Stories about Bulgaria
‘Corona Ciao': Parody of old revolutionary song goes viral in the Balkans
Insult to revolutionary heritage, paean to middle-aged tavern-going privilege or just a bit of fun?
Out of 20,000 COVID-19 cases in the Balkans, more than a third are in Serbia
In Serbia, the government first ignored COVID-19 and even made fun of it.
A new cross-regional anti-disinformation initiative launches in the Balkans
The network includes members from North Macedonia, Greece, Serbia, Kosovo, and Albania, and will work in cooperation with similar groups from other neighboring countries.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day: Auschwitz in pictures
The online archive Znaci.net digitized several photos of Auschwitz from different museums in the former Yugoslavia. They tell the story, among other things, of the Mandić family of prisoners from Croatia.
Bulgarian prosecutor refuses far-right party's request to close down human rights NGO
On September 30, two VMRO-BND officials asked the prosecutor to dissolve the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee for “interfering with the judiciary” and engaging in "openly anti-Bulgarian activities."
Environmentalists raise alarm over hydropower boom in the Balkans
More than 2,700 small hydroelectric plants are either planned or under construction in the region. Critics say governments aren't properly assessing their impacts.
Bulgaria's far-right is attempting to shut down the country's oldest human rights NGO
A member of the European Union since 2007, Bulgaria took a turn to the far-right in 2017 when PM Borisov's center-right party GERB allied itself with a small coalition of nationalist parties.
The oligarchs are the main disinformation proxies in Bulgaria, says local expert
"Patterns of ownership, economic dependency and (in)formal political links of media outlets in the countries under investigation to pro-Russian groups are reflected into corresponding trends of employing Russia-originating propaganda narratives."
A study of Bulgarian far-right proto-militias dismantles the theory of the lone-wolf extremist
Research shows that the members of far-right extremist groups don’t necessarily believe the narratives promoted by their networks about “migrant invasion” or “islamization,” but consider hate speech as useful weapon.
The fight against disinformation in Bulgaria is almost nonexistent, says journalist Ivan Georgiev
"Bulgaria is a border state between the West and the East and it is seen as a weak spot on the European map by the Russian propaganda."
How the word ‘gender’ became a slur in Bulgaria
Homophobia and transphobia are widespread in Bulgaria, whose government has recently cozied up to the extreme right.
Bulgaria's parliament and an educational institute named top privacy violators in ‘Big Brother Awards’
The Bulgarian edition of the Big Brother Awards is back as a means of shaming the worst violators of citizens’ privacy.
The ‘coal curtain’ is the new Iron Curtain
While Western Europe reduces its coal usage, the former Soviet bloc nations are moving in the opposite direction.
Civil society organizations decry new legislation that reduces legal rights in Bulgaria
Many fear that changes to Bulgaria’s Administrative-Procedural Code (APC) are a threat to justice.
As xenophobic policies sweep Central and Eastern Europe, refugee aid is criminalized
While the numbers of refugees entering Europe decrease, political hysteria against them, and civil society organizations that help them in Central and Eastern Europeis on the rise.
Romania's paediatrician shortage crisis signals red flags about its healthcare system
Several hospitals in towns outside the capital Bucharest operate with only one pediatrician on duty. When they take a vacation, the unit has to shut down.
What will it take to #savetheinternet in Europe? The view from Romania
Copyright proposals being pushed by European governance bodies must take into account the nature and potential uses of networked digital technology.
Bulgarian environmental activists score important court victory in struggle to #SavePirin National Park
"Great news for @zazemiata + thousands of people protesting against plans to damage #Pirin national park in Bulgaria! #SavePirin"
Pressured by protests, the Bulgarian government increases funding for pediatric healthcare
"Our children and youth are the treasure of the whole country! Let's support the great doctors and nurses, who save our children's lives."
From Graffiti to Politics, Anti-Semitic and Neo-Nazi Speech Is Becoming More Visible in Eastern Europe
Activists in the region have been sounding the alarm about increasingly emboldened hate speech against Jewish people and apology for perpetrators of the Holocaust.
Did the Macedonian Orthodox Church Really Start a ‘Crusade’ Against a UNESCO-Protected World-Heritage Custom?
An attempt to preach against UNESCO-protected wearing traditional white and red good luck charms by the Macedonian Orthodox Church seems to have backfired.