The July 23 2008 report by the European Commission on Bulgaria, with its stark criticism of the country’s shortcomings in the fight against organised crime and corruption, fuelled Bulgaria’s domestic political drama and gave ammunition to Sofia’s critics abroad.

In the issue of The Sofia Echo published on July 25, there are full details of the key points of the report along with a summary of reaction.

July 24 saw the first anniversary of the release of Bulgaria’s Libya medics, an anniversary that brought to the fore their continuing trauma and their frustrations at what they see as being let down by the Government. Elitsa Savova reports on the Libya medics, one year on.

Foreign lawyers practising in Bulgaria are at odds with their local counterparts about the foreign lawyers’ complaint that obstacles are being put in their way to competing for business on an equal basis with Bulgarian lawyers. The Sofia Echo has details.

In our regular coverage of news from South Eastern Europe, Spasena Baramova sums up the latest political dramas in Turkey.

On the property front, Svetlana Guineva outlines the fight over developments at the Black Sea town of Tsarevo.

In the features section, Eva Stoeva takes a look at the baby boom in Bulgaria, while Marty Nikolova delves into the geocaching craze, and our film reviewer Pavel Ivanov gives his take on the Dark Knight and Hellboy 2.

The Sofia Echo this week has all its regular features, including restaurant and venue reviews, television, cinema and entertainment listings, and sports coverage.

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