The European Commission has come up with a neutral statement regarding the recent assault against Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Macedonia Ivan Petkov.

The issue has to be resolved at a bilateral level, according to Peter Stano, spokesman of EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele.

“If the case is criminal, we expect local authorities to investigate it, adhering to the rule of law,” Stano has stated, as cited by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.

The European Commission expects Bulgaria and Macedonia to settle their relations “like European neighbors,” the spokesman has declared.

Brussels believes that if an issue exists between the two countries, they have to resolve it at a bilateral level.

On May 4, Petkov and a Bulgarian delegation were not admitted to Bulgarian revolutionary Gotse Delchev‘s grave in Skopje and were attacked by a group of nationalist Macedonian “hooligans,” with no one being hurt.

The attack was strongly condemned by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Presidednt Rosen Plevneliev, among others.

The authorities in Macedonia‘s capital Skopje have prevented Bulgarian diplomats and Macedonians with Bulgarian self-consciousness from honoring the grave of Gotse Delchev at several instances in the past on both Delchev’s birthday – February 4, and the day of his death – May 4.

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The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) will file a lawsuit at the European Court of Human Rights over the death of a 15-year-old at a state-run childcare institution.

The human rights NGO will sue the state over the death of a 15-year-old mentally disabled girl at an institution located in the northeastern village of Strazha.

The girl died in 2006 from gastrointestinal perforation.

She was subjected to an operation, which failed to save her life, but recovered the following items from her stomach: 25 insoles, 8 cloth rags, 3 dishwashing sponges, 6 socks, 3 pieces of paper and 3 stones (3-4 cm in size).

The prosecuting authority did not hold anybody liable for the death.

The inspection covered only the activities of the hospital staff, while the activities of the child institution, under whose supervision the child had swallowed the deadly pile of objects, were left unexamined.

No details were revealed about how the accident had happened.

The BHC appealed the ruling for the termination of the pre-trial proceedings on the, claiming that the circumstances surrounding the death of the 15-year-old girl had to be clarified.

In November 2011, the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office of Cassation upheld the termination of the pre-trial proceedings conclusively.

In its claim to the ECHR the BHC will claim that the state violated a number of rights in the case, including the girl’s right to life, right to freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment, right to private life, right to an effective domestic remedy and the right to freedom from discrimination.

The vanishing of sentenced Bulgarian businessmen known as Galevi Brothers will have a negative effect on the EU‘s July monitoring report on Bulgaria, according to Bulgarian Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov.

“Of course, there is no way that this event can be positively taken. The European Commission has repeatedly insisted that it wants to see criminals punished,” explained Tsvetanov.

Controversial Dupnitsa businessmen Plamen Galev and Angel Hristov were convicted to 3 and 4 years in jail for organized crime activities.

But May 3 it turned out that they are nowhere to be found, after they failed to present themselves to serve their sentences.

Saturday Tsvetanov did not fail to use his usual rhetoric device by blaming Bulgaria’sjudiciary for the disappearance of the so-called brothers.

“It is the court that could have prevented this to happen by imposing detention on the defendants, rather than a bail,” said the Bulgarian Minister of Interior.

The Galevi Brothers were on BGN 100,000 bail, which they chose to forfeit rather than render themselves after being sentenced.

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Bulgarian EU commissioner Kristalina Georgieva is in her home country to take part Wednesday in festivities marking May 9, Europe Day.

Together with President Rosen Pleveneliev, Georgieva will take part in the opening of a public debate ”Bulgaria – Five Years in the EU. Let’s Transfer European Ideas to the University. Is the European Project Exhausted?”.

The debate is organized in partnership with the youth team “Europe,” the Sofia University student council, and the European youth movement “Bulgaria.” It will take place in the aula of Sofia University, beginning at 10 am Wednesday.

At noon, the Commissioner will attend the performance of the EU anthem Ode to Joy from Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th Symphony by 30 school orchestras in the park in front of the National “Ivan Vazov” Theater in downtown Sofia.

Georgieva’s agenda also includes a meeting with her Facebook friends to be held at the Radisson Blue hotel in Sofia at 12:30 pm. The meeting is open to all who confirm their attendance at http://www.facebook.com/events/402299503137271/

In the evening, the Commissioner will take part in the official opening ceremony of the Festival of European Cinema at the National Palace of Culture at 7:30 pm.

Bulgaria notified RAPEX, a European rapid alert system for dangerous products, a total of 162 times in 2011, thus accounting for 10% of all EU notifications.

The Balkan country is topped only by Spain (189 notifications, 12%).

In 2011, for the first time since the start of the operation of the currentRAPEX system (in 2004), the total number of notifications on products posing a serious risk to the health and safety of consumers decreased by 20% (1803 notifications, down from 2244 in 2010).

This is compared with annual increases of 81% in 2005, 24% in 2006, 53% in 2007, 16% in 2008, 7% in 2009 and 13% in 2010.

According to the RAPEX Report, the majority of dangerous products posing serious risks to the health and safety of consumers notified through RAPEX came from outside the EU – (China, Turkey).

China (including Hong Kong) was indicated as a country of origin for 54% (839 notifications) of notified products.

Dangerous products of European origin accounted for 293 notifications (19%), including 44 products of French origin (3%), 43 products of German origin (3%) and 32 products of Italian origin (2%).

EU leaders will assemble on an emergency European Council May 23 to discuss measures to stimulate economic growth in the Union.

This was revealed Tuesday byEuropean Council PresidentHerman Van Rompuy on his Twitter account.

The announcement comes in the wake of a special statement byEuropean Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso calling for stepping up measures to create growth in the EU.

In his address, Barroso recalled prior stimulus measures proposed by the Commission which he said he would like to see implemented.

The EC President further stressed he hopes for swift developments that could make the effects of the measures be felt before the end of the year.

Some have connected the move with Sunday’s election of socialist Francois Hollande, an adversary to excessive austerity, to be France’s next President.

European Commissioner for Financial Affairs Olli Rehn had already issued a statement suggesting that Europe should move away from preoccupation with austerity and concentrate on promoting growth to tackle the crisis.

The May 23 European Council is set to be a difficult one, as the leaders of EUJuggernaut Germany – Chancellor Angela Merkel and her FinMin Wolfgang Schaeuble - are staunch defenders of financial stringency and austerity.

Bulgaria is starting a process of decentralization, and it can make good use of Switzerland‘s know-how, according to President Rosen Plevneliev.

Plevneliev welcomed in Sofia Thursday Hans Altherr, President of the Council of States of Switzerland, the smaller and upper house of the Swiss Federal Assembly, the Bulgarian Presidency press service reported.

Plevneliev and Altherr have praised the excellent bilateral relations, stating the institutions of Bulgaria and Switzerland should ensure that the ties between the two states remain that way.

Bulgaria’s head of state has expressed gratitude for the Swiss development aid to Bulgaria granted as part of Switzerland‘s contribution to the new EU member states, and amounting to CHF 76 M.

Plevneliev has presented to Altherr what is said to be the planned administrativedecentralization in Bulgaria, the Presidency said, apparently referring to the very recent and still controversial plan of Deputy PM and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov to disperse state agencies and government ministries around the country.

“Bulgaria will be implementing consistently a process of decentralization and directing resources to its regions. This is part of the process of forming and standing up for national priorities within the multi-annual financial framework of the EU for the 2014-2020 programming period,” Plevneliev told Altherr.

He has also declared Bulgaria’s gratitude for the Swiss expertise during Bulgaria’s preparation for accession to the visa-free Schengen Area as well as hopes that Bulgaria and Switzerland will sign soon a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz has thrown his weight behindBulgarian Socialist Party leader and ex PM Sergey Stanishev for the permanent post of President of the Party of European Socialists.

Schulz, who was also the leader of the European Socialists in the European Parliament before taking it over, had a guest lecture at Sofia University Thursday, organized by the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

The EP head made clear his support for Stanishev’s bid to become permanently in charge of the PES. Stanishev, who was Bulgaria’s Prime Minister in 2005-2009, was elected interim president of the Party of European Socialists on November 24, 2011, after the previous leader Poul Nyrup Rasmussen resigned for health reasons.

Stanishev is expected to remain the interim chief of PES until the party congress in September 2012. Schulz’s support for him comes just ahead of the congress of theBulgarian Socialist Party on May 19-20, 2012, in which Stanishev will battle his former mentor and ex President Georgi Parvanov for the party leadership.

“It’s not just that I support Stanishev. I was one of the people who endorsed him and nominated him [for the PES Presidency]. Before becoming the President of theEuropean Parliament I was also the chairperson of the Social-Democrats,” Schulz stated at his lecture in Sofia, as cited by Focus, stressing that Stanishev got elected unanimously as the interim head of PES.

“He is one of my best friends among the Social-Democrats in Europe. I think I supported him not only because of his competence and personal qualities but also because we have an indication that Bulgaria is a normal member of the EU, and this is no exception. It is very prestigious to have a Bulgarian at this position, and it shows that we are part of a single continent. It is a very positive signal that Bulgarian politician is in charge of an European political party. This is good for Bulgaria,” Schulz said at his public lecture in the Bulgarian capital, which was entitled “The European Way Out of the Crisis.”

The European Commission has approved a state aid scheme for the participation of Bulgarian Shepherd Dogs in international cynology exhibitions in 2012, according to an announcement of the Bulgarian Agriculture Ministry.

The money will be transferred to the Bulgarian Cynology Club.

The assistance will be available to registered agricultural producers breeding purebred dogs under the supervision of the Bulgarian Cynology Club.

The scheme envisages funding for up to 69% of the costs for the participation in three dog shows – in Ukraine’s Odessa, Spain’s Lorca and Germany’s Berlin.

The EC will also grant 100% of the funding of the printing of a catalogue titled “History, Present and Future of the Bulgarian Shepherd Dog“.

The participation in dog shows is aimed at popularizing the achievements and the potential of the Bulgarian Shepherd Dog.

On November 13, 2010, then- Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin was given a Bulgarian Shepherd Dog puppy as a gift during his one-day visit in Sofia.

On April 29, 2012  Russian Patriarch Kiril was also given a Bulgarian Shepherd Dog puppy during his three-day visit to Bulgaria.

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Bulgaria’s 300-capacity transit centre for asylum seekers in the Southeastern village of Pastrogor will be officially inaugurated on Thursday.

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is set to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the center, local media announce.

The opening of the transit center had been obstructed by years of delays. It was declared ready already in 2007. However, it was not until 2011 that it received the so-called Act 16 certificate, which would confirm that the construction has been finished.

The Patrogor Transit Center has been criticized by some observers who claim it will operate as a “closed” (or secure) facility that denies asylum seekers freedom of movement, the Global Detention Project pointed out in 2011.

Other observers, however, have offered a different characterization, saying that the transit facility is intended to be non-secure.

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