Bulgaria was often positively mentioned at the Black Sea- EU conference in Thessalonika. The goal was to outline the development of the 11 member states of the Black Sea Bank for Trade and Development /BSBTD/ and the opportunities for cooperation with the European Union. `Bulgaria is facing stable growth,` Ives Paris, consultant of the European Commission, said at the conference. In terms of economic growth he split the Black-Sea countries into two groups. Bulgaria heads the first group, which includes Romania, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece and Albania also. Bulgaria was often mentioned in relation to the necessity for building transport corridor No. 8, the development of the big Bulgarian ports, the connection of the power transmission networks in the region and the development of eco-tourism. Bulgaria was also mentioned as the third member of the BSBTD receiving aid from the EU, after Greece and Romania. Bulgaria receives some EUR 90 million a year under the PHARE programme and EUR 83 million to 125 million under ISPA.

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