The share of public debt in the European Union countries relative to their gross domestic product (GDP) decreased to 81.7 percent at the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 82 percent at the end of the third quarter, according to the latest Eurostat data. In the euro area, the ratio is 87.8 percent compared to 88.4 percent, respectively. However, on an annual basis, the share of public debt increased both in the EU - from 80.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 81.7 percent, and in the euro area - from 87 percent to 87.8 percent. Bulgaria's public debt, relative to the country's economic output, increased to 29.9 percent at the end of last year from 28.4 percent at the end of the third quarter. Thus, Bulgaria ranks fourth in the EU in terms of the lowest debts, presented as a percentage of GDP, and for the first time it does not find a place among the three countries in the EU with the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio since the end of the third quarter of 2008. At that time, our country was in sixth place in the EU with a public debt-to-GDP ratio of 13.6 percent.

Until May 12, projects can be prepared and applied for funding under Procedure: II.D.2.1 - Investments in the processing of agricultural products aimed at protecting environmental components. Financial assistance can be between EUR 15 thousand and EUR 2 million. Eligible applicants can be both registered farmers and processors of agricultural products who have been operating for at least 24 months without interruption. The funds can be invested in tangible and intangible investments related to the protection of environmental components and the reduction of pollution as a result of the activities of processing enterprises. Financial assistance is provided for investments in the following selected production sectors related to the processing/marketing of agricultural products: milk and dairy products, including poultry eggs; meat and meat products; fruits and vegetables, including mushrooms; honey and bee products; grain, milling and starch products; vegetable and animal oils and fats; technical and medicinal crops, including oil-bearing rose, herbs and cotton; ready-made food for farm animals (feed); grape must, wine and vinegar. For more detailed information: http://sfb.bia-bg.com.

A second coal-fired power plant in Bulgaria is to shut down within three years. After May 8, the second "American" power plant - "AES Maritsa East 1" in Galabovo - is also expected to close, as its contract with the National Electricity Company for purchasing its electricity at prices that guarantee its operation expires. Similarly, in February 2024, the TPP "ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3" stopped operating - also due to the expiration of the long-term contract with the state for purchasing its electricity at preferential prices. In the winter of 2025, it temporarily loaded its capacities again, taking advantage of the increased prices on the energy exchange and the shortage of electricity in the region, but its owners are determined to develop the power plant only in the field of renewable energy - sun, wind and batteries, and recently launched a project to build an energy storage system. The state-owned Maritsa East 2 TPP, which is relied on to cover the gap in electricity production after the shutdown of AES Galabovo, is among the most polluting coal-fired power plants in Europe. Therefore, it also has the highest carbon emissions costs, which makes the electricity it produces extremely expensive. However, the state has ensured its operation, with NEK purchasing a significant part of its energy for the regulated household market. At the same time, the AES power plant in Galabovo is the newest and most modern coal-fired power plant in our country, which is also the least air polluting. It is also the only true balancing power plant that can be quickly shut down in case of a surplus of electricity, and reconnected to the system in case of a deficit. The owner, the American company AES Corporation, had announced that it would transform the power plant in Galabovo by stopping burning coal. Their project to build a battery for storing electricity using molten salt technology was frozen after failing to receive European co-financing. Meanwhile, AES announced in early March that it had accepted an offer to be acquired by a consortium of international investors for $33 billion, and the deal is expected to be finalized by the end of 2026. At this stage, there is no clarity on how the change of ownership will affect AES Corporation's business in Bulgaria.

The consortium, which includes the Bulgarian subsidiary of the Turkish construction group Doğuş, has been ranked first in the procedure for the modernization of the Craiova - Caraneşbeş railway section, Lot 3. The procedure is in the evaluation stage and requires additional checks by the contracting authority CFR SA. The project has an indicative value of between 5.1 and 6.1 billion Romanian lei (about €1-1.2 billion). It includes the construction of the most technically complex element of the route, the 6.2-kilometer Balota tunnel. Once built, it will be the second longest railway tunnel in Romania. The tunnel will pass through difficult mountainous terrain and requires serious engineering solutions, including working in variable geological conditions, complex reinforcement systems and the construction of a complete safety infrastructure. This includes ventilation, fire protection systems and emergency evacuation connections between the two tunnel tubes. In addition to the tunnel, Lot 3 also includes large-scale additional works - bridges, viaducts, electrification, modern signaling systems and a complete renovation of the railway infrastructure. The implementation period is about 60 months. The project is strategic for Romania's connectivity with the European railway network, but has already gone through several unsuccessful attempts at award due to discrepancies between the offers and the estimated budgets.

A new shopping center with a LIDL supermarket and a retail area with parking will appear in the "South" district of the city of Plovdiv. The investment intention is of "MLP Corporation" Ltd., associated with the owner of the former tobacco warehouse "Nicotea" at Stochna Station Plamen Moravenov. The new shopping center will be located at 103 "Dimitar Talev" Str., near the residential complexes "Oasis" 4 and 5. The construction will be implemented in two stages. In the first, a separate building of the "LIDL" supermarket will be built. Then, two buildings will be erected for a "retail zone", and it has been decided that one will be on 2 floors for shops with commercial areas for industrial goods. It will trade in clothing, cosmetics and household goods. The second will be a one-story building, which will house a pharmacy. A common parking lot has been designed on the property, which will serve all buildings with a capacity of 58 spaces, of which 3 will be for people in disadvantaged situations and 4 for electric cars, for which charging stations will be installed. The built-up area of ​​​​the new "LIDL" will be 2,339.84 square meters, and the retail zone - 1,260 m2.

The Council of Ministers adopted a Decision to approve the financing of public municipal infrastructure under the Investment Promotion Act (IPA). The budget of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth will provide Botevgrad Municipality with funds in the amount of up to EUR 376,643 (including VAT) for elements of municipal infrastructure that are being built in connection with the implementation of the IIP-certified project "Investment in new production facilities of Mikroak Ltd.", which will be implemented in Botevgrad. The company's investment amounts to over EUR 3.5 million. Users of the infrastructure will be the companies Mikroak Ltd., GI Pharmaceuticals Ltd., AMG Technology Ltd., TEKOM-3 Ltd., APS MANUFACTURING Ltd., VOP Ltd., TEDA PACK Ltd. and others.

The state-owned company "Shop for People" EAD has officially completed the pilot stage of its project and is moving into a phase of active expansion, having confirmed the feasibility of its business model. Currently, partner stores are registering significant growth in turnover, ranging between 15 and 80 percent, while suppliers are experiencing a two to three-fold increase in volumes compared to previous periods. The company is already actively expanding in Southern Bulgaria. After six new points were opened in the Plovdiv region at the end of March, phased deliveries to another 35 sites in the Pazardzhik and Haskovo regions are currently beginning. It is expected that by the beginning of May 2026, the network will exceed 110 points of sale, providing access to basic products for over 170,000 residents in more than 90 settlements. The next phase of development is the construction of its own logistics network. The decision to take this step was taken after a thorough analysis of the market and in response to increased transportation costs caused by uncertainty in fuel supplies. The implementation of its own logistics will be a key factor in achieving the ambitious goal of entering 500 points of sale by the end of 2026. The project, which was launched by a decision of the National Assembly in March 2025, envisages trade in essential food products with a strictly limited markup of up to 10 percent. To date, the assortment includes over 45 items from the basic consumer basket, with the focus remaining on the products of Bulgarian producers.

"Irrigation Systems" EAD has started the irrigation season for 2026. The dams managed by the Company across the country are currently about 71% full. Water is being released into all irrigation canals in the regions where applications for delivery have been submitted. During the last irrigation season, water for irrigation was delivered to 348,000 decares, and the areas are expected to increase this year.

One of the leading Bulgarian companies, Opticoelectron Group, unites several companies, manufacturers of high-tech optics, whose products are used both in the civilian industry and in specialized systems. Enterprises in the optical sector are part of the new industrial reality of Europe, both suppliers of components for global technological chains and partners in sensitive areas such as security and defense. The group's total revenues for last year exceeded 100 million leva, and the companies sell their products in over 40 markets, mainly in Europe. Part of the investments are related to the new partnership implemented last year. And if until now the group has worked mainly in cooperation with other companies, from the end of 2025 a large German company will become a shareholder in one of its companies. After nearly two years of negotiations, Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH acquired 31.5% of Zavod za Optika AD, implemented through a capital increase. The German company's investment through this capital increase is BGN 6.75 million.

At its meeting of 21.04.2026, the FSC decided: 1. Approves the submitted changes to the articles of association of "Sopharma Imoti" REIT. 4. Deletes "SUCCESS FINANCE" EOOD from the register of insurance brokers.

The number of immigrants residing in the European Union (EU) rose to a record 64.2 million in 2025, up about 2.1 million from a year earlier, according to a report published on Wednesday by the Center for Migration Research and Analysis at RFBerlin. By comparison, there were 40 million in 2010, the report said, citing data from Eurostat and the UN Refugee Agency. Germany remains the EU's largest host of foreign nationals with nearly 18 million, 72% of whom are of working age, while Spain has seen the fastest growth recently, adding about 700,000 people, bringing the number of foreign-born people in the country to 9.5 million. The study said migration patterns were uneven across the bloc, with Luxembourg, Malta and Cyprus facing a higher share of immigrants relative to their population. Asylum applications are also concentrated in certain countries, such as Spain, Italy, France and Germany, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all applications. Germany has taken in the largest number of refugees overall, at 2.7 million.

In 2024, 156,703 square kilometers of the European Union territory were affected by drought, according to Eurostat data. The period 2014-2024 saw significant increases in the areas affected by drought, especially in 2018 (520,817 km²) and 2022 (558,313 km²). Despite the smaller areas exposed to drought in 2023 and 2024, according to data for a 10-year period, the affected areas increase over time. Eurostat also reports a significant increase in the area of ​​Bulgaria affected by droughts - from 4,302 square kilometers in 2023 to 22,061 square kilometers in 2024 - or 17,759 square kilometers more. Thus, the areas in our country affected by drought reach their highest level since 2007. Among EU countries, only Romania (30,831) and Italy (28,892 sq. km) have registered a greater increase in the area affected by drought in 2024 compared to the previous year.

The global venture capital market reached a record $285.5 billion in the first quarter of 2026. This is 2.8 times more than last year, according to data from the international analytical company CB Insights. This figure is the highest quarterly value recorded so far. The growth is due to the OpenAI deal for $122 billion, or 43% of the total financing. The number of deals closed decreased year-on-year by more than a quarter (27.7%) to 6,600. This is the lowest quarterly figure since the fourth quarter of 2016. Therefore, as CB Insights analysts explain, there is no talk of a large-scale recovery in the market yet. The number of active investors in this area worldwide decreased by 10% on a quarterly basis to 10,000 (3,500 in the US, 3,300 in Asia and 2,500 in Europe). More and more Dutch businesses are using AI in the first quarter, exceeding the total for all of 2025 ($217.4 billion). OpenAI is now responsible for more than half (54%) of all funding. Investments increased 5.5 times year-on-year, while the number of deals decreased by 3 percent. Mega-rounds (deals over $100 million) accounted for 94% of the capital raised. The largest share of AI deals (11%) is in physical AI (which allows robots to perceive more like humans). The main drivers are humanoid industrial robots and unmanned defense and intelligence systems. The race to unlock the capabilities of AI is reflected in the merger and acquisition activity of large technology companies. In the first quarter, the number of such deals increased by 90% year-on-year, reaching 266.

China’s central bank is pumping more money into the country’s banking system, signaling an unusual tolerance for abundant liquidity and bolstering confidence that the bond market’s rally can continue. The financial institution added a total of 9.5 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in seven-day reverse repo operations on Tuesday and Wednesday, the most since late March, data compiled by Bloomberg show. While the injection was small, it surprised traders as the system already appears sufficiently liquid and money market rates are near three-year lows. The move suggests central bankers are prioritizing low funding costs and smooth government financing to support the economy — an environment that could help extend a bond rally in which Chinese debt has outperformed other markets amid the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. Bond markets rose on Wednesday, with 10-year Treasury futures heading for an eighth straight day of gains, the longest streak since September 2024. Bank funding costs are held near multi-year lows to boost demand for credit and support growth. The overnight repo rate - the price of short-term funding backed by bonds - hovered around 1.2%, near a three-year low.