The day in 3 news: Sofia’s GDP grew by 15% pre-crisis, Bulgaria’s corruption rank still worst in EU, RIA has no issues with Avtomagistrali

How Bulgaria feeds its road cartel

The government has poured upfront close to 4.6 billion levs (2.35 billion euro) of taxpayers' money into road construction - with no tenders and no transparency

The largest construction companies

In addition to paying, the state is now constructing as well

Most Dynamic: Grain, Manufacturing, Road Construction

The revenues of the 50 fastest growing companies increased by an average of 56% in 2019, with the largest companies growing particularly fast.

The Companies with lowest debt: The Pre-crisis Picture

In total, the liabilities of the top 300 companies in terms of revenue in the country grew by over BGN 4.5 billion, reaching almost BGN 50 billion

The Northern Road

What is happening with Hemus motorway which is supposed to connect Sofia with towns in the northern parts of the country all the way to Varna

The loophole of in-house procurement

The in-house procurement procedures – the awarding of public contracts without tenders, has become a favorite way to allocate money in a non-transparent manner

Bulgaria gliding on the waves of the economic cycle

The local economy continues to move in sync with European trends, while opportunities for reforms slowly dwindle

Is State Capitalism Marching On?

Within a brief period, Bulgaria’s government has aggressively injected billions of levs into key sectors, and has effectively started nationalizing businesses

Bulgarian PM’s pride

Boyko Borissov often boasts of the infrastructure improvements made during his tenure but the process is uneven and mired in inconsistencies and bad planning

Corruption Watch: When it walks like corruption, when it quacks like corruption...

Beneficiaries of unlawful forest swaps get minor punishment

TOP30 of Bulgaria’s construction companies: Riding on the highway of public contracts

The sector has achieved significant revenue growth mostly stemming from government contracts for infrastructure projects, but also because of a revival in the real estate market

The hub of northern Bulgaria

Pleven has many advantages: existing ones such as aviation training and medical education, and untapped ones like logistics and manufacturing

Hemus: a highway project rife with corruption opportunities

The Road Infrastructure Agency recently demonstrated how the authorities flagrantly flout public procurement procedures and transparency

When Europe catches a cold

The European economy is losing steam, and Bulgarian national statistics show a disappointing investment and consumer activity

Fast Reads

Meet the cities: The northern island

In spite of its infrastructure woes and the lack of large new investments, Varna remains a point of interest and a city full of subdued energy. It’s time to release that energy and support it.