borissov gives up parliament seat
Speculation that Borissov plans to quit politics after his Gerb party failed to win enough votes to form the next government.
Bulgarian PM Borissov offers Slavi Trifonov support to form government
Showman-turned-politican Trifonov, whose party is the second largest in the new parliament, has so far given no hint as to his plans after Sunday’s election.
BALKAN BLOG: Few routes to power in Bulgaria’s fragmented new parliament
After voters left PM Boyko Borissov out in the cold in the April 4 general election, the possibilities for forming a new government are slim and a new snap election is the most likely outcome.
Exit polls indicate Boyko Borissov’s Gerb won’t form Bulgaria's next government
PM Borissov took the largest share of the vote but is unlikely to find coalition partners in the new parliament.
CEE reels as third wave of COVID-19 breaks
A third wave of the coronavirus pandemic is sweeping through Emerging Europe. While Russia is expecting to reach herd immunity in the next two months, most other countries of the region have only just started their mass immunisation programmes.
IKEA’s New Europe Empire
Getting an IKEA store is a good guide to how developed a country is. And the Swedish furniture store has an uncanny knack for opening their yellow and blue stores exactly at the beginning of a country's rapid growth phase.
Borissov fights to hold on to power in Bulgarian election
He’s been touring the country in an attempt to shore up fading ratings, but PM Boyko Borissov will struggle to put together a new coalition after Sunday’s general election.
Poll shows protest vote likely to decide Bulgaria’s April general election
Trust in institutions is extremely low, finds Market Links survey, but low turnout due to the pandemic would benefit Bulgaria's main parties.
Bulgaria expels two Russian diplomats as spy scandal escalates
Sofia rounded up six Bulgarian nationals suspected of spying for Russia, which has a strong presence in the Southeast European country’s energy sector.
MITTELEUROPEAN INSIGHTS: Central and Southeastern Europe head for a V-shaped recovery
The moderate GDP setbacks in 2020 imply that for some CEE countries there will not be such drastic recovery and rebound effects in 2021 as in hard-hit countries in Western Europe.
Bulgaria the latest to announce lockdown as new COVID-19 wave descends on Southeast Europe
Over 4,000 COVID-19 cases daily are being reported in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia, putting hospitals under strain.
Rising inflation in Emerging Europe poses dilemma for central banks
With economies primed to rebound as pandemic restrictions are loosened, consumer prices could rise even further, reawakening an issue that has long been ignored.
North Macedonia edits video for Eurovision entry after controversy over Bulgarian flag image
Vasil Garvanliev’s video included a triptych in the colours of the Bulgarian flag, seen as a deliberate provocation amid the diplomatic rift between Skopje and Sofia.
CJEU rules European arrest warrants issued by Bulgaria are invalid
EU institutions have made it clear that Sofia’s failure to address long-standing problems in the judiciary will no longer be tolerated.
Bulgaria's retail sales fell 3.9% y/y during January lockdown
Food and beverage sales rose in January but failed to offset the drop in sales of non-food products and motor fuel.
