Bulgaria Profile

Geography

Area: 110,994 sq. km

Major cities: Sofia Capital, Plovdiv, Varna, Shumen etc.

Borders: Bulgaria shares a border with Turkey and Greece to the south, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro to the west, Romania to the north and the Black Sea to the east.

Climate: Continental -mild summers and cold, snowy winters.

People

Population : Approximately 8.000.000

Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 83.94%, Turkish 9.42%, Roman 4.68%, and others.

Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic 0.6%, Protestant 0.5%, others.

Language: Bulgarian (official).

Goverment

Type: Parliamentary democracy

Constitution: Adopted July 12th 1991.

Independence: 1908 (from the Ottoman Empire).

Suffrage: Universal at 18 years of age.

Economy

Real GDP growth: 5.3% (approximately in 2006)

Inflation rate: 7.7% (approximately)

Unemployment rate: 12.7% (2004), 8.44% (2006)

Natural resources: Bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, and timber.

Official exchange rate: Lev per $1 U.S.- 1.47 (January 2007)

Lev per 1€ - 1.95 (January 2007)

GDP- composition by sector: agriculture: 9.3%

industry: 30.4%

services: 60.3% (2005 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.7% (2006 est.)

Investment return rate: 137% (2006 est.)

Industrial production growth rate: 6.2% (2006 est.)

Current account balance: $3.133.000.000 (2005 est.)

Political Conditions

Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic. The National Assembly is consisting of 240 deputies who are elected for 4 year terms through a system of proportional representation in 31 electoral regions. Party or coalition lists, rather than individual candidate names, appear on the ballots. A party or coalition must gain a minimum of 4% of the vote in order to enter parliament. Parliament select and dismisses government ministers, including the prime minister, exercises control over the government, and sanctions deployment of troops abroad. It is responsible for implementing the laws, approval of the budget, scheduling of presidential elections, declaration of war, and ratification of international treaties and agreements.

Transportation

Railways: They cover a distance of 4,294 km. Standard gauge: 4,049 km, 1.435m gauge (2,710 km electrified), narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760m gauge (2004)

Highways: total: 37,077 km paved: 34,111 km (including 328 km of expressways)

Unpaved: 2,966 km (2005) Waterways: 470 km (2004)

Pipelines: gas 2,425 km, oil 339 km, refined products 156 km (2004)

Airports: 217

Airports With paved runways > 1524 to 2437 m (per capita): 2.01342 per 1 million people

Airports > With paved runways > 914 to 1523 m: 1

Airports > With paved runways > Under 914 m: 96

Airports > With unpaved runways > 914 to 1523 m: 11

Heliports: 4

Motor vehicles: 239 motor vehicles per 100 p

Ports and Harbors:Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin

Foreign Relations

Bulgaria has generally good relations with its neighbours and has proved to be a constructive force in the region under socialist and democratic governments alike. Promoting regional stability, Bulgaria hosted a Southeast European Foreign Ministers meeting in July 1996, and an OSCE conference on Black Sea cooperation in November 1995. Bulgaria's EU Association Agreement came into effect in 1994, and Bulgaria formally applied for full EU membership in December 1995. During the 1999 EU summit in Helsinki, the country was invited to start membership talks with the Union. These are currently completed, and January 1, 2007, has been set as Bulgaria's accession date. After a period of equivocation under a socialist government, in March 1997 a UDF-led caretaker cabinet applied for full NATO membership, which became a reality in April 2004.

Passports and Visas

You will need a valid passport with an entry or transit visa which is issued by the embassies and consulates of the Republic of Bulgaria abroad. No entry visas are required for citizens of the countries with which Bulgaria has a visa-free regime, or of organized tourists who have bought a package tour. No entry visas are required for citizens of the EU and EFTA member states. No visas are required for CIS citizens for a stay of one month, provided they are in the possession of a valid passport, a voucher for pre-paid tourist services or if they pay the sum of 40 USD for each day of their stay in the country.

Banking System

The Bulgarian banking sector has been almost completely under foreign control for some time now, with the big banking groups that operate in many central and eastern European countries playing a leading role. The market entry strategies are familiar: Bank Austria, UniCredito Italiano and Societe Generale have established a presence in Bulgaria by taking over existing local banks. HypoVereinsbank, ING and Citibank have opened branches, while BNP-Paribas and Raiffeisenbank have set up legally independent offices of their own. The biggest foreign banks were created by takeovers. The declared strategic objectives were in virtually every case transferring the parent bank’s know-how, covering the entire Bulgarian banking market in the long term and thus profitably expanding and diversifying the parent bank’s business portfolio. Most foreign banks have, however, been catering so far mainly to large domestic and foreign enterprises and the ‘still small’ segment of wealthy local private clients.

Useful Information

Time Difference

Winter time: GMT +2 hours (October through March).

Summer time: GMT +3 hours (April through September)

Voltage: 220 V only

Monetary Units

lev. Banknote denominations include 1,00, 2,00,5,00, 10,00, 20,00, 50,00 and 100,00 leva, as well as coins of 1,00 smaller denominations.

Working Hours

offices - 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. (Monday to Friday)

banks - 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. (Monday to Friday)

shops - 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 pm. (Monday to Friday,Saturday until noon)

Important Telephone Numbers

Police – 16

Ambulance – 150

Road assistance - 14

Medical Service

Free first aid and consultation in emergencies

Currency Exchange

In banks and 24-hour change bureau. The exchange rate is announced every day.

Credit Cards

Visa, MasterCard, JCB, Diners Club, American Express, Access, Air plus.

They can be used for the payment of all standard services in hotels, restaurants, night clubs, shops, car rentals, plane tickets, etc.

Accommodation

Bulgaria boasts an extensive accommodation network ranging from luxury five-star to unpretentious two-star hotels, small cozy hotels and private rooms, meeting all modern requirements. Reservations through tourist agencies or local Accommodation offices.