Bulgaria

The government avoided protests from pharmacies by agreeing to pay higher fees to pharmacies that provide free medicines to patients; some pharmacies in large cities had started to stop work for two hours a day

The national COVID-19 control system and the unified information portal, coronavirus.bg, ceased operation on 1 July and information will now be published weekly in the epidemic situation reports

Despite relatively high salaries, the country faces a growing shortage of lifeguards for the season, and additional state requirements imposed by a new ordinance two months ago may have contributed to the problem

The Central Electoral Commission has authorised the transport of voting machines to polling stations across the country from the warehouse where they are stored; today is the sixth election in the last three years in the country

As of 1 January 2025, the minimum wage will be increased to at least BGN 1.080 (€552), a 15,7% increase from the current BGN 933 (€477)

Google has allocated $1m in scholarships for young scientists working at the Bulgarian Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology, one of the world's largest contributions from the technology giant in 2024

The country has updated its vaccination calendar, granting general practitioners permission to administer the pertussis vaccine to infants two weeks earlier than before, starting six weeks after birth

Bulgaria's long-awaited entry into the Eurozone may be delayed, as the country is unlikely to meet the inflation criterion required for the introduction of the euro on 1 January 2025

Famed actor and Nobu Hospitality co-founder Robert De Niro is to open two Nobu-branded luxury hotels in Bulgaria, one in Sofia in the city center and the other in Varna on the Black Sea coast

Bulgarians over 65 currently make up 23,5% of the country's population; they are expected to rise to 27,6% by 2034 and 31% by the end of 2060, according to data on the share of people of retirement age published by the National Institute of Statistics

Over €295 million will be invested by the country in the so-called "Vertical Corridor," a key initiative among gas transmission operators from seven Balkan countries to reduce dependence on Russian gas

Human Rights Watch urged the country not to deport Saudi activist Abdulrahman al-Khalid, as deportation would expose him to the risk of torture