Member states of the United Nations

Bulgarian tour operators are concerned by a possible drop in the number of Ukrainian and Russian tourists this summer.

According to the newspaper Capital Daily, another reason, besides severe tensions between the two countries, is the fall in value of the Ukrainian hryvnia and the Russian ruble to the euro – by 46 and 20 per cent respectively.

Bulgarians are increasingly breaking family gathering traditions and booking trips for the Easter holidays.

The Bulgarian touroperators are concerned by the possible drop of number of Ukrainian and Russian tourists this summer. 

According to Bulgarian-language Capital Daily, another reason, besides the tensions between the two countries, is the depreciation of the Ukrainian hryvnia and the Russian ruble to the Euro – with 46 and 20%, respectively. 

Bulgaria is last but one in the EU by government expenditure on education as a share of the GDP, according to Eurostat data for 2012.

Pictures from Macedonia's capital Skopje can be seen at the European Parliament's visitors center in a short film dedicated to Sofia.

The story presented by the film starts with the 1997 protests that rocked Bulgaria's capital and goes on with later years of transition to market economy in the country.

Serbia lowest-ranked in region on enabling trade index

BELGRADE -- Serbia fell on the list of the Global Enabling Trade Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and is now 89th among 138 countries.

Two years ago, in the previous report, Serbia was 71st of 132 countries, the Beta news agency reported.

Bulgaria's mountain resort Bansko is in The Telegraph's World's top 20 places for the good life, ahead of Paris and Tuscany.

According to the newspaper, it is in the number three spot, below Andalusia in Spain and Gascony in France. 

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said on Wednesday that the country needed to spend more on the armed forces.

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin ratified on Wednesday the Russian-Serbian agreement on the status of military cemeteries, which created the legal basis for the maintenance of Russian military cemeteries, monuments and memorials in the territory of Serbia, the Kremlin website released.

BELGRADE - Hungarian Ambassador to Serbia Oszkar Nikowitz said on Wednesday that he expects that the envisaged infrastructure projects, such as high-speed rail lines between Belgrade and Budapest, and Szeged and Subotica, and the launch of an Air Serbia flight from Belgrade to Budapest, will contribute to the overall economic cooperation between Hungary and Serbia.