Background Notes: Bulgaria
PA/PC
Source: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public
Affairs
Date: Jan 15, 19901/15/90
Category: Country Data
Region: Europe
Country: Bulgaria
Subject: Military Affairs, Cultural Exchange, Travel,
History, International Organizations
[TEXT]
Official Name: People's Republic of Bulgaria
PROFILE
Geography
Area: 110,987 sq. km. (44,365 sq. mi.); about the size of Ohio. Cities:
Capital-Sofia (pop. 1,114,759). Other cities-Plovdiv (377,637),
Varna (297,090), Burgas (188,367), and Ruse (185,425). Terrain:
About three-fourths mountainous and one-fourth plains. Climate:
Temperate continental similar to U.S. Midwest (dry, hot summers
and damp, cold winters) but with strong regional variations.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective-Bulgarian(s). Population (Dec. 1985):
8,942,976. Annual growth rate: 2.3/1,000. Birth rate: 13.6/1,000.
Density: 80.9/sq. km. (209/sq. mi.). Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 85.3%,
Turk 8.5%, others (Gypsies, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and
Russians)-6.2%. Language: Bulgarian. Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox,
Islam, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Judaism. Education: Years
compulsory-8. Attendance-1.6 million. Literacy (est.)-98% . Health:
Infant mortality rate-16.1/1,000. Life expectancy-Men 69 yrs.,
women 74 yrs. Work force (4,092,832): Agriculture-22%. Industry
and commerce-43%. Construction-8.3%. Transport-5.9%.
Government-1.3%. Other-19.5%.
Government
Type: In transition. Constitution: May 1971.
Branches: Executive-chief of state (Chairman of State
Council), head of government (Chairman of Council of Ministers).
Legislative-unicameral National Assembly, State Council: chairman,
1 first deputy chairman, 5 deputy chairmen, 1 secretary, and 21
members. Judicial- Supreme Court, 28 provincial (okrug and Sofia
City) courts, 103 local courts.
Political parties: Bulgarian Communist Party, Bulgarian
National Agrarian Union, other political parties in formation.
Suffrage: Universal over 18.
Administrative subdivisions: 9 oblasts (districts).
Defense (est.): 6% of government budget.
National holiday: September 9.
Flag: White, green, and red horizontal stripes from top to
bottom with a lion framed by wheat stalks on the upper left hand
corner of the white stripe.
Economy
National income (1988): $67.6 billion. Annual growth rate (1988):
1.8%. Per capita income (1988): $7,540.
Natural resources: Copper, lead, zinc, coal, lignite, iron,
manganese, limestone, and lumber.
Agriculture: Products-Grain, tobacco, fruits, wine, vegetables,
sheep, hogs, poultry, cheese, sunflower seeds.
Industry: Types-processed agricultural products, machinery,
chemicals, metallurgical products.
Trade (1987): Exports-$16.8 billion; U.S. share, $40.3 million.
Imports-$16.9 billion; U.S. share, $88.3 million. Major trade
partners-U.S.S.R. 61%, other CEMA countries 21.5%, developing
countries 10.7%.
Official exchange rate (April 1989): .41 leva=U.S.$1.
Membership in International Organizations
UN and many of its specialized agencies, Council for Mutual
Economic Assistance (CEMA), Warsaw Pact.
GEOGRAPHY
Located on the Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria extends from the western
shore of the Black Sea to Yugoslavia in the west. In the north, the
Danube River forms the greater part of Bulgaria's common boundary
with Romania. Greece and European Turkey lie to the south and
southeast of Bulgaria.
The country is divided roughly into three parallel east-west
zones: the Danubian tableland in the north, the Stara Planina (or
Balkan) Mountains in the center, and the Thracian Plain and the
Rhodope and Pirin Mountains in the south and southwest. About one-
third of the country lies at an altitude of 500 meters (1,640 ft.)
above sea level. The average elevation is 480 meters (1,575 ft.)
above sea level.
On the fringe of the humid continental climate zone, Bulgaria
has a climate similar to the U.S. Midwest. The weather varies
considerably from year to year, as do the several climatic subzones
within the country. Summer temperatures average about 24 C (75
F); winter temperatures average around 0 C (32 F). Annual
precipitation averages 63 centimeters (25 in.).
PEOPLE
Partly due to its mountainous terrain, Bulgaria's population density
is one of the lowest in Eastern Europe, about 81 persons per square
kilometer (207/sq. mi.). About two-thirds of the people live in
urban areas, compared to one-third in 1956. Sofia, the capital, is
the largest city. Other major cities are Plovdiv-site of a major
annual international trade fair, the Black Sea cities of Varna and
Burgas, and Ruse on the Danube River.
The principal religious organization is the Bulgarian Orthodox
Church, to which most Bulgarians belong. Other religions include
Islam, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Judaism. Before
1989, religious activity was discouraged by the Bulgarian
Communist Party, but its new leadership has pledged to support the
rights of all citizens to worship freely.
Bulgarian is the primary language spoken in the country,
although some secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic
divisions. The most important of these is Turkish, which is widely
spoken by the Turkish minority. From 1984-89, the government, in
effect, banned the use of the Turkish language in public. The new
leadership has repudiated that policy. Russian, which shares the
Cyrillic alphabet and many words with Bulgarian, is widely
understood.
Education is free and compulsory to age 15. Scientific,
technical, and vocational training is stressed.
HISTORY
Bulgaria's name is derived from a Turkic people, the Bulgars, who
originated in the steppe north of the Caspian Sea. In the latter part
of the seventh century, one branch of the Bulgars moved up the
Volga River, establishing the Kingdom of the Volga Bulgars; the
other branch moved westward along the Black Sea settling near the
mouth of the Danube. Although the name Bulgaria is not of Slavic
origin, the Slavic people, who had entered the Balkan Peninsula
earlier, absorbed the invading Turkic people and were, in large
measure, the precursors of the present-day Bulgarians.
Bulgarian kingdoms continued to exist in the Balkan Peninsula
during the Middle Ages, following which the Ottoman Turks ruled
Bulgaria for 500 years, until 1878. In that year, a Bulgarian
principality was established between the Danube River and the
Balkan Mountains when Russia and Romania assisted the Bulgarians
in defeating the Ottomans. In 1885, the union of the Principality of
Bulgaria with Eastern Rumelia south of the Balkan Mountains
created an autonomous Bulgarian state with roughly the same
borders as those of present-day Bulgaria.
A fully independent Bulgarian kingdom, proclaimed September
22, 1908, participated in an anti-Ottoman coalition that defeated
the Ottoman Empire in the First Balkan War (1912). The coalition
soon dissolved over territorial disputes, however, and Bulgaria was
isolated and defeated quickly in the Second Balkan War (1913) by
Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, and Turkey. It later allied
itself with Germany in World Wars I and II and suffered defeats
twice more. Bulgaria's involvement in these wars was partly due to
its ambitions for an outlet to the Aegean Sea and its desire to annex
Macedonian and Thracian territory held by Greece, Yugoslavia, and
Turkey.
Although Bulgaria declared war on the United States and the
United Kingdom during World War II, it did not declare war on the
Soviet Union. In August 1944, Bulgarian emissaries opened talks in
Cairo with Allied representatives, seeking to take Bulgaria out of
the war. On September 5, 1944, while these talks were still under
way, the Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria.
Communist rule in Bulgaria began September 9, 1944, when a
communist-dominated coalition, called the Fatherland Front, seized
power from the coalition government formed to arrange an
armistice with the Allies. At the same time, Soviet forces were
marching into the country without resistance. Communist power,
consolidated in the next 3 years, led to the adoption on December 4,
1947, of the so-called Dimitrov Constitution, modeled after that of
the U.S.S.R.
Yugoslavia's expulsion from the Cominform (a Soviet-led
international socialist organization) in June 1948 and the
subsequent Moscow-dictated persecution of "national communists"
throughout Eastern Europe also led to arrests and trials in Bulgaria.
In 1949, Traicho Kostov, a Bulgarian communist leader, was
executed on charges of conspiring with the
Yugoslavs. He had remained in Bulgaria during the war and was
second in rank only to Georgi Dimitrov, who had spent the war years
in Moscow. Vulko Chervenkov, Dimitrov's brother-in-law, who also
had spent the war years in Moscow, emerged as the "Stalin of
Bulgaria" after Dimitrov's death in 1949.
In 1954, following Stalin's death and separation in the U.S.S.R.
of the positions of party leader and head of government, Chervenkov
yielded the position of party chief to Todor Zhivkov. In the next 7
years, Zhivkov superseded his one-time mentor, blaming him for the
"Stalinist excesses" and "violations of socialist legality" which had
characterized the 1948-53 period. Chervenkov was ousted finally
from his last leadership position in November 1961, and shortly
thereafter Zhivkov took on the additional post of premier, thus
recombining the positions of party leader and head of government.
In 1971, he gave up the premiership and took on the newly created
and more prestigious position of Chairman of the State Council
(chief of state). He held this position and that of Bulgarian
Communist Party (BCP) Secretary General until November 1989.
Petur Mladenov, who led the Politburo in its effort to oust
Zhivkov, now also holds both these positions, despite his
declarations favoring separation of party and State powers.
Mladenov is leading the BCP in its efforts to maintain a credible
claim to political leadership in the country, despite a high level of
opposition to the Communist Party which is now appearing.
Elections, promised for May 1990, will indicate how successful
Mladenov has been in that effort.
GOVERNMENT
The paragraphs in Article One of the Bulgarian Constitution that
guaranteed the "leading role in society" of the BCP were removed by
the National Assembly on January 16, 1990. Further changes in the
constitution are under consideration, and more, significant changes
in the political structure of the country may follow. As currently
written, the constitution provides for a unicameral 400-member
National Assembly, described as "the supreme organ of state
power." Each deputy in this body represents a particular district
and, in the past, ran for election for a 5-year term on a single
Fatherland Front list. The government has pledged that the
assembly elections called for May 1990 will permit competition by
multiple candidates representing different parties. The National
Assembly is required to meet three times a year. Formerly, its
sessions were typically pro forma affairs, but since November it
has convened more frequently and has shown signs of independence.
The executive branch is the Council of Ministers (cabinet), the
chairman of which-the prime minister-is head of government. The
number of Cabinet-rank officials has varied over the years but
generally is about 30. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial
body. It is responsible for and reports on its activity to the
National Assembly and, between assembly sessions, to the State
Council. Judges are elected for a 5-year period. The Bulgarian
judicial system also has a chief prosecutor, elected for a 5-year
term, who is constitutionally charged with seeing that laws are
obeyed, particularly those concerning Bulgarian national and
economic interests, independence, and sovereignty.
Bulgaria has a three-tiered system of government. Below the
central government are 27 provinces (okrugs) and one city, Sofia,
which also has the status of a province. Subordinate to the 27
provinces are more than 1,100 urban and rural communities
(obshtina), constituting the third level of government. The provinces
and communities are governed by elected People's Councils and
party-appointed executive officials.
Principal Government Officials
Chairman, Council of State; General Secretary of the Bulgarian
Communist Party-Petur Mladenov
Chairman, Council of Ministers-Georgi Atanasov (premier or prime
minister)
Chairman, National Assembly-Stanko Todorov
Minister of Foreign Affairs-Boyko Dimitrov
Politburo (Full Members)
Petur Mladenov
Georgi Atanasov
Andrei Lukanov
Aleksandur Lilov
Belcho Belchev
Dobri Dzhurov
Pandeley Pachov
Mincho Yovchev
Politburo (Candidate Members)
Petko Danev
Ivan Stanev
Dimitar Stanishev
Ivan Ivanov
Ambassador to the United States-Velichko Velichkov
Ambassador to the United Nations-Aleksander K. Strezov
Bulgaria maintains an embassy in the United States at 1621-
22d Street NW., Washington, D.C. 20008 (tel. 387-7970).
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
The removal of long-time Bulgarian leader Todor Zhivkov from
government and party positions on November 11, 1989, began a
period of significant change in Bulgarian political life. Until this
time, the BCP, with about 984,000 members, controlled all phases
of Bulgarian life. The Bulgarian constitution guaranteed it a role as
the leading force in society. Petur Mladenov, former Foreign
Minister, took over from Zhivkov as Head of State and Secretary
General of the BCP. In the period that followed, six of the nine full
Politburo members were dismissed, as were three of the six
candidate members. In most cases, these were individuals closely
associated with former leader Zhivkov or with his most unpopular
policies. There also were changes in the Central Committee (CC)
membership, which were widely viewed as an effort to bring more
liberal and reform-minded party members into responsible
positions. Most important, however, the CC of the BCP voted in
December 1989 to relinquish its monopoly on power. On January 16,
1990, the National Assembly formally removed the clauses
guaranteeing the BCP's preeminence from the constitution.
The other political party that functioned in Bulgaria during
communist rule is the Bulgarian National Agrarian Union (BANU). A
coalition partner of the BCP, it could not have an independent
program. Its leadership also changed in November 1989, and some
of its members have begun to take the initiative, in the National
Assembly and elsewhere, to assume a more independent position.
Other political parties have begun to form since Zhivkov's
dismissal. A new law on associations is expected to be considered
by the National Assembly early in 1990; this would set the
guidelines for the functioning of other political parties. In the
meantime, independent parties are forming without benefit of legal
guidelines and have apparently been permitted to function without
government interference. A Social Democratic Party has been
formed, as has a Green Party, among others.
The government has promised "free, democratic" elections for
the National Assembly before the end of May 1990. Some of the
opposition members have called for elections in May for part of the
assembly seats, followed later in the year by further elections; this
is in order to give the newly formed opposition parties more time to
organize. The current National Assembly, generally considered to be
a "rubber stamp" Parliament, has begun to take some tentative steps
toward independence.
The Bulgarian media, although still state-owned and controlled,
has made some effort at keeping pace with the political changes
underway, and has reported accurately and objectively on opposition
positions in many cases, although not in every instance. After
decades in which Bulgarian political development was marked by
stability and lack of dissent, it has now entered a period in which
many voices are being heard. It has taken some important initial
steps toward greater freedom and respect for human rights, but it
faces a difficult task in achieving true democracy.
ECONOMY
At the end of World War II, Bulgaria was among the least
industrialized European countries. In 1948, 18% of the work force
was employed outside the agricultural sector. Since then, however,
the government has pursued a policy of rapid industrialization so
that today about 80% of the work force is employed in sectors other
than agriculture.
The national income grew rapidly in the 1960s and early
1970s, averaging more than 6% annually during the 1960s and
reaching 9% in 1975. Economic growth has slowed markedly since
the late 1970s and has averaged only 1%-3% annually in recent
years. Bulgaria's gross national product (GNP) was $67.6 billion in
1988, or $7,540 per capita. The national currency, the lev, is not a
convertible currency and has been tied to the Soviet ruble. The
official lev-dollar exchange rate is, therefore, not necessarily an
accurate index of the true value of the lev (BL).
A major factor in Bulgaria's postwar growth rate was Soviet
assistance, the dollar value of which cannot be accurately
estimated. The assistance included raw materials at favorable
prices, technical assistance, and substantial credits, partly in hard
(convertible) currency. In contrast to some more developed East
European countries, which have suffered economically from their
dependence on the Soviet Union, Bulgaria's ties with the Soviet
Union have brought economic benefits during most of the post-World
War II period. However, during the 1980s, reduced deliveries of
Soviet raw materials and fuels, coupled with higher prices, have
reduced these benefits to Bulgaria.
Economic Reform and Plans
Bulgaria's command economic system has been patterned on the
Soviet model. For several years in the mid-1960s, it appeared that
Bulgaria had launched a program of economic reform involving
decentralization of decisionmaking, a greater reliance on market
forces, and even embryonic workers' councils. In 1968, however,
fears aroused by the course of developments in Czechoslovakia and
by domestic abuses in the use of decentralized authority prompted
the BCP to reverse the trend toward decentralization.
Since 1971, productive enterprises have been grouped into
more than 60 state economic amalgamations responsible for almost
all nonagricultural production. In the agricultural sector, state and
collective farms began to be combined in 1970 into "agrarian-
industrial complexes" averaging 17,776-26,664 hectares (44,000-
66,000 acres). Since 1979, halting attempts have been made to
decentralize the economic planning and decisionmaking process in
both the industrial and agricultural sectors. The most recent
reform process, which began in 1986, is intended to make the
economy operate more efficiently, but so far, implementation haS
been half-hearted and disappointing. Major features are:
-- Decentralized management decisionmaking;
-- Financial stimuli to workers;
-- Creation of a commercial banking system;
-- Greater emphasis on market forces and incentives; and
-- More rational pricing policies.
Decree 56 of January 1989 provides for the restructuring of
economic organizations as companies, with varying forms of
ownership and liable to bankruptcy. Theoretically, companies are
free to engage in foreign trade, ending the state's monopoly. The
basic legal code for self-managing entities is not expected to enter
into force until January 1991. The beginnings of a commercial
banking system may have been established in late 1987 with the
creation of eight new commercial banks. They are initially
functioning only as investment banks. Price controls are to be
lifted in stages through the end of 1990. It remains to be seen
whether the market will play a greater role in the allocation of
productive resources, but the new political leadership has affirmed
market-oriented reforms as a high priority and plans to
reinvigorate the 1986 reform program, which is expected to extend
over a period of 10-15 years.
Bulgaria's economic strategy has been set forth in 5-year
development plans closely patterned after and coordinated with the
Soviet Union's 5-year plans. The current 1986-90 plan sets lower
economic growth targets but continued strong emphasis on the
industrial sector, particularly electronics, machine-building, and
biotechnology. The plan calls for approximately BL 54 billion in
capital investment, roughly 70% slated for modernizing and
reconstructing existing plants and equipment, rather than for new
projects.
Industry and Agriculture
Industry has been the motor of Bulgarian economic growth for most
of the past 45 years. However, by the early 1980s, it was clear
that the process of extensive industrialization had carried the
Bulgarian economy about as far as it could. Bulgaria has, therefore,
launched its current campaign to modernize its aging industrial
base, increase efficiency, and introduce new technology (e.g.
robotics). The largest industrial sector is "machine building" (heavy
industry), which accounts for more than one-quarter of industrial
production. The largest single industrial plant is the Metallurgical
Combine at Kremilkovtsi (near Sofia), one of the largest iron and
steel mills in the Balkans.
Despite its lower priority, agriculture remains a key
component of the economy. Although only about 40% of the land is
arable, Bulgaria has one of the highest ratios of arable land to
population in Eastern Europe. Small private farms exist, mainly in
the uplands. The size of the private plots is based on the size of the
household: one-half hectare is the maximum in most places; in
mountainous areas, 1 hectare. Climate and soil conditions are
suitable for raising livestock and for growing various grain crops,
vegetables, fruits, and tobacco. More than one-third of the
cultivated land is devoted to growing the principal grain crops-
wheat, corn, and barley. Bulgaria is a major tobacco producer-the
fourth largest exporter of tobacco and the largest exporter of
cigarettes (mainly to the Soviet Union).
Energy
Bulgaria's ambitious nuclear energy program is increasing the share
of total electric energy generated by nuclear power-36% in 1988. A
nuclear power plant at Kozloduy was recently completed, and
construction of a second nuclear power complex has begun at
Belene. In northeastern Bulgaria, deposits of black and coking coal
may contribute to the effort to increase energy self-sufficiency.
Estimated deposits are 1.2 billion metric tons, but great physical
obstacles, such as the depth of the deposits (between 1,375 and
1,950 meters) and water-bearing rock strata, must be overcome if
they are to be successfully exploited.
Trade
Foreign trade is important to the Bulgarian economy. In 1988,
exports, which were $17.2 billion, constituted about a quarter of
GNP. Since 1985, foreign trade has remained relatively stagnant. In
the late 1980s, exports and imports have been basically in balance.
Bulgarian foreign trade is conducted principally with other
communist countries. In 1987, 82.5% of Bulgaria's exports and
80.5% of its imports were with communist partners. Almost 60% of
Bulgaria's trade was with the Soviet Union in 1988. Bulgaria is a
member of Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA), an
economic/trade organization of communist countries.
The share of Bulgaria's trade with developed Western
countries is relatively modest: 6.8% of exports and 15.1% of imports
in 1987. West Germany is the largest exporter to Bulgaria.
Bulgaria's main interest in trade with the West is to import
technology to modernize its industrial base and to use more
efficiently raw materials and energy. In many cases, Bulgaria has
been able to pay in hard currency for its imports from the West.
Bulgaria's net debt to the developed Western countries increased to
$7-$7.5 billion by the end of 1989 because of growing purchases of
Western goods.
Since 1967, Bulgaria has been an observer in the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It is presently seeking
accession to full GATT membership on the grounds that it has now
reformed its economy sufficiently along market lines to be able to
accept both the benefits and obligations of GATT membership.
The Bulgarian Government promulgated a joint venture law
(Decree 535) in March 1980 to attract Western technology and
investment. However, most Western businesses have responded
cautiously because of the vagueness of many of its provisions.
Decree 535, on paper one of the most liberal joint venture laws in
Eastern Europe, allows the formation of joint enterprises with
unlimited foreign participation for operations in Bulgaria.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
The first and overriding goal of Bulgarian foreign policy has been
"to strengthen and expand the unbreakable alliance, friendship, and
all-round cooperation with the U.S.S.R. and the other fraternal
socialist countries." Bulgaria has supported consistently the Soviet
position on all major world issues. Within the Warsaw Pact and
CEMA, Bulgaria has been an advocate of greater integration of
military, economic, and political policies under Soviet leadership.
Bulgaria participated in the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of
Czechoslovakia.
Because of its geographic position, Bulgaria devotes
particular attention to relations with the other Balkan states. It
has achieved substantial progress in improving relations with
Greece, but its relationship with Turkey has suffered because of the
government's campaign of forced cultural assimilation aimed at the
Turkish minority in Bulgaria. The end of this policy has led to some
improvements in the relations between the two countries. Relations
with Yugoslavia are troubled periodically by the Macedonian
question. Relations with Albania are not particularly close because
of Albanian distrust of Bulgaria's close links to the Soviet Union.
More recently, Bulgaria also has been more active in its
relations with West European countries and with certain developing
countries, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. Bulgaria has
been a member of the United Nations since 1955 and participates in
some of its specialized agencies.
U.S.-BULGARIAN RELATIONS
Diplomatic relations between the United States and Bulgaria were
established on September 19, 1903, but were broken on December
13, 1941, when Bulgaria declared war on the United States. The
post-World War II treaty of peace between the Allies and Bulgaria
entered into force September 15, 1947.
The first postwar U.S. minister to Bulgaria presented his
credentials on November 8, 1947. Relations were suspended in
February 1950, however, when Bulgaria refused to withdraw false
charges of complicity in espionage made against the U.S. minister
during the trial of the Bulgarian Communist Party Leader Traicho
Kostov. Another U.S. minister was accredited to Bulgaria in 1960
after Bulgaria withdrew as false the charges made against his
predecessor.
Following settlement of certain claims of U.S. citizens
against Bulgaria as a result of an agreement signed on July 2, 1963,
the United States resumed paying government benefits to persons
entitled to them living in Bulgaria, and Bulgaria was allowed to
open a trade office in New York City. The Bulgarian and U.S.
Legations at Washington and Sofia were raised to embassy status on
November 28, 1966. A consular agreement was concluded, which
became effective on May 28, 1975.
Other advances were the cultural and scientific exchange
agreement signed during the June 1977 visit by the late Chairman of
the Committee for Art and Culture, Lyudmila Zhivkova, and the
reciprocal elimination of discriminatory bilateral restrictions on
the travel of accredited diplomats on November 9, 1977. A joint
agricultural statement on cooperation between the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and the Bulgarian National Agro-Industrial Union was
signed in November 1979. A maritime agreement was signed in
February 1981 to facilitate marine traffic between the two
countries.
U.S. cultural and other exchanges with Bulgaria have been
much smaller than with other East European countries. In 1970, two
significant exchange agreements were negotiated-one between the
National Academies of Science and the other between the
International Research and Exchange Board and the Bulgarian
Committee for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign
Countries. These were followed by the cultural and scientific
exchanges agreements that entered into force on March 23, 1978,
and has been renewed successively every 2 years; the latest
extension was in June 1986.
U.S.-Bulgarian trade has never accounted for more than a
small fraction of either country's total commerce. Bilateral trade,
which peaked in 1981 at $283 million, was $159 million in 1988.
Since the mid-1980s, U.S.-Bulgarian trade has averaged $150
million annually, with the balance favoring the United States, and
has consisted mostly of agricultural raw materials. The United
States has not extended most-favored-nation status to Bulgaria
since 1951.
U.S. policy toward Bulgaria has sought to promote a more
constructive, reciprocal relationship by resolving specific, concrete
issues. Consistent with the Helsinki Final Act, the United States
has endeavored to encourage improved Bulgarian respect for human
rights, increased cultural and people-to-people contacts, removal
of barriers to information flows, and trade facilitation. Recent
liberalizations by the Bulgarian Government have led to
improvement in U.S.-Bulgarian relations.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador-Sol Polansky
Deputy Chief of Mission-William D. Montgomery
Head, Political-Economic Section-Douglas Ray Smith
Press and Cultural Affairs Officer-John Menzies
Consular Officer-Jonathan J. Coyne
Defense Attache-Col. John M. Handley USA
The U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria is located at 1 Alexander
Stamboliiski Boulevard, Sofia (tel. 88-48-01 through -05).
TRAVEL NOTES
Climate and clothing: Summer temperatures range from 18 C to 30 C
(65 F-90 F), but humidity is low. Sweaters are recommended for
the cool evenings. By December, the weather is cold with
considerable snowfall.
Customs: A valid entry visa is required. Check with the Bulgarian
Embassy for specific requirements.
Currency: The lev (pl. leva) is the basic unit; the stotinka (pl.
stotinki) is the fractional unit. Leva may not be imported, exported,
or freely converted into Western currencies. Personal importation
and exportation of dollars by Americans are unrestricted, and no
declaration is required.
Health: Apart from winter smog, affecting those with respiratory or
sinus problems, Sofia causes no special health problems. Tapwater
in the capital is potable. Eating in larger restaurants is advised.
Telecommunications: Local and long-distance telephone and
telegraph services are available. Sofia is seven times zones ahead
of eastern standard time.
Transportation: There are no direct flights to Bulgaria from the
United States. Connections may be made in Frankfurt, London, or
Vienna with foreign airlines that serve Sofia. Rail accommodations
may be booked from Paris, Frankfurt, or Vienna. Air or rail service
links Sofia with the Black Sea resorts near Varna and Burgas.
Sofia has streetcars, trolley-buses, and buses. Taxis are
available at stands or by telephone. Cars may be rented. An
international driving permit is required. Main roads are good.
Snowtires are advisable during October-May.
Further Information
Bell, John. The Bulgarian Communist Party: From Blagoevto Zhivkov,
Stanford: Hoover Institution Press, l985.
Bokov, Georgi, ed. Modern Bulgaria. Sofia: Sofia Press, 1981.
Bromke, Adam. The Communist States at the Crossroads. New York:
Praeger, 1965.
Brown, James F. Bulgaria Under Communist Rule. New York: Praeger,
1970.
Butler, Thomas, ed. Bulgaria Past and Present. Columbus: AAASS,
1976.
Chary, Frederick B. The Bulgarian Jews and the Final Solution,
1940-44. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1972.
Constant, Stephen. Foxy Ferdinand, Tsar of Bulgaria. London:
Sidgwick ∧ Jackson, Ltd., 1979.
Evans, Stanley G. A Short History of Bulgaria. London: Lawrence ∧
Wishhart, 1960.
Gianaris, Nicholas V. The Economics of the Balkan Countries:
Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. New
York: Praeger, 1982
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Available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402:
American University. Area Handbook for Bulgaria. 1974.
Background Notes are published by the United States Department of
State --Bureau of Public Affairs--Office of Public Communication -
-Editorial Division --Washington, D.C.-- October 1989--Editor:
Juanita Adams
Department of State Publication 8874--Background Notes Series --
This material is in the Public domain and may be reprinted without
permission; citation of this source is appreciated.
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
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