In 2005 investment in Bulgaria would reach 5.5 billion euro, said Pavel Ezekiev, the head of the Invest Bulgaria Agency. Compared to 2004, this is an increase of close to 10 per cent. For the first time, this year the total investment sum does not include the money gathered from privatisation, Ezekiev said.
Of the total amount, 3.3 billion euro has been invested by Bulgarian companies. The remaining 2.2 billion was foreign investment. Up to September 2005, Bulgaria ranked first in its foreign investment to GDP ratio. By the end of the year, Bulgaria is expected to remain among the leading countries in this regard. The reason is the relatively low GDP, Ezekiev said. Invest Bulgaria Agency forecasts for 2006 envision 6.1 billion euro investment. Most money will be directed to the production sector, 25 per cent. Nearly 20 per cent of the total sum will be invested in services and 20 per cent in the energy sector, Trud newspaper reported.