Bulgaria's finance minister, who was initially targeting rapid accession to the euro zone, has confirmed the country is in no hurry to adopt the single currency.
"We will not make any move toward the switchover in the next two years," Simeon Djankov told reporters in Vienna on Thursday.
The statement is in line with the opinion of local analysts, who have tried to tone down the cabinet's enthusiasm for adopting rapidly the common European currency, saying it makes more sense for the...
Bulgaria has registered an increase in its foreign direct investment in January-May 2012 year-on-year, according to the latest data of the Bulgarian National Bank released on Monday.
According to the Bulgarian National Bank's preliminary data, the foreign direct investment in Bulgaria for January - May 2012 increased by EUR 473.8 M (1.2% of GDP), compared to an increase of EUR 72.2 million (0.2% of GDP) for January – May 2011.
Bulgaria's attracted Equity Capital (acquisition/disposal of...
Bulgaria's Currency Board Is Super Stable
(Sofia, Jan 12) - "The currency board functioning in Bulgaria is super-stable," the monthly analysis of Raiffeissen Bank Bulgaria reads.
The experts have calculated that at the end of November 2012 the currency board's reserves amount to 15.1 billion euro, which is an increase by 2.2 million euro from a month ago.
The board's reserves have increased by 1.9 billion euro (14.4%) year-on-year, which is a surplus of about 89% to the minimum...
Wall Street legend and highly successful international investor, author and commodities expert, Jim Rogers has said he is considering investing in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria is among the few countries, in which he is considering investing right now, since they have made the most improvement since his latest trip around the world, the billionaire, currently based in Singapore, said in an interview for Gold Radio Cafй.
He joined the broadcast for a brief discussion on his new book "Street Smarts:...
Italian companies may be attracted in privatization projects, including for tourist sites, as well as concessions agreements and modernization schemes for airports, and construction and reconstruction of road and railway infrastructure in Bulgaria, according to Minister Bozhidar Lukarski.
Speaking Tuesday at the opening of an economic forum titled “Bulgaria and Italy: Together for Achieving Growth”, Lukarski pointed out that the trade and economic cooperation between Bulgaria and Italy...
“The opportunities OP Environment provides in the previous and the new programme periods establish prerequisites for a huge volume of work on designing and construction of ecological infrastructure as well as possibilities for the state to tackle challenges,“ said Ivelina Vasileva, Bulgarian Minister of Environment and Water, speaking at an annual conference themed “Strategic infrastructure and investments – Bulgaria and the Western Balkans“, FOCUS News Agency reported.
“In the...
Bulgaria's wine exports could be increased by boosting the respective image-making efforts, according to Plamen Mollov, a former MP and honorary head of the Bulgarian Food and Drinks Industry Association.
"Bulgaria must boost the image of its wine and decide how to position itself on the world wine market. The international competition is becoming increasingly rigorous which makes it essential that Bulgaria should find a niche," Mollov recommended speaking on the Bulgarian National...
Bulgaria's government has raised a total of BGN 162 M from its latest sale of state bonds.
The government initially planned to sell 10.5-year bonds for a total of BGN 25 M but the demand turned out to be 6.5 times higher and led it to expand the bond issue.
Because of that and since the average return on the bonds turned out to be record low 5.81%, the Finance Ministry decided to sell more state bonds.
The Finance Ministry said in a statement that the new bond issue is of great...
The price of healing ingredients from snails is 26 times higher than the one of rose oil, and has turned snail breeding in Bulgaria into a profitable business.
The information was reported Monday by Simona Mollova, Chief Consultant with the Bulgarian National Snail Breeding Cluster (NOK).
The value of these ingredients, which can be found in snail slime, is EUR 130 per gram while the maximum price ever reached for Bulgarian rose oil on global markets has been EUR 5 000 per...
Bulgaria will continue in a course of gradual raise in the excise of raw cut tobacco with state budget 2011, which previews a rate of BGN 130 per kg.
This was revealed by ruling GERB party MP Dimitar Glavchev, who said that the Parliamentary Budget Committee has fully consulted all stakeholders in tobacco production when determining the rate at which the excise will be increasing.
The decision reached was to raise the excise with 20% and then to continue raising it symmetrically with the...
Bulgarian Economy Minister Traikov will head a delegation to Austria for talks with leading Austrian companies and participation in the 7th edition of the Vienna Economic Forum.
In Vienna, Traikov will accompanied by the head of the InvestBulgaria Agency Borislav Stefanov and other senior officials, the Bulgarian Economy Ministry announced.
The 7th edition of the Vienna Economic Forum will take place on November 7-8 in the Austrian capital, and will bring together participants such as the...
The Bulgarian government will grant BGN 16 M from the 2011 budget for the construction of a small section of the traditionally neglected Hemus Highway, the only highway project for Northern Bulgaria.
The new 10-km section of Hemus will go from the city of Shumen in western direction toward Sofia to the village of Belokopitovo, Bulgarian Finance Minister Simeon Djankov announced in the northeastern city of Shumen on Saturday.
Djankov revealed that the Regional Development Ministry has...
UK urban design and architecture company Stephen George International will open an office in Bulgaria's Sofia, which will serve as its center for the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
The opening of the Sofia office of the SGI company was announced at a presentation with the participation of the UK Ambassador to Bulgaria, Steve Williams.
"Bulgaria has a lot to offer in architectural terms: unique architectural heritage, space and diversity of the terrain and a climate which many countries could...
Bulgaria's agriculture has reached a "threateningly" high increase as a share of the country's GDP, according to Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov.
Naydenov said Bulgaria's monthly trade surplus in August, the first in ten years, was largely due to the rise in exports of agriculture products.
He did not specify why exactly he termed the growth of agriculture as a GDP share as "threatening", and where he sees reasons for concern in that.
The Agriculture Minister awarded Thursday...
Hikes in taxes and social contributions have helped prompt an increasing number of German companies to move base to Bulgaria, where lower taxes and EU regulations make it an easier place to do business, according to a German tax and law expert.
"A growing number of European companies are shifting their place of business to Bulgaria. Ever increasing taxes and social contributions make low tax jurisdictions like Bulgaria a more and more attractive country," Alexander Schinzing, Corporate...
Bulgaria is ranked 51st among 183 countries in the Doing Business 2011 report, compiled by the International Finance Corp (IFC), the World Bank's private-sector lender.
According to the overall ranking, Bulgaria is lagging one position behind Qatar and is one place ahead of Botswana.
Bulgaria was also placed 51st in the Doing Business 2010 ranking, which indicates the business environment in the country has not changed drastically in comparison to last year. However, Bulgaria has moved up...
Bulgaria's capital will have even larger shopping centers than the malls opened in 2010 but those will not be inaugurated until two years from now, a report says.
The next shopping malls to be opened in Sofia will be giant for Bulgarian standards – of over 70 000 square meters of commercial space, an analysis of the Bulgarian economic newspaper Pari Daily.
The future Paradise Center mall will be opened at the end of 2012 on an area of 3.6 hectares on the Cherni Vrah Blvd in Sofia. It...
British oil and gas explorer Melrose Resources is starting work at its Bulgarian deposits Kaliakra and Kavarna on Thursday, the Bulgarian Economy Ministry has announced.
In the summer, the Bulgarian government granted two weeks ago a ten-year concession for the extraction of natural gas to the UK company.
The stock of both deposits amounts to 2,5 billion cubic meters and is expected to provide at least 255 million cubic meters of natural gas per year by 2015.
The company foresees a...
Amendments in the Postal Services Bill, effective January 1, 2011, eliminate the monopoly of the Bulgarian Posts on small parcels – less than 50grams.
The cabinet approved Wednesday the amendments to include mostly the letters market, estimated by the Commission for Communications Regulation at BNG 30 M.
The amendments provide for loyal competition and opportunities for other businesses wishing to provide letter mailing services without legal obstacles, the government's press release...
Trans Balkan Investments Limited, known until recently as Equest Investments Balkans Limited, announced it has signed a preliminary agreement for the sale of Urvich, the former cinema site, with an unnamed Bulgarian real estate development company.
The deal was inked on 6 October 2010, the company said without disclosing its financial parameters.
Trans Balkan Investments Limited (TBIL) has been offloading assets from the portfolio of companies it owns in Bulgaria, including a few former...
Top French alpine skier Luc Alphand will be the one to open the new ski season in the largest Bulgarian mountain resort Bansko.
Alphand is the only person to have won the ski World Cup and the Dakar Rally.
He has several world ski championship medals from the mid 1990s. Alphand made his World Cup skiing debut in 1984. In 1997 he won the World Cup.
After that, he retired only to start a career in car racing. He won the 2006 Dakar Rally, in which he had finished runner-up a year earlier....
The world's largest low-cost airline, Irish company Ryanair, has released 1 million GBP 6 seats to celebrate the recent launch of a new route from London Stansted to the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv.
These low fares that include all taxes and charges will be available on over 500 of Ryanair's European routes but must be booked on www.ryanair.com before midnight this Thursday. They will be valid for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in December and January.
The Ryanair flights from...
Over twenty million people have visited the Bulgarian pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, which was closed on the last day of October.
The data was reported by the organizer of the Bulgarian participation – the Plovdiv Fair.
The highest-ranking visitor has been EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, who has been impressed by the Thracian treasure and the house in the traditional Bulgarian Renaissance architectural style.
The 2010 expo in Shanghai, China...
The Lyulin highway in Southwestern Bulgaria is to open for a trial period at the end of 2010, according to Bulgarian Minister on Regional Development, Rosen Plevneliev.
Plevneliev clarified that the trial is only going to take place, provided that all traffic safety measures are taken care of.
The Bulgarian Minister on Regional Development is on a routine monthly visit to Lyulin highway construction sites Tuesday together with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.
The building of the highway...
The Sofia municipal company "Metropolitan" has opened a public procurement procedure for 18 new trains for the Bulgarian capital subway.
The trains must be manufactured, delivered and start functioning in 2012, when the second metro line is expected to be completed.
The order lists BGN 10.8 M without Value Added Tax (VAT) as the maximum price for one train for the total of BGN 194.4 M.
The financing is from the EU operational program "Transport."
Requirements for bidders include...
The world's largest low-cost airline, the Irish company Ryanair, launches on Tuesday a new route from London Stansted to the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv.
"Plovdiv is Bulgaria's second largest city with a rich and varied history dating back 8,000 years. Plovdiv makes a great city break destination and is also within easy access of the ski resorts of Bansko and Pamporovo." a spokesperson of Ryanair has said.
The new London Stansted-Plovdiv airline is expected to draw about 30 000 passengers...