The Bulgarian PM made it clear that his government will put up a lot of efforts into the negotiations for the EU funding for Otherwise, when we are holding talks for the next budget framework, they will say, "We will grant you a billion over what you've absorbed, and that's it," Borisov said. He revealed that EU Commissioner Hahn has recommended that Bulgaria should team up with its neighbors when demanding EU money for certain projects because each EU member state is trying to get more EU funding because of the economic crisis; an example in hand is Bulgaria's joint project with Romania for the construction of the second bridge on the Danube River, the so called Danube Bridge 2.
EU Commissioner for Regional Development pointed out that Bulgaria has achieved a certain degree of progress in the absorption of EU funds but that it is still lagging behind. You are already catching up, and have achieved remarkable progress. The absorption rate is increasing. He did point out, however, that Bulgaria's hopes for a more massive amounts of EU funds for the period might be frustrated if the EC draft proposal in question is adopted; in this case, the money that Bulgaria will be entitled to get from the EU will exceed barely the amount slated for it for At his joint news conference with Bulgarian Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, EU Commissioner for Budget and Financial Planning Janusz Lewandowski , who was also in Sofia on Friday, also said that for the next seven-year financial period Bulgaria will certainly be entitled to at least as much EU money as it was entitled to receive in An improvised explosive device blew up late on Thursday the car of a popular Bulgarian journalist, known for his harsh criticism against the center-right government.
Sasho Dikov, the owner of the car, is program director of private television Kanal 3. The journalist, known also for his fiery temper, told his channel that he "has received absolutely no threats from anyone, no matter how incredible this may sound.
The blast exploded about 10 pm in front of the residential building where Dikov lives and coincided with the visit of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to Bulgaria. The blasts came right before the European Commission published its annual report on Bulgaria's progress in the fight against organised crime and corruption and just a day after Bulgaria's centrist and leftist opposition tabled in parliament a no confidence motion against the cabinet of Boyko Borisov, which the two targeted parties supported.
Rumors emerged, suggesting that the blasts were just PR tricks, masterminded by the parties themselves, and drawing parallels to the bomb that exploded in front of the offices of Galeria, an anti-government newspaper, early on February 10 in downtown Sofia. The two heads of the newspaper are widely believed to have ordered the blast, under the guidance of Aleksei Petrov, a highly controversial businessman, considered to be the prime minister's archenemy, patron of the weekly and closely linked to RZS.
