BNR

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is set to visit Brussels on Thursday, December 4, to meet EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The South Stream gas pipeline project, which Moscow is renouncing according to a statement of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be at the core of their discussions, Juncker was quoted by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) as saying.

The life of a 48-year-old is in danger after the second self-immolation in Bulgaria within slightly over 24 hours, officials say.

Authorities reveal that according to a witness account the man was by the church at Sandanski's cemetery when he doused himself with "a liquid" and set himself on fire, public broadcaster BNR reports.

A single Ministry of Tourism is necessary to secure the budget framework which the sector precisely needs, caretaker Deputy Economy and Energy Minister Branimir Botev believes.

EU should back the Southern Gas Corridor, a project rivaling the South Stream gas pipeline, as a means to provide security of energy supplies, Slovakia's EU Commissioner designate Maroš Šefčovič has said.

The Board of the National Bank of Romania (BNR, the central bank) decided on Tuesday to cut the key interest rate to 3% per year, from 3.25%, as of October 1, 2014, and also to slash the mandatory minimum reserve rate applicable to the lei liabilities of credit institutions to 10% from 12%, as of the enforcement period October 24 to November 23, 2014, reads a BNR release.

A political party called Nova Bulgaria ("New Bulgaria") removed the names of two MP candidates from its list for the October 5 early elections.

The organization sent a letter to public broadcaster BNR just a day after the Files Commission published online a list of candidates from all parties that were State Security (DS) agents during the Soviet-bloc era.

The EU Commission will put aside a total of EUR 30 M for trans-border cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkey in 2014-2020, media sources say.

A possible eruption of Iceland's biggest glacier, the Vattnajokull, is unlikely to prompt severe traffic disruptions, a EU source has explained.

Vattnajokull is also the country's second-highest peak.

The source, however, has added that air traffic might be disrupted as some EU member states might take the step.

Bulgaria has failed to take full advantage of the benefits of its membership in the European Union, outgoing German Ambassador in Bulgaria Matthias Hoepfner said.

The Bulgarian government should seek a new loan adding BGN 3.4 B to mitigate the impact of developments at the Corporate Commercial Bank (KTB), the government says.

Its latest move was agreed Monday during political consultations at Bulgaria's Presidency aimed at looking into options to manage the crisis.