Financial regulation

Private diagnostic centers across the country will be on strike on Thursday, Friday and Saturday amid a disagreement with the Health Ministry over its so-called clawback policy.

The European Commission is working on its biggest regulatory push on banking since the 2008 financial crash that could curb Britain's access to the bloc, according to an internal draft document seen by Reuters.

The Bulgarian MPs have unanimously adopted amendments to the Measures Against Money Laundering Act at First Reading, Focus News Agency reports. The bill was supported by 88 MPs with no votes against and abstentions. The bill was tabled by the Chair of the Internal Committee and GERB MP Plamen Nunev and a group of MPs.

Parliament will vote in first reading today amendments to the Defense and Armed Forces Act of the Republic of Bulgaria. This includes the draft program for MPs for this week.
 

Excellent bilateral dialogue, strategic partnership in a number of areas, intensive relations at all levels in the administration and in the political spectrum, as well as bilateral relations in the field of international legal cooperation - these were only some of the topics discussed at a meeting between the Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva and US Chief Prosecutor and Justice Ministe

Greece's conservative opposition Monday requested that the head of the country's anti-money laundering authority, Anna Zairi, appear before the Parliament's Institutions and Transparency Committee to respond to questions about the alleged scandal involving government aide Manolis Petsitis, as well as the reported dismissal of a senior official investigating the case.

The abolition of the clawback measure, whereby pharmaceutical companies have to hand money over to the state when public spending on drugs exceeds the amount budgeted for, would offer a major incentive for new investments in the industry.

The 28 member states of the European Union all backed a decision on March 7 to reject a proposal from the EU executive to add Saudi Arabia to a blacklist of countries suspected of being lax on terrorist financing and money-laundering.

Spanish Civil Guard announced on Saturday that one of the most wanted Spanish drug traffickers was arrested in Bulgaria, who changed his appearance by significantly increasing his weight and preparing to flee to Venezuela, the France press reported.

The Greek tax administration is trying to trace any suspicious transactions that may conceal money laundering through the new E3 tax declaration form.