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.
Although bilateral trade reached nearly $4 billion last year, there are still untapped opportunities to further increase Bulgarian exports to China. This was made clear at a meeting between the Minister of Economy and Industry, Mr. Petko Nikolov, and..
Housing loans in Bulgaria increased by 24.8% year-on-year, reaching BGN 22.3 billion (EUR 11.4 billion) by the end of June 2024, according to the BGNES news agency. Consumer loans also rose by 14% year-on-year compared to June 2023, reaching BGN..
Bulgaria’s real GDP growth is expected to stand at 2.1% in 2024, indicates the macroeconomic forecast of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) in June. Bulgaria’s real GDP growth is expected to stand at 2.1 per cent in 2024, driven by the positive..
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