"The Bulgarian army is currently 5,600 soldiers short. One of the reasons is the low starting salary of 608 Leva a month," said Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov. In his words the most serious problem is that around 30-40 percent of the people applying for professional soldiers are unfit for reasons of health or education.
He added that before a conscription army can be reinstated, for which he says he will be supported by GERB party, the number of military education classes at school must be increased and voluntary service introduced.
Karakachanov says further that the EU is not ready to set up a single defence structure, an idea Bulgaria supports:
"Bulgaria is in favour of the formation of such a defence structure but that is a process. Seeing as we have NATO, this compatibility must be looked into, how a European defence will fit into the picture. There are European countries which are not members of NATO. There are European countries which are more skeptical, others are more enthusiastic like France and Germany."
Saturday will be mostly sunny. Scattered high clouds will appear over western areas in the afternoon. Light winds will blow from east-northeast. Maximum temperatures will be between 18° and 23°C, around 20°C in Sofia. In the mountains it will be..
At midnight today, the campaign for the general election, to be held on Sunday 27 October, officially ends . Saturday is a day of silence. As of 23 October, 21 of the 28 parties and coalitions had signed contracts for media coverage of their..
Lawyers in Sofia, Burgas, Ruse and other cities have come out to protest against what they say is an illegitimate procedure for the election of the Prosecutor General. The election process should be stopped and a new SJC should elect a reputable and..
BGN 1,454 (EUR 738) per month is needed for a working person to be self-sufficient and live according to Bulgarian standards. For a family of three,..
Cows locked in a lorry have been stranded for six days in the buffer zone between the Kapitan Andreevo and Kapikule border crossings. Two of the..
Bulgaria is hosting the annual meeting of the ECTAA - European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Association - the largest event of the institution that..
Partly Cloudy
Clear