Morgan Stanley Looks Into Bulgarian Infrastructure Projects 14/05/2008
The infrastructure unit of international financial group Morgan Stanley is screening opportunities for investment in infrastructure projects in Bulgaria, company sources told Investor.bg on May 12. Morgan Stanley Infrastructure was interested in airports, ports, investments in the energy sector, telecommunications and social infrastructure, among others. According to Markus Hottenrott, executive director and head of Morgan Stanley Infrastructure’s European office, the bank was in preliminary talks with a score of local companies, but no deal has been signed to date. Morgan Stanley Infrastructure is generally joining forces with a local partner, strategic or financial, he said. Projects financed under various European schemes were also of interest to the bank, Hottenrott said.... more

Bulgarian Property Prices Set To Rocket 19/03/2008
House prices in Bulgaria have risen by 27% in the past 12 months and are set to rocket further, according to the latest issue of Quest Bulgaria magazine. The September issue of the magazine says the latest forecast shows price increases of 20% this year. A steady stream of investors has made sure the Bulgarian property market is maintaining it's dynamic position. The country's National Statistics authority says that prices rose 15% in the first six months of 2007 with a 27% increase in the past year. And Address Real Estate, the country's largest agency, forecast a further increase of 10-15% for the rest of the year. Bulgaria's soaring property prices, follow the pattern of what has traditionally occurred in other countries following EU accession. But despite this, they... more

Bulgarian Defence Ministry Halts Property Swops - Sophia Echo 30/04/2008
Bulgaria’s recently-appointed Defence Minister Nikolai Tsonev has ordered a halt to the practice of swopping real estate owned by the ministry, an April 29 2008 media statement said. The ministry's website said that the ministry would investigate the status of all the ministry’s structures and real estate owned by them. Tsonev succeeded Vesselin Bliznakov on April 22 2008. Bulgarian-language media said at the time that one reason that Bliznakov was dismissed was alleged lack of transparency in transactions involving defence ministry real estate. Prime Minister  Sergei Stanishev gave no reason in public why Bliznakov was replaced, but media reports in the past 18 months have given an unfavourable impression of Bliznakov and the swop deals. The reason appears simple: compared to... more