Minister of Interior Mihail Mikov of Bulgaria

The current Chair of the Coalition for Bulgaria Parliamentary Group Mihail Mikov was nominated Tuesday as Bulgaria's next Interior Minister.

During his working visit to Paris Minister Mihail Mikov had a meeting with French Interior Minister Ms.

Mihail Mikov had meetings with Jean-Pierre Jouyet, State Secretary for European Affaires as well as with the National Campaign Accounts and Political Funding Commission where the transparency of political parties funding was discussed.

The Bulgarian PM Sergey Stanishev and the newly appointed Interior Minister Mihail Mikov met Monday to discuss the proposed Interior reforms.

The Bulgarian Interior Minister Mihail Mikov said Wednesday night that the police had done the right thing by using force with moderation against the protesters in downtown Sofia earlier the same day.

Interior Minister Mihail Mikov said 53 people were arrested.

On Tuesday Mihail Mikov was nominated as Bulgaria's new Interior Minister in the government of PM Sergey Stanishev, replacing Rumen Petkov who resigned in the wake of an alleged corruption scandal.

Mihail Mikov was born on June 16, 1960, in the town of Kula in northwestern Bulgaria.

Mikov has been a Member of Parliament from the Bulgarian Socialist Party since 1997, representing the northwestern Bulgarian district of Vidin.

In the 40th Bulgarian Parliament (2005- ), Mikov has been the Chair of the Parliamentary Group of the leftist Coalition for Bulgaria.

Former speaker for Bulgaria in EC, British MEP Geoffrey van Orden, who is on an unofficial visit to Sofia, has asked Interior Minister Mihail Mikov for the Bulgarian arguments in favor of unfreezing the country’s EU funds.

Mihail Mikov has also informed the PM about the meetings he had held with the Deputy Ministers of the Interior, the Directors of National Security Services, and of the special Directorates of the Interior.

In addition, Mikov expressed his satisfaction with the development of regional cooperation in the Balkans, and the relationship with Macedonia and Serbia, in particular.

officials from his ministry last month.

The newly appointed Interior Minister Mihail Mikov said later that the expert aid matter would be discussed during Stanishev's working meeting with the ambassadors of the EU states later on Friday.

After meeting members of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria, Mikov said that Bulgaria’s police force was around the EU average and gave a reasoning that most southern EU countries had larger police forces.

Mikov took the post this April, almost a year before the next general elections.

From what Mikov said on June 30, he had already realised this important factor.

Macedonia and Serbia, in particular.

COLUMNISTS: MY BULGARIA: Faking it16:00 Fri 09 May 2008-Petar KostadinovThe first idea that Bulgaria’s new Interior Minister Mihail Mikov had for improving the image of the ministry after its most recent corruption scandals was to increase police presence on the streets.

If Mikov is to have any effect on the view to be taken by the European Commission in its report expected in June, he would have to act very quickly indeed.

Interior Minister Mihail Mikov was adamant that the operation did not target specifically Doupnitsa-based businessmen Plamen Galev and Angel Hristov, also known as the Galev Brothers, who are allegedly involved in shady dealings, adding that their names just surfaced during the operation.

However, Interior Minister Mihail Mikov is quoted as saying that the raid has attained its goals: facts about violations and crimes have been established.

Mihail Mikov is the new interior minister, Evgeni Zhelev is health care minister, Nikolay Tsonev is defence minister and Valeri Tsvetanov is agriculture minister.

Senior Socialist party deputy Mihail Mikov is to replace Petkov as interior minister.

Interior Minister Mihail Mikov said on Bulgarian national TV that Bonchevs wife had been takenhostage.

The current Chairman of the Socialist parliamentary group Mihail Mikov was appointed as interior minister after Rumen Petkov handed in his resignation after recent scandals that have shaken the institution.

Mihail Mikov said the idea of a single mafia was an exaggeration; however, steps would be taken to clamp down on other crime rings.