Bulgaria
"The Auditor" becomes Bulgaria's new environment minister
Economist Emil Dimitrov has no experience in environmental protection, and critics fear he will be unable to resolve the problems he inherits from Neno Dimov, who stepped down after being arrested for abuse of office.
Bulgarian environment minister arrested over water crisis
Neno Dimov was detained over illegal siphoning from a reservoir that deprived a major industrial town of water supplies. He is the first serving minister ever to be arrested in Bulgaria.
CAPITAL ECONOMICS: CEE growth comes off the boil in 2019, but loose money and strong demand will bolster growth in 2020
The European Commission’s batch of Economic Sentiment Indicators (ESIs) fell sharply in December, although they remain consistent with regional GDP growth holding steady at around 3.6% y/y in Q4. Robust domestic demand should help to cushion the blow
OUTLOOK 2020 Bulgaria
Bulgaria aims to adopt the euro and hopes to join the ERM2 in April. A failure to achieve this would be a blow for Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s scandal-hit government as parties start to position themselves ahead of the 2021 election.
Bulgaria invites 5 companies to file binding bids for Belene nuclear project
The government in Sofia hopes to finish the project within 10 years at a cost of up to €10bn, but critics question its economic viability.