"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."
Sunday will be mostly sunny. There will be a temporary increase in clouds in the south-eastern areas. Minimum temperatures will be between minus 2°C and 3°C, with some frost in the plains and valleys, while maximum temperatures will be between 14°C and..
Nine people aged between 35 and 48 have been arrested in special police operations by the Directorate General for Combating Organised Crime against sexual exploitation of children. Two of those arrested had used false identities to contact young..
Construction of the National Children's Hospital will begin in June next year , interim Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said at a briefing. The hospital will have 26 wards and about 400 beds . It will provide complex care for young patients. "The..
A Bulgarian siphoned 2.2 million pounds from the money of British taxpayers, the "Sunday Telegraph" reports. The scheme involved flying..
Caretaker Minister of the Environment and Water, Petar Dimitrov, says he does not think there was a problem in the location of the air..
Construction of the National Children's Hospital will begin in June next year , interim Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said at a briefing. The..
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