The implementation of the priority projects of the Three Seas Initiative will dramatically change the situation in the sustainable development of the region and Europe as a whole, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said in his opening address at the Sixth Summit of the Three Seas Initiative in Sofia on Friday. “The constant development of those projects, of which there are 90 in 2021, is a sign of the level of our ambitions,” he said.

Seven heads of state are travelling to Sofia to participate in the Three Seas Initiative, which will take place on 8 and 9 July. The forum will also be attended, albeit virtually, by US President Joseph Biden, who will make a video address at the start of the conference.

In the span of five weeks, 602 foreign companies sent letters about intended investments in Bulgaria, caretaker Economy Minister Kiril Petkov told a briefing on Tuesday during which he reported on the results of a competition to this end among the economic advisors of Bulgarian services for trade and economic issues abroad.

Bulgaria still does not fully meet the minimum standards for elimination of human trafficking, but it is making significant efforts in this direction. This was stated in the latest Trafficking in Persons Report of the US Department of State, BNR reported.

The General Directorate Combating Organised Crime at the Ministry of Interior together with the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, and with the support of EMPACT, have launched a campaign to prevent trafficking in human beings with a focus on sexual exploitation, named Blind Betting (https://youtu.be/KnXXluzMad8). This campaign, which was planned and implemented entirely by a Bulgarian team, is conducted under the slogan Don't Gamble With Your Future. It aims at drawing the attention of the public and groups at risk to the methods of engaging in trafficking, identifying and supporting the victims of sexual exploitation.

Greece will open the Exochi checkpoint on its border with Bulgaria to tourists travelling by car and bus, Regional Governor of Blagoevgrad Nikolay Shoushkov said on Friday, citing information received at the Bulgarian Embassy in Athens from the chief secretary of the Greek foreign ministry.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said on Thursday in Brussels that North Macedonia's faster progress to the EU depends only on its dialogue with Bulgaria, BTA reported.

Economy Minister Kiril Petkov (not pictured) on Thursday attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a photovoltaic power station, Aurubis-1, in Zlatitsa. The station will have a capacity of 10 MWh, will generate 11 MWh annually and will be the largest station for own needs in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is doing better than many other European countries in identifying and seizing the assets of traffickers of human beings, said Valiant Richey at a press conference in Sofia on Thursday. As the OSCE special representative and coordinator for combating trafficking in human beings, he visited the Bulgarian capital to meet with cabinet officials and members of non-governmental organisations engaged in this important battle.

Under a new programme, called Vazrazhdane (Revival), the government is making BGN 2.5bn in capital available to corporate beneficiaries, Finance Minister Asen Vassilev told journalists on Tuesday, presenting the new facility together with Economy Minister Kiril Petkov.