A drop in export by 8% and in import by 10%, a rise in the unemployment rate by 170,000 lost jobs and a growth of the external debt by 2.3 billion Leva – this is the picture of the past year of coronavirus pandemic, said Radosvet Radev, chair of the Bulgarian Industrial Association in an interview for the BNR.
In his words the withholding of investments and the drop in consumption are worrying. Radosvet Radev also predicted cascading bankruptcies of companies after April when the moratorium on credits will be lifted.
According to Krassen Stanchev from the Institute for Market Economics, large fiscal reserves were accumulated which cushioned the blow. He added that almost 1.4 million people have not been included in any support scheme as the measures were accessible to no more than “10% of the economic entities”.
Bulgaria’s Energy Minister, Zhecho Stankov, has reassured citizens and businesses that the country’s fuel supplies are sufficient to last for an extended period. “Our priority is secure supply at affordable prices — and that is guaranteed, ” Stankov..
The ruling GERB party claimed that employers are in favour of a higher VAT rate, but employer organisations denied this, insisting that no such proposal had ever been made. This clarification followed a meeting between GERB leader Boyko Borissov..
The European Commission has disbursed €438.6 million to Bulgaria as part of the second payment under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). On 3 October 2025, the Commission partially approved the payment, stating that Bulgaria "still needs to..
The Sofia City Court has postponed the extradition case of Igor Grechushkin, the owner of a cargo ship linked to the explosion at the port of Beirut in..
The Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) has proposed the introduction of temporary restrictions on the movement of heavy trucks weighing over 12 tons along..
On Tuesday, minimum temperatures will range from 8 to 13°C , with Sofia seeing around 9°C. Rain is expected across the country, with heavier showers in..
Overcast, rain
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Partly cloudy, chance of rain