Europe 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
Europe Bulgaria In the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union the last vote took place for Bulgaria's full entry into the Schengen area; the vote established the abolition of land controls as of 1 January 2025
Europe Bulgaria The draft budget for 2025 foresees an increase in funds for education from 4,1% to 4,8% of the country's gross domestic product, +0,7% compared to last year
Europe Bulgaria Foreign direct investment recorded a positive net inflow of €1,24bn in the first nine months of 2024, equivalent to 1,2% of the GDP, according to data from the Bulgarian National Bank, a decrease of 63,3% compared to the same period in 2023
Europe Bulgaria General Bulgarian car fleet shows an ageing trend, with over 70% of the vehicles on the road being over 15 years old, and only 4,6% of cars less than five years old