"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 sunny and hot. Clouds will form in the afternoon, and there may be brief showers in isolated places in the Eastern part of the country. Minimum temperatures 18-23° C., for Sofia 18° C. Maximum temperatures 35-40° C., for Sofia 35°..
On this day in 1991 the Seventh Grand National Assembly adopted the new Constitution of Bulgaria and dissolved itself, BTA recalls. This was the first new constitution in the former socialist camp, which came into effect the very next day, July 13. On..
The Bulgarian MPs have adopted regulations for the organization and activities of the National Assembly, BTA reported. The majority rejected the proposals of "Vazrazhdane" and ITN to have the MPs tested for drugs. ITN's proposal provided for the..
The largest archaeological campaign ever conducted on Perperikon has begun, BTA reports. Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, head of the research at..
After 17 MPs from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, MRF, were expelled, among them the party’s other co-chair Dzevdet Chakarov, MRF MP Ahmed..
Greece’s Minister of Defence Nikos Dendias announced that Greece, Bulgaria and Romania are to establish a military mobility corridor in NATO’s Eastern..
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