By Euronews
The country has taken over the EU's six-month rotating presidency.
An official ceremony is being held today in Sofia to mark the beginning of Bulgaria's six month presidency of the European Union..
For the occasion, the Palace of Culture inherited from the Soviet period, has been given a new look, to welcome the commissioners, the President of the European Parliament and the President of the Council Donald Tusk.
Bulgaria, whose record on justice has been monitored by Brussels since it joined the EU in 2007, knows that Europe will be watching closely. It's a challenge for a country painted as the poorest and most corrupt in the European Union.
