Bulgaria: Varna tourism industry up in arms against offshore wind farm plans

The picturesque city of Varna is experiencing a clash between its tourism sector and proposed plans for offshore wind farms, sparking controversy and opposition within the local community. The draft bill outlining the construction of these wind farms recently passed its first reading in the National Assembly, triggering dissent among various stakeholders. Stoyan Marinov, co-chairman…

Ukraine: French investment company to acquire assets of Turkcell Ukraine for $500 million

On January 29, French billionaire Xavier Niel announced that his investment company, NJJ Capital, agreed to pay $500 million for Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS’s Ukraine units. The relevant statement was made by Bloomberg. According to Niel, his company’s telecom operations are already in neighboring Poland through Iliad, and the large amount of roaming traffic between…

Baltic States: development agencies join forces to enhance cooperation efforts

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania’s development agencies signed an agreement to increase bilateral and trilateral cooperation on their shared goals. The memorandum of understanding will allow Lithuania’s Central Project Management Agency, the Central Finance and Contracting Agency of Latvia (CFCA) and the Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV) to share information and expertise more effectively and…

Bulgaria: Eurozone entry eyed by January 1, 2025

Bulgaria’s journey toward Eurozone membership has taken a significant step forward, with Finance Minister Asen Vassilev projecting a prospective entry date of January 1, 2025. In a collaborative effort to bolster regional ties, Vassilev engaged in fruitful discussions with Greek Finance Minister Stavros Papastavrou. The ministers underscored the robust and cooperative relationship between Bulgaria and…

Poland: FDI totals over EUR 7 billion in 2023

Foreign companies invested over EUR 7 billion in Poland last year which almost doubles the 2022 figure of EUR 3.7 billion, the head of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) reported. Marcin Fabianowicz, PAIH director, said that the record value of foreign direct investments (FDI) in 2023 was guaranteed primarily by Intel’s decision to…