Political and business stability

→ Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, NATO and WTO.

→ The stability of the currency is supported by the currency board, pegging the Bulgarian lev to the euro at the level of 1.96.

→ Bulgaria has one of the lowest government debts in the European Union and one of the lowest budget deficits.

Low cost of doing business

→ Bulgaria has the most favorable tax regime in Europe. 

→ Corporate income tax rate is 10%, the lowest in the EU together with Cyprus. 

→ Personal income tax is 10 %, flat rate Depreciation time for computers and new manufacturing equipment is 2 years 5% withholding tax on dividends and liquidation quotas (0% for EU tax residents).

→ Bulgaria has one of the most competitive costs of labor in Central and Eastern Europe.

→ Bulgarian cost of electricity for industrial users is 70% of the European average.

Strategic location

→ Located at the heart of the Balkans, Bulgaria is a strategic logistics hub. Ease of transportation of cargo is provided by Five Pan-European corridors ( IV, VII, VII, XI, X), which pass through the country

→ Transport program TRACECA, which connects Europe with Caucasian and Central Asian region

→ Four major airports: Sofia, Plovdiv, Bourgas and Varna

→ Numerous ports at the Danube River

Access to markets

Due to its location Bulgaria provides direct access to the following key markets:

→ European Union - zero tariff market with population of 500 million

→ CIS – still not well penetrated market with a high potential

→ Turkey - zero tariff market of near 80 million population

→ Middle East – a market with high purchasing power

Human resources

→ Work force is well educated, highly skilled and multilingual

→ 62.2 % of the total population is in working age (appr. 4.6 million)

→ 60 000 students annually graduate from 51 universities

→ 98% of the high school students study a foreign language (usually English) and 73% study a second language (mainly German, French, Spanish, Russian)

→ 94% of the schools have Internet access

Infrastructure

→ 5 Motorways

→ 230 Railway stations with capability of loading/unloading cargo

→ 4 international airports

→ 2 major seaports on the Black Sea

→ 4 major river ports on the Danube

→ 60 industrial zones