MOVING TO BULGARIA

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KEY FACTS

Official Name: Republic of Bulgaria

Capital City: Sofia

Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy

Official Languages: Bulgarian

Area: 110,910 sq.km/42,823 sq.mi

Population: 7.5 million

Religion: Bulgarian Orthodox (85%), Islamic (13%)

Currency: Lev, plural Leva (Lv or BGN)

Number of Time Zones: 1

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) plus 2 hours; Eastern Standard Time (EST) plus 7 hours; European Summer Time observed March 31 to Sept. 30

Weights and Measures: Metric system

Country Domain: .bg

Country Tel Code: 359

AT A GLANCE

A foreigner’s perspective

Whether you plan a brief visit or a stay of longer duration in Bulgaria, you will find a country with a fascinating cultural background and well-educated citizens who are striving to deal with their economic problems and improve their standard of living.

Politics

After decades of communist rule, Bulgaria established a new multiparty democracy. The 1991 constitution declared Bulgaria a parliamentary republic, a democracy with freedom of expression, political and religious freedom, free economic initiative and respect for international law. Legislative power is vested in an elected 240-member unicameral parliament, the Narodno Sobranye. Members serve four-year terms. Administrative power is held by the Council of Ministers, appointed by the National Assembly, and led by the prime minister and three deputy prime ministers. The president is elected directly by the voters for a term of five years, and may be re-elected once.

In March of 2004, Bulgaria became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The country has hopes to become a full member of the European Union, although Bulgaria did not meet the criteria to be inducted with the 10 new members who joined in May 2004. Since then, accession negotiations have been concluded, with Bulgaria scheduled to join the EU in 2007. On January 1, 2007, Bulgaria became a full member of the European Union.

Economy

Bulgaria has shifted successfully from a planned economy to a free market economy, with industry, agriculture, and tourism as major sectors. Economic reforms have been introduced, inflation has been reduced, corruption is being confronted, and privatization is being initiated. While keeping close ties with Russia through trade agreements and friendship treaties, Bulgaria forges ahead in its efforts to form closer ties with the European Union.

To this end, the beginning of the millenium saw the government focusing on accelerated privatization, tightening financial policies, and other reforms that led the country to sign the Treaty of Accesssion in 2005. This Treaty set Bulgaria on a course to join the EU, which occurred on the first day of 2007.

The economy, after a contraction in 1989, has seen levels of growth averaging around five percent since 1997. GDP growth for 2006 was nearly six percent, with growth in 2007 expected to be just under five percent.

Key industries and locales

Since the end of World War II, chemicals, machinery, metals, and textiles have become mainstays of Bulgaria’s economy. Westerners, however, may be more familiar with such delicate exports as Bulgaria’s inexpensive and delicious wines, its dark and aromatic tobaccos, and rose attar, an essential oil for perfume, the country’s oldest industry. Foreign travelers are increasingly discovering Bulgaria’s tourist attractions, both on the Black Sea and in the mountains.

Bulgaria’s business center, Sofia, is one of Europe’s oldest capitals. This ancient city in the western part of the country gracefully combines 2,000-year-old Roman ruins and wide Parisian-style boulevards with a bracing capitalist tempo of business life. The city of Plovdiv is a thousand years older than Sofia It is a lively manufacturing and trading center, with an historic center filled with Roman ruins and 19th century Bulgarian National Revival houses.

UNDERSTANDING THE PEOPLE

Thracians, of Slavic origin, were the first known inhabitants of present-day Bulgaria. In the seventh century AD, an Asiatic people known as the Bulgars crossed the Danube River and settled in the area. Within 200 years, the Bulgars were completely absorbed into the indigenous Slav population, adopting their language and culture, although giving their name to the country. The Bulgarians converted to Orthodox Christianity during the 9th century. During anearly 500-year period of Ottoman Turkish domination, Turks became Bulgaria’s major minority group.

The population has been descreasing slightly, and is currently about eight million. Population density is about 81 per sq. km/209 per sq. mi, one of the lowest in Europe. Two-thirds of the population now live in urban areas.

Life expectancy for Bulgarian males is 70.4 years; for females 77 years. Bulgaria has the greatest number of people 100 years of age or older in Europe. Many Bulgarians attribute the long life expectancy to their diet of vegetables, spices, yogurt, and white and yellow cheeses.

Ethnic makeup

About 85 percent of the population are Bulgarians; Turks are the largest minority, about 9 percent. Other measurable groups are gypsies or Romanies, 2.6 percent; Macedonians, 2.5 percent; Armenians, 0.3 percent; and Russians, 0.2 percent.

Cultural traditions

Through centuries of occupation, Bulgarians have maintained their traditions and culture. They are proud of their heritage. Folk festivals with music, dance, and colorful traditional dress are held throughout the country and are an essential part of Bulgarian culture. The people have a strong attachment to their particular region and to the land – a reminder of their recent agricultural past.

Bulgarians have had a natural affinity with Russians, beginning with interactions with Slavic tribes as early as the seventh century. It was the Bulgarians who developed the Cyrillic alphabet now used by Bulgaria, Russia, and former USSR members. Bulgaria was liberated from the Ottoman Empire by Imperial Russia. Although allied with Germany in both world wars, Bulgaria in the postwar period became the closest and most loyal ally of the Soviet Union.

Despite this, the Bulgarians are their own people in temperament, culture, and personality. They tend to be practical and down-to-earth, methodical, industrious, thrifty, and determined. Their cities and lifestyle have something of a Mediterranean flavor with wide boulevards and sidewalk cafés, pedestrians strolling leisurely, and emotions manifested quickly and emphatically in gesture and in speech. Foreign domination, however, has made Bulgarians generally fatalistic and uncertain of the future.

Religion

Bulgarian Orthodox Christians comprise 85 percent of the population. Another 13 percent are Muslim, either Turks or ethnic Bulgarian Muslims, known as Pomaks. There are also small populations of Jews, Roman Catholics, and Protestants. All religious communities in Bulgaria have their own churches; their rights and freedom of religion are guaranteed by the constitution.

The Orthodox monasteries are an important part of the Bulgarian national heritage. In addition to their artistic and religious significance, they are respected for their role in maintaining Bulgarian culture and education during the long centuries of Ottoman occupation.

Language

The official language is Bulgarian, a Slavic language similar to Serbo-Croatian and Russian and written with Cyrillic characters. Minority languages include Turkish and Macedonian, which is similar to Bulgarian. Some Bulgarians speak Russian, somewhat reluctantly, while an increasing number speak English, French, or German. Travelers to Bulgaria may find a knowledge of the Cyrillic alphabet helpful, especially for reading road signs, although many of the main signs are written in both the Roman and Cyrillic alphabets.

Bulgarian attitudes

Most representatives of Western firms in Bulgaria are impressed by their contacts with Bulgarian businesspeople. They find an openness and a willingness to listen to alternative points of view and to learn about western business methods, as well as an eagerness to get involved in new ventures. Whether as a result of Bulgaria’s long history of siding with a strong patron or because of a genuine curiosity about lifestyles that have been forbidden fruit for many years, Bulgarians generally are friendly, cordial, and eager to do business with foreigners.

Toward employment and the workplace

Bulgaria’s labor force of around 3.3 million workers is concentrated mainly in the industrial and agricultural sectors. Most observers believe that Bulgaria’s strongest selling point for foreign investors is its skilled workforce. The talent-to-wage ratio is close to the highest in the world, largely due to a level of education that is relatively high compared with other countries in the same stage of development. Bulgaria has one of the highest literacy rates in Europe, and approximately 40 percent of the labor force has a secondary education. Training is especially good in the natural and technical sciences.

The nation’s housing shortage is an obstacle to worker mobility, especially in Sofia.

Productivity in some sectors is low, and in some instances management skills are not up to Western standards. The consensus among foreign consultants, business leaders, and investors is, however, that properly managed and motivated, Bulgarians generally are hardworking, honest, and willing to learn and do a good job. As always, a good strategy is to be patient, persistent, and supportive.

Towards hierarchy

Hierarchy is evident in Bulgarian business and government, and requests and decisions are often referred to a higher authority.

One of the most frequently cited problems encountered by foreigners in doing business in Bulgaria is uncertainty over the person with whom to negotiate. Bulgarian officials may seem cautious about making decisions and seek safety in formality and structure. According to the director of the Bulgarian International Business Association, “Foreign companies are frequently passed like a medicine ball between the privatization agency, the ministries,and the enterprise they are interested in, with no one prepared to execute a deal.”

Towards businesswomen

An Old World mentality toward working women is likely to remain in the Bulgarian workplace for some time, reinforced by the country’s sizable Turkish Muslim minority. Although women make up 53 percent of the labor force in Bulgaria and are architects, factory managers, high-level bureaucrats, and are represented in almost every profession, male chauvinism dies slowly.

Younger people are increasingly willing to accept women in positions of decision and power. Foreign businesspeople find Bulgarian women employees flexible, persevering, and receptive to new ideas.

Towards foreigners

According to a recent survey, Bulgarian workers are enthusiastic about working for a foreign company; in fact, 68 percent responded that they preferred to work for a foreign employer.

Bulgarians have a keen interest in Western products and technology, but are skeptical about marketing gimmicks. They are receptive to technical-oriented seminars, less so to pure marketing presentations. This attitude reflects both the high level of Bulgarian technical expertise and engineering know-how and a lack of familiarity with the roles of marketing, advertising, and public relations. Technical seminars are considered “serious”; sales promotion seminars are not.

CITIES

Plovdiv

A thousand years older than Sofia, Bulgaria’s second largest city is located on the upper Thracian Plain along both banks of the Maritsa River. Situated at the convergence of the communication routes between Asia Minor and Europe and the route from Central Asia to Greece via Ukraine, Plovdiv has always been strategically important. The city began to build upon its location as early as 341 BC when Philip II of Macedonia conquered Philipopolis, now known as Plovdiv. Later, the Romans built the Roman Forum and amphitheater, and the Turks built Friday Mosque and Imaret Mosque, structures still standing today.

Although Plovdiv is a thriving metropolis with a population of 340,000, much of the city is a picturesque collection of baroque houses spawned by the late 19th century Bulgarian National Revival. A particularly delightful spot is the area to the south of the National Revival Museum, a quaint cobbled quarter, with colorful 19th century houses crowding the winding streets. Travelers will enjoy the cafés, important trade fairs in spring and fall, and interesting cultural events year-round in Plovdiv.

For the most part, expatriates do not live in Plovdiv. Because of its proximity to Sofia, only two hours by car, foreign companies do not have branch offices in Plovdiv. They are more likely to have established a second office at Varna, on the Black Sea.

Sofia

Sofia (pronounced SO-fia) lies in a broad, high valley, surrounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Lyulin Mountains to the west, the Sredna Gora range to the southeast, and the sometimes visible snow-capped Mt. Vitosha to the southwest. Known as the “Paris of the Balkans” because of its broad boulevards, open-air cafés, large parks, upscale shopping, theaters, nightlife, grand buildings, cathedrals, and free-wheeling – for the Balkans – way of life, the nation’s 3,000-year-old capital is both sedate and lively.

Sofia is difficult to negotiate without a detailed up-to-date map because in the past few years nearly 500 streets and squares named after communist leaders have been returned to their pre-World War II names. Some former signs may remain, and some residents may not be aware of the change of name of a certain street. Spellings may also vary because of different translations from the Cyrillic alphabet.

A main artery, Princess Maria Louisa Boulevard (formerly Georgi Dimitrov), runs south from the Central Train Station (Gare Centrale Sofia) to Holy Sunday Cathedral Square (Ploschtad Sveta Nedelya), where it becomes Vitosha Boulevard. Most hotels, office buildings, and attractions lie east of Princess Maria Louisa and Vitosha Boulevards and between Prince of Battenburg Square and Alexander Nevsky Square. The U.S. Embassy is located on Saborna, just east of Holy Sunday Cathedral Square, across from Central Park. Sofia Airport is 13 km/8 mi northeast of the city.
Graceful baroque buildings line the boulevards in the old parts of town, and homes are clustered around grassy parks and squares. The skyline is dominated by gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a neo-Byzantine structure completed in 1912. The cathedral was named after the Russian hero in gratitude to Russia for freeing Bulgaria from Turkish rule.

Forced industrialization has tripled the city’s population to 1.2 million in just three decades. Public transportation consists of a fleet of aging trams and the ubiquitous taxis, whose numbers have soared since drivers can now legally shuttle people for compensation. One line of a metro system is operational.

Most expatriates relocating to Bulgaria live in Sofia, although some are now moving to Varna as companies set up branches there. Sofia’s major problem is housing. Three generations of families are routinely squeezed into tiny two-bedroom flats. People endure the hardships because of what Sofia has to offer: the best theaters, including an extraordinary selection of movies; good parks and museums; and the country’s best stores and markets. More merchandise is available in the smart shops along Vitosha Boulevard than in all the other towns and hamlets in Bulgaria combined. Despite the problems of the present, economic reform and an emerging democracy instill in locals a sense of hope in the changing city of Sofia.

Varna

Located on the Black Sea, approximately an eight-hour drive from Sofia, Varna is Bulgaria’s third largest city, with a population of about 310,000. It has long been a significant trading port in the region, with easy access to present day Turkey, Romania, Russia, and the Ukraine.
Through various invasions of Greeks, Romans, Slavs and Turks it continued as an important trading center and cosmopolitan area on the western Black Sea.

After a bleak time during the Communist era, Varna has made great efforts to revitalize and modernize. It is a summer tourist mecca, primarily for Eastern Europeans, with sandy beaches, and an almost Mediterranean atmosphere. There are new shops, boutiques, and restaurants. Varna now rivals Plovdiv and Sofia in the number of museums, arts festivals, and historic sites.

Because of its location on the Black Sea and as a center for commerce with other Eastern European areas and Turkey, a number of western companies are establishing branches in Varna with some expatriates relocating there.

CLIMATE

Bulgaria has a temperate climate with bitterly cold, damp winters and reasonably hot, dry summers in the interior and western parts.

The Rhodope Mountains form a barrier to the moderating Mediterranean influence of the Aegean Sea, while the Danube Plains are subject to the extremes of central Europe. The Black Sea moderates temperatures in the eastern part of the country.

There are several microclimates within the main climatic regions. Rainfall is highest in the mountains.

Information provided in association with Living Abroad