"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."
In the first four months of the year, export of goods from Bulgaria to the European Union decreased by 4.2% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 8.6 million euros, BGNES reports, quoting data from the National..
An operation by the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime and the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor's Office has uncovered the largest illegal cigarette factory to date, Radio Stara Zagora of the Bulgarian National Radio has..
Albania is extremely committed to security and peace in the region, said the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Elisa Spiropali, who is on an official visit to Sofia. After a meeting with her Bulgarian counterpart Natalia Kiselova,..
Sofia will now have night public transport connecting the centre with Vasil Levski Airport , according to the press centre of the Sofia Municipality...
A global leader in the production of robotic and minimally invasive surgical equipment has officially opened a new manufacturing facility in Parvomay ,..
An operation by the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime and the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor's Office has uncovered the..
Partly Cloudy
Clear