Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

External debt has increased by 2.3 billion Leva in past year of coronavirus pandemic

Photo: archive

A drop in export by 8% and in import by 10%, a rise in the unemployment rate by 170,000 lost jobs and a growth of the external debt by 2.3 billion Leva – this is the picture of the past year of coronavirus pandemic, said Radosvet Radev, chair of the Bulgarian Industrial Association in an interview for the BNR.

In his words the withholding of investments and the drop in consumption are worrying. Radosvet Radev also predicted cascading bankruptcies of companies after April when the moratorium on credits will be lifted.

According to Krassen Stanchev from the Institute for Market Economics, large fiscal reserves were accumulated which cushioned the blow. He added that almost 1.4 million people have not been included in any support scheme as the measures were accessible to no more than “10% of the economic entities”. 



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Salaries at psychiatric hospitals to go up by 50%

The parliamentary Committee on Health has decided to raise the pay of the people employed at state-run psychiatric hospitals by 50% as of 1 May this year. The MPs tasked two cabinet ministers - of health and of finance – to take the necessary steps,..

published on 4/3/25 9:02 AM

Parliament votes motion of no confidence in the government

The National Assembly is to vote the motion of no confidence in the cabinet of Rosen Zhelyazkov today. MPs discuss vote of no confidence in Rosen Zhelyazkov’s cabinet Rosen Zhelyazkov: We are resilient, so as not to be misled by the..

published on 4/3/25 7:05 AM

Bulgarian canning industry now has its own holiday

For the first time, the Day of the Bulgarian Canning Industry will be marked on April 3. The solemn event will take place in the University of Food Technologies in Plovdiv. A round table on the topic "The Canning Industry in Bulgaria..

published on 4/3/25 6:55 AM