| SOFIA Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, often accused by critics of promoting pro-Russian views, unexpectedly announced on Friday his intention to initiate a national referendum to delay the introduction of the euro, just weeks before the country is expected to receive approval for eurozone accession in 2026. Read more.
European Commission takes Bulgaria to court over road toll violations. The European Commission has referred Bulgaria to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for failing to transpose EU rules on the charging of vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures. The case comes after three years of non-compliance with the 2022 EU directive that mandates road charges to reflect not only distance or travel time but also environmental damage caused by vehicles, including CO2 emissions, noise pollution, and congestion.
Under the “polluter pays” and “user pays” principles, the new rules were to be implemented by 25 March 2024. Despite a formal notice sent by Brussels a year ago, followed by a reasoned opinion, Bulgaria has not made the necessary legislative changes. Bulgaria is a key transit country for land-based trade between Asia and Europe, with its border with Turkey frequently cited by Bulgarian authorities as the second busiest in the world, after the US-Mexico border. So far, Bulgaria has only provided the Commission with a timeline for adopting the measures required to implement the EU directive, but the rules have yet to be introduced. As a result, the European Commission has initiated legal proceedings, requesting the imposition of financial penalties against Bulgaria. Similar infringement actions have been launched against Greece and Poland, which have also failed to implement the new road toll requirements. In a separate development, the CJEU has already imposed two fines of €1 million each on Bulgaria for a two-and-a-half-year delay in transposing two directives related to copyright law. The deadline for implementing the directives into national law expired on June 7, 2021, but Bulgaria only complied with the rules as of 1 December 2023. (Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)
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BUCHAREST
Tens of thousands join pro-Europe demonstrations in Bucharest and other cities. A pro-European rally took place on Friday evening in Bucharest and other major Romanian cities under the slogan “One Path – Europe.” Participants carried the message “We go out to vote, we stay in the EU” and sang the Ode to Joy. According to protest organizer Mihai Rădună, around 20,000 people joined the march in Bucharest. “We are still closer to Paris and London than to Moscow,” declared several speakers, emphasising that the demonstration supported not any political candidate, but rather democracy and freedom. Most demonstrators called for a high voter turnout. “We go out to vote, we stay in the EU” and “We vote, we do not leave” were among the chants of the people. In Timișoara, western Romania, members of civil society, writers, and students also urged people to vote for a European Romania. “Putin, don’t forget, Romania is not yours!” they shouted. Despite far-right leader George Simion’s claims that he has no ties to Russia and does not intend to take Romania out of the EU, many Romanians fear that his recent statements could weaken the country’s position within the Union. “Europe doesn’t exist as a single entity, there are 27 states that make up the EU,” Simion said on Thursday evening during the first televised debate on Euronews between the two second-round presidential candidates. Simion also declared that “Romania will not give a single penny to another country” and argued that Romania must align “perfectly” with the Trump administration. Another statement that raised concern was his endorsement of Viktor Orbán’s "state policies," which he pledged to implement if elected president. (Cătălina Mihai | Euractiv.ro) | 
