17.06.2020
Bulgaria's largest trading partner in the Balkans is Romania
The obligatory quarantine for Bulgarian citizens entering Romania has already been abolished. The Romanian side has temporarily suspended the passage of people and cars at the border checkpoints adjacent to the Bulgarian Nikopol, Svishtov, Kaynardzha, Krushari and Kardam. Transit trucks can cross the Bulgarian-Romanian border only through the joint Ruse-Giurgiu border checkpoint and the Vidin-Calafat border checkpoint. Trucks transporting goods to and from Romania can also pass through other functioning points on the Bulgarian-Romanian border.
A total of 608 km of border separates Bulgaria and Romania - along the Danube and then through Dobrudzha. Two bridges connect the two sides - near Ruse and near Vidin.
Bulgaria's largest trading partner in the Balkans is Romania. In the last ten years, trade has been growing. And the best thing is that the trade balance is positive for Bulgaria. Last year, we exported products to our northern neighbor for 2.60 billion euros or an increase of 8.3%, and imports amounted to 2.41 billion euros - an increase of 9.2 percent. This also affects trade between the two countries, which increased by 8.7% to 5.01 billion euros.
Among the leading goods in exports are rods of iron or non-alloy steel, tractors, machines and devices for harvesting or threshing crops, medicines, corn, wheat and a mixture of wheat and rye, fertilizers.
Imports are dominated by petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, sunflower seeds, even crushed, petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons, copper waste and scrap, flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel and others.
Tourism is the most dynamically developing branch in the bilateral trade and economic relations in recent years. There is a great interest on the part of Romanian tourists in both the sea and mountain resorts of Bulgaria. And in the last four years, more than a million Romanian tourists are vacationing in Bulgaria. At the same time, Romania ranks among the first places as a preferred tourist destination by Bulgarian citizens. More than half a million Bulgarians visit Romania.
Many small and large companies operate in both countries through joint ventures or their own offices. Among the registered Romanian companies in Bulgaria are: Rompetrol - a chain of gas stations (over 30) and Petrom OMV; Polycolor - owner of Orgachim - Ruse, Romstal, E-mag, Ocean Fish - Verdana, TotalSoft, Budmax (Arabesque).
Among the Bulgarian companies in Romania are: "Prista Oil", "Bella Bulgaria", "Eurohold Bulgaria", "Kaolin", "Monbat", "Euroins", "Technomarket", "RBL Food", "Sis Industries", Fikosota and others.
We have invested EUR 186.3 million in Romania. This is logical given the closeness between the countries and therefore the low transport costs. Both the availability of raw materials and labor, as well as the large market of our northern neighbor Romania attract Bulgarian entrepreneurs.
