Reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The European Commission on Thursday announced that 158.7 million euros have been disbursed to Greece in the form of pre-financing linked to the REPowerEU funds under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

The pre-financing payment follows the approval of Greece's revised recovery and resilience plan, which includes a REPowerEU chapter and the signature of economic agreements.

The price of eggs in Russia is higher by 60 percent.
As reported by many independent Russian portals, when Russians go to home visits, they no longer bring a traditional bottle of vodka or a chocolate cake but bring their hosts eggs as a present.

Cyprus is making an "extremely important" contribution in increasing sanctions pressure on Moscow, said Ukraine's ambassador to the east Mediterranean island, which was long in the spotlight for close business ties with Russia.

Cyprus all but severed those ties when it followed its European Union partners in slapping sanctions on Moscow over the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Bulgaria's Finance Minister, Asen Vassilev, actively participated in the first regular meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) for 2024 in Brussels. The meeting, chaired by the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU, outlined its financial and economic priorities for the initial six months of the year.

The National Customs Agency has launched a comprehensive inspection targeting Lukoil Neftohim Burgas, the Rosenets oil port, and over 50 tax warehouses across Bulgaria that are under restrictive measures due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as confirmed by the agency.

Violation of EU sanctions will be criminalized in the Union.

The Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Parliament have concluded negotiations on European legislation that would introduce criminal acts and penalties for violating sanctions. The directive ensures that those who breach or circumvent the restrictive measures will be prosecuted.

Greek exports retreated for another month, coming to 4.42 billion euros this October compared with €4.85 billion in October 2022, including fuel products, per ELSTAT.

This 8.8% decrease is mainly due to a reduction in prices; however, it is also related to the decline in demand in several European countries and the war in the Middle East.

Bulgaria grapples with a notable decline in its trade sector, as preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) reveals a significant downturn in exports and imports during the initial ten months of 2023.

President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Nov. 8 offering a way for Russian investors to "swap" their frozen assets abroad with the frozen assets of foreign companies in Russia.

Since the conflict in Ukraine, Western countries have introduced a barrage of sanctions against Moscow, blocking its banks from making international payments and freezing Russian assets abroad.

The Kremlin earned about 1 billion euros from the European derogation allowing Bulgaria to continue importing Russian oil.

Politico reports this, citing a joint investigation. It is the work of the non-governmental organization Global Witness, the Center for the Study of Democracy, the Center for Energy and Clean Air Research and the journalist Victor Jack.