Political parties and leaders:
ATAKA (Attack Coalition) (coalition of parties headed by the Attack
National Union); Attack National Union [Volen SIDEROV]; Bulgarian
Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER];
Bulgarian People's Union or BPU (coalition of UFD, IMRO, and BANU);
Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Coalition for
Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei
STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV];
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir
KARAKACHANOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed
DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon
SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic
Forces or UDF [Petar STOYANOV]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD
[Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition
of center-right parties dominated by UDF)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB;
Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and
national interest groups with various agendas
International organization participation: ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EU (new member), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Elena B. POPTODOROVA chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174 FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John Ross BEYRLE embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1407 mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 FAX: [359] (2) 937-5320
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; note -
the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe,
has been removed
Economy Bulgaria
Economy - overview:
Bulgaria, a former communist country that entered the European
Union on 1 January 2007, has experienced macroeconomic stability and
strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996 led to the
fall of the then socialist government. As a result, the government
became committed to economic reform and responsible fiscal planning.
Minerals, including coal, copper, and zinc, play an important role
in industry. In 1997, macroeconomic stability was reinforced by the
imposition of a fixed exchange rate of the lev against the German
D-mark - the currency is now fixed against the euro - and the
negotiation of an IMF standby agreement. Low inflation and steady
progress on structural reforms improved the business environment;
Bulgaria has averaged 5.1% growth since 2000 and has begun to
attract significant amounts of foreign direct investment. Corruption
in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of
organized crime remain the largest challenges for Bulgaria.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$77.13 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$27.85 billion (2006 est.)