Sharp Decline in Foreign Direct Investment in Bulgaria
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Bulgaria recorded a net positive flow of 1.24 billion euros for the first nine months of 2024
Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski has argued that companies based in China, Sweden, and Germany plan to move their production units to Bulgaria.
Lukarski announced in an interview for Nova TV that the companies seeking to develop their businesses in Bulgaria functioned in the car part manufacturing segment.
He explained the increased interest of Chinese companies in moving manufacturing abroad with the growing competitiveness in the country and the rising salaries of local workers.
Lukarski informed that foreign direct investment in H1, 2015 stood at EUR 799 M, a two-fold increase from H1, 2014, while the GDP growth in the fist six months of the year amounted to 2.2%, against an EU average of 1.6%.
Bulgaria’s Economy Minister, as cited by Sega daily, said that the recent inspections at filling stations had detected irregularities in only 87 out of a total of 22 000 flow-meters.
He admitted that there were other ways to implement fraud schemes in the fuel retail sector, adding that fuel quality checks were underway.
Lukarski underscored that the Economy Ministry was not authorized to conduct cartel probes into the fuel retail market, adding that the entity which was supposed to do this was the Commission for Protection of Competition.
He informed that the anti-trust watchdog had been approached over the matter and that it was checking prices.
Bulgaria’s Economy Minister pointed out that the mass inspections at filling stations had brought about a slight price decrease of BGN 0.03-0.07 per liter.
The Black Sea region in Bulgaria is facing a serious labor shortage ahead of the summer season
Parvomay Municipality in Bulgaria has become one of the first to prepare for the country’s euro adoption
Over the past two decades, more than 800,000 family-owned stores have vanished from Bulgaria
In 2024, nearly 36,000 foreign workers from 79 countries have been granted permission to work in Bulgaria
Professor Steve Hanke, who established Bulgaria’s currency board, emphasized that the country should maintain the current system, as it continues to work effectively
In 2024, labor inspectors in Bulgaria carried out a total of 6,682 inspections in the construction sector, representing 13% of the overall 49,858 inspections conducted across all industries
Bulgaria's Perperikon: A European Counterpart to Peru's Machu Picchu
Bulgarians Among EU's Least Frequent Vacationers, Struggling with Affordability