The direct losses for Bulgaria from the delayed full accession to the Schengen Area amount to EUR 424 million, caretaker Minister of Economy Petko Nikolov said. He quoted a report by the Economic Research Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, commissioned by the Ministry of Economy.
At a discussion in Sofia on the priorities of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union and their repercussions on the Bulgarian political agenda, Minister Nikolov pointed out that the direct losses should be added to the lost profits of around EUR 275 million. Thus, the potential benefits from removing land border controls exceed EUR 680 million annually. Additionally, the accession to Schengen by land will reduce carbon emissions from traffic. "Transport connectivity will improve, trade and investment flows will increase and travel time and costs will decrease", summarized Minister Nikolov.
The Bulgarian National Bank has lowered the base interest rate for the second consecutive month. As of August 1, it stands at 3.53%, down from 3.63% in July. Since the end of 2023, the base interest rate has been gradually falling. From February..
Moody's expects Bulgaria to join the Eurozone no later than the beginning of 2026. According to the rating agency, the growth of the Bulgarian economy in 2024 will be 2.9%. The ongoing domestic political crisis and the likelihood of new early elections..
Until the end of 2024, businesses will continue to receive compensations for high electricity prices. They will be 100% after a price of over 90 euros per megawatt hour on the stock exchange. The previous threshold was 100 euros. The..
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