Official Name:

Republic of Bulgaria

Population:

7 364 570 (National Statistical Institute - NSI, 2011)
84.8% Bulgarian, 8.8% Turks, 4.9% Roma (Census 2011)

Capital city:

Sofia (1,178,331 inhabitants, NSI, 2011)

Area:

110,910 km2

Currency:

Bulgarian Lev (BGL)

GDP:

EUR 38.463,31 million = BGN 75.265 million (NSI, 2011)

GDP per capita:

EUR 4,784.34 = BGN 9, 362 (BNB, 2010)

Unemployment:

10,4% (Bulgarian National Bank, BNB, 2011)

Average monthly wage:

EUR 361.30 = BGN 707  (BNB, 2011)

Short chronology of EU accession:

March 1993

Europe Agreement signed (an association agreement providing mainly for preferential trade measures)

31 December 1993

Interim Agreement enters into force (provides for the interim application of the Association Agreement until ratification by all EU members)

1 February 1995

Association Agreement enters into force (replacing interim agreement)

13 December 1997

Candidate status (European Council Luxembourg)

15 February 2000

Start of accession negotiations with the European Commission

15 June 2004

Closure of negotiations

13 April 2005

European Parliament gives assent to Accession Treaty (534 votes in favour, 88 against, 69 abstentions)

25 April 2005

Signing of accession treaty

1 January 2007

EU accession

Prime ministers during the accession process:

12 Feb - 20 May 1997

Stefan Sofianski (Union of Democratic Forces - UDF; interim government)

21 May 1997 - 24 July 2001

Ivan Kostov (Union of Democratic Forces - UDF)

24 July 2001 - 17 Aug 2005

Simeon Saxe-Coburgotski (National Movement Simeon II)

17 August 2005 – 27 July 2009

Sergei Stanishev (Bulgarian Socialist Party)

Membership in other international organisations:

UN

14 December 1955

OSCE

25 June 1973 (founding member)

Council of Europe

7 May 1992

WTO

1 December 1996

NATO

29 March 2004

Politics:

President:

Rosen Plevneliev (since 22 January 2012, elected for 5 years)

Prime minister:

Boyko Borisov (since July 2009)

Political Parties:

Following the last elections held on 5 July 2009, 6 parties are represented in the 240 seat unicameral parliament. Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), a center-right party leaded by Boyko Borisov, the former mayor of Sofia, took 39 percent of the votes and 116 seats. GERB decided to govern as a minority government without a coalition partner.

The other political parties and coalitions represented in the Parliament are:

• Coalition for Bulgaria led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) gained 40 seats in the last elections. This coalition, centre-left oriented, is led by former Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev.
• Movement for Rights and Freedoms, mainly representing Bulgaria's Turkish minority, has 38 seats in the Parliament. It is chaired since its establishment by Ahmed Dogan.
• National Union Attack, an extreme right wing party, has 21 seats. Its leader is Volen Siderov.
• Blue Coalition gathers together a group of centre-right parties, with 11 seats in the Parliament.