Priorities for business support

Support of research and development activities;
Strengthening of the competitiveness of SMEs;
Improvements in regional structures;
Promotion of environmental protection;
Promotion of training and staff development.

Apart from its ideal geographical location, Bulgaria has the additional advantage that it serves as a center for a large number of service companies with outstanding Central & East European know-how.

And the Bulgarian banking sector is also exceptionally familiar with the region. The banks‘ financial experts have a great deal of in-depth knowledge of the markets in question, and they have built up strong networks of branches throughout the transitional countries.

Bulgaria’s economic, social and political stability is a further significant advantage.The low crime rate and the high security of justice is very attractive to foreign investors.

The European Union – with more than 372 Million consumers – is the world’s largest market. And as an EU member, Bulgaria offers full access to this rich market.

Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey

Area total: 110,879 sq km
land: 108,489 sq km
water: 2,390 sq km

Land boundaries:
total: 1,808 km
border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km

Coastline: 354 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Musala 2,925 m

Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land

Population:
7,204,687 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99

Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.8% (male 509,544/female 484,816)
15-64 years: 68.5% (male 2,426,060/female 2,508,772)
65 years and over: 17.7% (male 518,711/female 756,784) (2009 est.)

Median age:
total: 41.4 years
male: 39.2 years
female: 43.6 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.79% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 232

Birth rate:
9.51 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205

Death rate:
14.31 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22

Net migration rate:
-3.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150

Urbanization:
urban population: 71% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: -0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 17.87 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.28 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.25 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.09 years
male: 69.48 years
female: 76.91 years

Ethnic groups:
Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian)

Religions:
Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4%

Languages:
Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

Country name: Republic of Bulgaria
conventional short form: Bulgaria

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital: Sofia

Administrative divisions:
28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol

Independence: 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)

Legal system: civil and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Georgi PARVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Boiko BORISOV (since July 2009);

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 and 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 5 July 2009 (next to be held mid-2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - GERB 39.7%, BSP 17.7%, MRF 14.4%, ATAKA 9.4%, Blue Coalition 6.8%, RZS 4.1%, other 7.9%; seats by party - GERB 116, BSP 40, MRF 38, ATAKA 21, Blue Coalition 15, RZS 10

Judicial branch:
independent judiciary comprised of judges, prosecutors and investigating magistrates who are appointed, promoted, demoted, and dismissed by a 25-member Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 members, half of whom are elected by the National Assembly and the other half by the bodies of the judiciary for a 5-year term in office); three levels of case review; 182 courts of which two Supreme Courts act as the last instance on civil and criminal cases (the Supreme Court of Cassation) and appeals of government decisions (the Supreme Administrative Court)

Political parties and leaders:
ATAKA (Attack Coalition) (coalition of parties headed by the Attack National Union); Attack National Union [Volen SIDEROV]; Agrarian National Union or ANU [Stefan LICHEV]; Blue Coalition (a coalition of center-right parties dominated by UDF and DSB); Bulgarian New Democracy [Borislav RALCHEV]; Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria or GERB [Tsvetan TSVETANOV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV]; Gergyovden [Petar STOYANOVICH]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV]; Liberal Initiative for Democratic European Development or LIDER [Khristo KOVACHKI]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; Movement Forward (LIDER, IMRO, ANU, Gergyovden); National Movement for Stability and Progress or NDSV [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA] (formerly National Movement Simeon II or NMS2); New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Order, Law, Justice or RZS [Yane YANEV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Martin DIMITROV]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Agrarians [Anastasia MOZER]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation
other: numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas

Economy - overview:
Bulgaria, a former Communist country that entered the EU on 1 January 2007, has experienced strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996. Successive governments have demonstrated a commitment to economic reforms and responsible fiscal planning, but have failed so far to rein in rising inflation and large current account deficits. Bulgaria has averaged more than 6% growth since 2004, attracting significant amounts of foreign direct investment, but corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain significant challenges.

GDP (purchasing power parity): $93.78 billion (2008)
country comparison to the world: 68
$88.48 billion (2007)
$83.31 billion (2006)


GDP (official exchange rate): $49.43 billion (2008)

GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2008) country comparison to the world: 57
6.2% (2007)
6.3% (2006)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$12,900 (2008 )
country comparison to the world: 86
$12,100 (2007 est.)
$11,300 (2006 est.)


GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.6%
industry: 28.7%
services: 66.7% (2008 est.)

Labor force:
2.44 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 107

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 7.5%
industry: 35.5%
services: 57% (2007)

Unemployment rate:
6.3% (2008)
7.7% (2007 est.)

Agriculture - products:
vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock

Industries:
electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel

Industrial production growth rate: 3.9% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 89

Exports - commodities: clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels

Exports - partners: Turkey 11.5%, Germany 10.3%, Italy 10.2%, Greece 9.1%, Belgium 6.2%, Romania 4.9% (2007)

Imports: $35.3 billion f.o.b. (2008)
country comparison to the world: 60

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials

Imports - partners: Russia 12.3%, Germany 12.3%, Italy 8.7%, Ukraine 7.2%, Turkey 6.9%, Greece 6.2%, Romania 4.5%, Austria 4.3% (2007)

Exchange rates:

leva (BGN) per EURO - 1,95583 fix since 1997
leva (BGN) per US dollar - 1,4121 (2009 est.), 1.3171 (2008), 1.4366 (2007), 1.5576 (2006), 1.5741 (2005), 1.5751 (2004)

Communications Telephones - main lines in use: 2.3 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 56

Telephones - mobile cellular: 9.897 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 55

Telephone system:
General assessment: an extensive but antiquated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; quality has improved; the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-line monopoly terminated in 2005 when alternative fixed-line operators were given access to its network; a drop in fixed-line connections in recent years has been more than offset by a sharp increase in mobile-cellular telephone use fostered by multiple service providers; the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now exceeds the population
domestic: a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of the regions; the others are connected by digital microwave radio relay
international: country code - 359; submarine cable provides connectivity to Ukraine and Russia; a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy, Albania, and Macedonia; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intersputnik in the Atlantic Ocean region, 2 Intelsat in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)

Television broadcast stations: 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)

Internet country code: .bg

Internet hosts: 513,470 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 47

Internet users: 1.899 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 65