Bozhidar Lukarski

Bulgaria's Public Procurement Agency, which is currently accountable to Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski, will be transferred to the portfolio of Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov, according to a set of draft amendments to the Public Procurement Act.

The legal changes, as cited by the BGNES news agency, have been released for public debate.

Ruling party GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) has proposed the introduction of an absolute limitation period of ten years for debts of natural persons.

GERB has submitted to Parliament proposals for changes to the Obligations and Contracts Act which are available on the website of Bulgaria's Parliament.

Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski announced that Bulgaria expected to attract investors from the US and China in 2015 and not only from Western Europe.

Bulgarians deem most successful the government policies connected to infrastructure (38%), culture (29%) and foreign policy (25%).

Meanwhile, the most unsuccessful areas have been the income policy (9%), followed by economics, social activities and education (each with 17% stated disapproval).

French companies are considering the option to move their China-based production facilities to Bulgaria, Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski has said.

The European Commission would like to encourage investments on the part of the private sector into the economy of all EU countries.

This will be one of the main goals of the Investment plan for Europe, as stated by the European Commissioner for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, Jyrki Katainen.

European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen arrives in Sofia to present the European Commission's Investment Plan for Europe (EC IPE) known as the "Juncker Plan."

Italian companies may be attracted in privatization projects, including for tourist sites, as well as concessions agreements and modernization schemes for airports, and construction and reconstruction of road and railway infrastructure in Bulgaria, according to Minister Bozhidar Lukarski.

Tuesday's explosion at the VMZ Sopot military plant's warehouse near the village of Iganovo was deliberate, Economy Ministry officials have suggested.

Bulgaria is among the top 10 in the EU by transparency in public procurement and among the top 5 by electronization of the process, according to Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski.