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Bulgaria
offers
foreign
investors
some
of
the
world's
most
competitive
business
costs.
Real
estate
investment
has
produced
a
plentiful
supply
of
modern
offices
at
very
competitive
costs.
Corporate
taxes
and
labor
costs
are
quite
low
for
European
standards.
Privatization
and
deregulation
are
creating
sophisticated
public
utility
and
telecommunications
industries.
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Average monthly gross salary compared to average gross EU salary - 2004 |
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Bulgaria's
working-age
population
consists
of
around
4.8
million
highly
educated
and
skilled
men
(52
percent)
and
women
(48
percent).
The
literacy
rate
in
Bulgaria
is
93
percent.
A
high
percentage
of
the
work
force
has
completed
some
form
of
secondary,
technical,
or
vocational
education.
Many
Bulgarians
have
strong
backgrounds
in
engineering,
medicine,
economics
and
the
sciences.
The
aptitude
of
workers
and
the
relative
low
cost
of
labor
are
considerable
incentives
for
foreign
companies
to
invest
in
Bulgaria.
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Compared
to
western
European
standards
-
Bulgaria
is
cheap.
Investors
can
still
find
some
outstanding
values
on
the
market
and
opportunities
are
plentiful.
Come
and
discover.
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Bulgaria
has
a
traditionally
strong
education
system.
There
are
over
forty
Higher
Education
institutions
in
Bulgaria
offering
degrees
at
the
undergraduate
and
graduate
level.. |
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Bulgaria
is a
full
member
of
NATO
and
is
due
to
join
the
European
Union
in
2007.
The
country
has
already
closed
all
of
the
negotiation
chapters
and
its
entry
in
2007
is
guaranteed
by
the
EU
institutions.
Very
interesting
is
the
pre-EU
membership
discount
on
asset
prices
that
businesses
still
enjoy
in
Bulgaria. |
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In
its
annual
2002
report,
the
European
Commission
assessed
Bulgaria
as a
fully
functional
market
economy,
with
a
high
degree
of
macroeconomic
stability
and
working
market
mechanisms.
The
Bulgarian
economy
is
working
under
currency
board
(1
Bulgarian
Lev=1.95583
Euro),
which
provides
for
a
stable
and
predictable
macro
economic
environment.
Careful
fiscal
discipline
and
strong
foreign
investment
has
provided
for
sustained
economic
growth
for
the
last
7
years.
The
expected
economical
growth
(GDP
per
capital)
is
about
5
percent
per
year.
The
state
owned
section
of
the
Bulgarian
economy
is
about
20
percent.
With
many
local
and
foreign
investments,
the
financial
system
is
stable
and
banks
are
expanding
their
landing.
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Bulgaria
is
making
a
considerable
effort
to
offer
the
lowest
corporate
taxes
in
Europe.
Corporate
tax
rate
in
2005
will
go
down
to
15%
and
is
already
0%
in
areas
of
high
unemployment.
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Bulgaria
has
a
very
strategic
geographic
location.
Its
position
on
the
European
continent
allows
investors
to
reach
the
entire
market
of
the
European
Union
and
the
markets
of
central
and
eastern
Europe,
which
represent
a
total
population
of
853
million.
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Click
for
a
detailed
map
of
Bulgaria's
access
to
neighboring
markets.
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Foreign
investment
in
Bulgaria
has
never
been
so
dynamic
and
so
massive.
During
recent
years,
a
significant
number
of
international
companies
have
opened
offices
in
Bulgaria,
just
to
name
a
jew:
Solvay,
Umocore,
Italcemente
Group,
Liebherr,
Kraft,
Nestle,
American
Standard,
Philip
Morris,
Metro,
Lindner,
Praktiker
and
SAP.
As a
result
of a
liberal
financial
policy
and
continuous
economic
growth,
Bulgaria
has
become
very
attractive
to
foreign
investments.
In
addition,
local
companies
are
also
increasing
their
share
of
business
in
Bulgaria
and
abroad.
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With
its
parliamentary
republican
political
system,
the
political
situation
in
Bulgaria
is
stable
and
the
legislature,
the
executive
and
the
judiciary
are
independent
of
the
parliament
As
of
2007,
Bulgaria
is
expected
to
be
part
of
EU
and
has
harmonized
its
legal
system
in
line
with
the
EU
requirements.
In
April
2004,
the
country
became
member
of
NATO.
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Bulgaria and its capital
Sofia offer a cosmopolitan quality of life that is regarded as among the highest in
Europe.
First
time
visitors
to
Bulgaria
are
often
surprised
by
the
diversity
and
stunning
natural
beauty.
For
years
a
real
effort
has
been
made
in
order
to
preserve
the
country’s
rich
and
unspoilt
flora
and
fauna.
As a
result,
today’s
Bulgaria
is
ecologically
one
of
the
purest
countries
in
Europe,
with
exceptionally
clear
air
and
water
resources.
There
are
7
national
parks,
more
than
3000
protected
natural
sites
and
17
bio-spherical
reserves
(the
greatest
recorded
number
in
Europe).
There
are
also
419
protected
animal
species
and
63
protected
types
of
plant.
Not
only
is
the
quality
of
life
in
Bulgaria
good,
but
the
cost
of
living
is
one
of
the
lowest
in
Europe.
A
meal
for
two,
made
from
organically
pure
products
and
including
a
bottle
of
nice
wine
will
not
cost
you
more
than
seven
or
eight
Euros. |