A response to ‘Encyclopaedic example’

Modern day politics is fixated on national narratives, and here our history is becoming more dubious by the day.

UEFA Europa League: Levski Sofia departs for Spain

Zhivko Milanov: "I am still in pain but nearly fully fit. As such, I think I can play for 30 minutes."

Music in May: Depechez-vous!

Fans now have a second chance to enjoy the legendary UK band perform in Sofia.

DJ Sasha to perform on Metropolis' birthday

DJ Sasha will perform in Bulgaria on May 16 following the release of his much anticipated and acclaimed latest album, Invol2ver

Appointments

A two-week odyssey

The truth is that it is Greek. But still the debate continues. "Odessa is a Ukrainian name," Anastasia Kalutskaya, a 13-year-old from Kiev, says. Varna resident Stoyan Radoulov (15) maintains that the original name of his hometown, Odessos, is Bulgarian in origin. Whatever the conclusion, Anastasia, six other teenagers and two grown-ups spent an educational holiday along the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, representing

Day-centre in Sofia awarded Project of the Year Award 2007

The Project of the Year Award 2007 was awarded to the day-centre for the rehabilitation and re-socialisation of addicts. The centre is run by the organisation Fight against epidemic diseases and drug addiction in Sofia. The award is a competition for the best social NGO Project of the Year 2007 and is an initiative of the Tulip Foundation.

Defragmenting Bulgarian economy

The 10th economic summit of the Central European Initiative (CEI) member states, which took place November 20-21 in Sofia, was a congregation of events, public officials, business executives and journalists. More than 1600 participants and 160 journalists attended the region's oldest and largest forum. With its 18 member states, the CEI covers an area of 2.4 million sq km, half that of the European

Business Briefs

BULGARIA TO BECOME ATTRACTIVE IT OUTSOURCING DESTINATION

Bulgaria becomes attractive IT outsourcing destination, Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria general manager Sasha Bezouhanova said. Bezouhanova took part in a meeting of Bulgarian information and communication technology (ICT) business organisation, Bulgarian ICT Cluster. Many European IT companies started to move their activities abroad. Outsourcing is the most dynamically developing business line in

The Musical Side of Rousse

The Danube River has served as more than just a conduit for barges and brownish-grey water. Every March, talented musicians from along its banks and beyond converge to the port town of Rousse to take part in a two week musical festival, known as the March Music Days International Festival (MMD). Wandering through the city, except for a few banners, casual visitors would not have got the impression that a

INSUFFICIENT NUMBER OF EXPERTS IN BULGARIA HINDERS INVESTMENT- BEZUHANOVA

Investment interest in Bulgaria is high but the country lacks sufficient number of professionals to meet it, deputy president of Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIBG) Sasha Bezuhanova said. Bezuhanova took part in a conference on the development of higher education in Bulgaria. When businesses employed young specialists lacking sufficient skills, they wasted time and resources on

READING ROOM: Bulgaria's most influential women

Meglena Kouneva - European Commissioner for Consumer Protection Born in 1957 in Sofia, Meglena Kouneva is a law school graduate and worked as a journalist for the law programme on Bulgarian National Radio while simultaneously being an assistant professor at Sofia University. In 1990, she took a job as a senior legal adviser at the Cabinet, which she held until June 2001, when she was elected a

HPB withdraws from Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies

Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria (HPB) officially withdrew from the Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies (BAIT) on January 24, as previously reported by The Sofia Echo. Among the main motives of HPB is the fact that BAIT not only does not represent HPB's interests, but also works against the reputation and the name of HPB. "The association is discrediting significant events in a business and

STREET TALK: To the other side of the world - and back

Like other fishermen in the gulf, Dimcho Cholakov would spend weeks on end cut off from civilisation, braving inclement weather and the prospect of falling overboard into the freezing, murky depths, all in pursuit the mother lode. Unlike them however, he had come from the other side of the world to partake in the fun. Growing up in Varna, Cholakov, now 53, had no particular inclination for water, save the

APPOINTMENTS: DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach in Bulgaria

BULGARIA NEEDS ENGINEERS - ECONOMY MINISTER

Bulgaria's industry needed 30 000 to 40 000 engineers, Economy and Energy Minister Roumen Ovcharov said, Darik Radio reports. The investments in Bulgaria's energy industry were commensurate with the resources Bulgaria could receive from the EU, Ovcharov said, according to Darik. The question was whether Bulgaria would have the capacity to use all the resources invested in the sector, he said. Confederation of

Economic and social development pact signed in Bulgaria

Bulgaria will enter the European Union on January 1 2007 with an Economic and Social Development Pact (ESDP), signed by the Government, trade unions and employers' organisations. This is the first time in Bulgaria's post-communist history that such an agreement has been signed. The ESDP envisages the economic and social development of Bulgaria for the period up to 2009. The pact was signed on

E-GOVERNMENT NEEDED TO COUNTER CORRUPTION IN BULGARIA

The introduction of e-government was among the measures needed to counter corruption practices in Bulgaria, Bulgarian International Business Organisation (BIBA) president Sasha Bezuhanova said. On July 26 Bezuhanova would take part in a summit, during which representatives of Bulgarian business organisations would propose collective measures against corruption and the introduction of monitoring mechanisms.

EMPLOYERS AND INDUSTRIALISTS IN BULGARIA MERGE

On May 5 the Employers Association of Bulgaria (EAB) and the Bulgarian International Business Association (BIBA) merged to create the new Confederation of the Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIBG). With its 370 member companies, the CEIBG generates over two thirds of the total national production., 24 Chassa reported. The companies participating in the organisation provide 75 per cent of the country's

Economy briefs

BULGARIA OFFERS GOOD OUTSOURCING OPPORTUNITIES

Reforms in Bulgaria finally started moving the country away from its communist past, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. At the same time Eastern Europe is seen as one of the best outsourcing destinations. The two factors make Bulgaria an attractive place for the re-location of business activities, the newspaper reported. Major companies, like Hewlett Packard already announced their plans to open

Economist outlines Bulgaria's challenges before and after EU accession

Improvements to infrastructure and reforming the state administration are Bulgaria's main challenges on the way to the European Union and will remain so after the country joins the EU. This was said on March 21 by Delia Meth-Cohn, senior consultant at Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for CEEMEA (Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa). She was among speakers at the Sixth Business Round Table with the

IT SECTOR IN BULGARIA SEES POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS

Bulgaria is well-known with its IT sector, President of the Bulgarian International Business Association and General Manager of Hewlett- Packard Sasha Bezuhanova said. The country possesses a good expert resource, one of the reasons behind Hewlett- Packard's decision to open 1000 new work places.

HP to open a global centre in Sofia

HEWLETT-Packard (HP) said on January 25 it had chosen Sofia for setting up one of its global support centres. The centre would provide remote services for management of the IT infrastructure to customers and partners of the company in Europe

The Sofia Echo 2005 news quiz

Bulgarian businesses supportive of unpopular measures

LARGE businesses in Bulgaria are in support of the Cabinet's unpopular measures that are to be taken in line with the country's accession to the European Union. Economy and Energy Minister Roumen Ovcharov said this on November 4 after a meeting of the Economic Growth Council (EGC). The council features business representatives and government officials and is a consultative body to the Cabinet.

Background

ON walks up and down Vitosha Boulevard I have often passed Background, peering through an open hallway to a delightful-looking garden eating area. I only recently ventured through the passageway, but was delighted indeed with what I found. Tables were available on a couple of levels under white canopies. A few trees rose between the tables, tiny white lights winding up their trunks. Unfortunately, my visit coincided with a recent spell of cold weather...

READING ROOM: Making money grow on trees

Conservation and profitability through ecotourism

Tourism is big business in Bulgaria, and business is booming on the Black Sea coast. But as seaside villages disappear under a plethora of hotels and tourists complain about the ubiquitous construction works, the industry could be in danger of becoming a victim of its own success. SASHA GALITZKI looks at a more sustainable option for tourism in Bulgaria.

DSK named bank of the year

DSK Bank was named Bank of the Year 2004 on July 13, receiving its prize from President Goergi Purvanov at a ceremony held at Grand Hotel Sofia. DSK, which is owned by the Hungarian banking group OTP, posted a 73 million leva after-tax profit for 2004, a 60 per cent increase compared to the year before. The bank's assets grew to 3.2 billion leva in 2004, while its deposit base went up to 2.6 billion leva.