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The German company "Golden Buffalo" intends to establish wind generators in the Bulgarian village of Gorski goren Trambesh. This became clear after a meeting between representatives of the company and the mayor of the municipality Yordan Mihtiev, informs “Yantra today” newspaper.
According to the official information, the German company is specialized in the breeding of buffaloes and trade with their products as well as in the setting of wind generators and solar collectors and the cultivation of plants for biofuel.
In order the generators to be installed, a series of tests needs to be made explained the vice manager of the Hambourg branch of the company Horst Lupfert. Therefore, an analysis of the winds, their speed, the number of windy days at the place will be made.
Accroding to Lupfert the procedure on the issuing of the necessary 28 permits for start of the work is the clumsier procedure. The company itself, calculates how many generators could be installed, in how many place and is it possible the produced energy to enter the national power network.
It is the company's practice to establish its own branches in the countries it enters. “Golden Buffalo” representatives did not exclude the possibility for an association with the municipality in case the project is being implemented.
“Golden Buffalo” is also ready to bring in the region investors able to invest 1 million euro in the generators. The method has already been tried in Romania and Hungary.
Not less than 15 generators should be set at one place, explained from “Golden buffalo”. Logically, big areas are needed for the purpose. This is one of the advantages of the Gorski goren Trambesh village which is situated at an altitude of 427m and has 370 decares municipal property. The 15 generators configuration can produce at least 40 megawatts of energy annually.
The German company's website writes that it breeds buffaloes in Bulgaria, which the company imports from Argentine.

The Bulgarian central bank reported on July 28 that the APR on new housing loans stood at 9.72 per cent at the end of June, up from 9 per cent in February.
The average APR on consumer loans has added 1.21 per cent year-on-year to 11.96 per cent.
In June, the rates on new consumer loans ticked up 1.38 percentage points to an average of 10.80 per cent while the rates on outstanding loans fell 0.11 percentage points to 11.03 per cent.
The cost of new housing loans increased by 0.41 percentage points to 8.81 per cent, just shy of parity with the rate on outstanding loans which added 0.31 percentage points to 8.94 per cent.
The average cost of corporate loans of up to 1 mln euro has risen 1.27 percentage points over the past year to 10.73 per cent, while the rate on credits in excess of 1 mln euro was reported at 9.74 per cent, up 1.83 percentage points year-on-year.
The average rate on deposits with agreed maturity is reported at 5.20 per cent, up 1.79 percentage points in a year.
Household deposits yield 5.33 per cent on average.

The number of visits of foreign tourists in Bulgaria has increased by 18% during the first half of 2008, compared to the same period of last year, according to preliminary data from the National Statistics Institute.
The total number of foreign visits in the firs six months of the year has reached 3,193,235 with 1,803,415 of them coming on vacation.
The visits of Macedonians have gone up by nearly 70% while does those from Malta by over 63%.
Visits from Russia have increased by 30%, those from Germany - by 11% and from Great Britain - by 5%.
Visitors from Luxembourg show the least interest in travel in Bulgaria.
Among visitors from countries that are not members of the EU, Russians are the ones coming to Bulgaria on vacation the most, followed by Serbians and Macedonians.
Israelis are also among those visiting Bulgaria often.

People in north-west England who own property in Bulgaria are being targeted by low-cost airline easyJet.
The budget carrier has confirmed that later this year, it will begin offering passage between Manchester Airport and Sofia.
This will help open up the Bulgarian capital to leisure travellers in the north-west, a development which could lead to more people choosing to visit the city.
However, easyJet also believes that the route will be useful for many foreign property investors, as Bulgaria is currently a very popular location among this group.
The airline commented: "The service to Sofia is ideal for the growing number of second home owners from the region investing in the Bulgarian market."
Passengers will be able to fly between Manchester and Sofia three times a week from December 2008.
This comes after analysts at Amberlamb said a number of strong fundamentals are supporting the Bulgarian housing market, such as the country's growing tourism industry.

The increase of prices of real estate in Bulgaria from the beginning of July up to the end of 2008 will be between 8 and 15 %, an analysis says.
The forecast is similar to the percentage in the first half of the year, as according to brokers by the end of June property prices in the country have gone up by 12 percent.
The greatest increase is reported in the town of Rousse (24.3) where the prices in some areas are catching up those in Sofia and Varna. The real estate prices in Sofia have gone up by about 9%, in Bourgas – by 5.97%, in Plovdiv – by 19.38 and in Veliko Tarnovo – by 12.59%.
Experts also forecast that during the rest of 2008 the demand in the country will remain stable as there will be a higher interest in the gated developments.
The rental market is also witnessing a price increase but compared to the past period the dynamics there is lower. The greatest increase in rental prices is in Sofia. There are more and more quality apartments offered on the rental market in new or well-kept buildings. In terms of demand there is higher interest in apartments in luxury new buildings with quality furnishing.

The Bulgarian economy is going to grow 6% in 2008, and 6,5% in 2009, according to the Quarterly Forecast on the Eastern EU Member States of the International Center for Economic Growth.
According to the data of Bulgaria's National Statistical Institute, the country's growth in 2007 was 6,5%.
The ICEG forecast points to the fact that in the second quarter of 2008, Bulgaria's exports grew 9,2% compared to 5,8% growth for the imports.
It also predicts that Bulgaria's inflation in 2008 will be 11,5%, and 7,7% in 2009.
The risk factors for the Bulgarian economy according to the ICEG are rising oil prices, the unstable international financial markets, and the economic slowdown in the EU.
For Bulgaria's northern neighbor Romania, the forecast projects a growth of 7,2% in 2008, and a slowdown to 6,5% in 2009.
ICEG European Center is an independent economic research institute based in Budapest, focusing its activities on research, macroeconomic and sectoral analyses and forecasts.

Holiday resorts and big Bulgarian cities do not seem such an attractive investment opportunity for foreign property investors any longer. Now, an increasing number of private and institutional investors see more value and profitability in agricultural and development land, consultants at Sash Property Solutions (SPS) said as quoted by nubricks.com, UK property blog.
SPS does an independent research of the Bulgarian real estate market and its recent findings showed that prices of agricultural land had risen by 40 per cent. The consultant company attributed this new trend to the lower risk and less involvement for potential buyers as opposed to buy-to-let and commercial properties. Compared to other European countries, agricultural land in Bulgaria was more than two times cheaper.
The tendency was to buy agricultural land in an attractive location, go through the process of regulation and re-sell it for a handsome profit, SPS advised. The downside of this procedure was the regulation process, which turned out to be a long, frustrating and time-consuming effort.
Nubricks.com quoted a former investor in agricultural land near Bourgas, who bought the property for nine euro a sq m. Two years later, after completing the regulation procedure, the owner sold the plot for 60 euro a sq m to a developer whose intention was to build holiday houses.
The property consultants also suggested that land in the periphery of the big cities appeared to be a good investment as well. Most cities’ development planning would soon feature enlargement toward the available vicinity plots. In a long run, the land price will increase and generate an easy profit at minimum risk, SPS said.

Is Bulgaria in Your Holiday Plans? It Should Be; Ski, Beach, and Cultural Tourism - All That and More in One Place
New analysis on the holiday rental market in Bulgaria shows: 1) what properties are available, 2) in which beach and ski destinations, and 3) at what prices. The information is useful to holiday seekers, real estate investors, tour operators, and governmental and non-governmental agencies in the tourism industry.
Bulgaria July 14, 2008 -- How about spending a week on the Black Sea enjoying the sun, tasting local wine and cuisine, and admiring cultural landmarks dating back 1000 years. Ah, yes, and paying only 250 euro (about $400) per week for a spacious apartment overlooking the beach. What if you prefer mountain hikes, ski resorts, or would like to explore ancient monasteries? You can do that too. Bulgaria offers numerous beach and ski holiday destinations.
Bulgaria has a 200 km coastline on the Black Sea with variety of beach resorts. The most visited is Sunny Beach followed by Golden Sands - modern resorts with dozens of hotels and various entertainment options. Also, Nessebar and Sozopol are pure gems - ancient fishing towns with unique identity. The main ski holiday destination is Bansko followed by Borovets and Pamporovo, all within easy reach from the capital Sofia. You can also go off the beaten path to the picturesque old capital of Bulgaria - Veliko Turnovo and the marvelous village of Arbanassi next to it.
There are many hotels in each of these destinations. According to Tihomir Terziev from RentByOwnerBg, a leading rental website, you should also consider renting an apartment or a villa from a private owner. New developments are offered to tourists all over the country. In many cases the owners are English speakers from the UK and Ireland and language is not a barrier. The owners can provide valuable information about transportation options as well as tips on what to do when you get there.
What holiday properties are available and how much do they cost? According to the Bulgaria Holiday Rental market analysis by RentByOwnerBg, one bedroom apartments that sleep 4 are most common. However, there are plenty of studios as well as two and three bedroom apartments. One bedroom apartments in Sunny Beach cost about 300 euro ($450) per week in the high season (July and August) but there is large variation in prices - you can find an apartment for as little as 200 euro per week and for as high as 450 euro per week. Prices in the middle season (May, June and September) are 20 percent lower. Ski holidays are offered at similar prices with Bankso offering the greatest variety of holiday rentals.

German wholesale retailer Metro Cash&Carry has started opened a hypermarket in Veliko Tarnovo, Central North Bulgaria. The outlet, the company's 9th in Bulgaria and carries 25,000 food and 20,000 non-food items. The 30 mln lev Metro store has a retail floor area of 7,000 sq m and 400 parking spaces.

Metro opened its 8th outlet in Bulgaria in 2006 after two years of no store openings.
The German self-service wholesaler set foot on the Bulgarian market in 1999 with stores in Sofia, Plovdiv and Ruse. It was the first international retail chain to enter the local market.
Earlier this year, Metro's Bulgarian office was involved in the launch of the company's first outlet in Pakistan. The Bulgarian team was in charge of the training of the Pakistani staff

A total of 2218 new apartment buildings were built in Bulgaria according to data provided by the National Statistical Institute.
The Black Sea port cities of Varna and Burgas lead in the number of new residential buildings with 508 and 451 respectively.
The capital Sofia ranks third with 193 new apartment buildings, whereas the second largest city Plovdiv has 176.
The new construction has brought 18 204 new apartments, increasing the total number of homes in the country to 3 746 758. Of these 2 372 522 are in the cities and towns (527 916 in the capital Sofia), and 1 374 236 are located in the villages.
According to the NSI, the average number of people per one home is 2,04 (down from 2,06 in 2006). The average residential area per person is 20,13 square meters, with 17,72 square meters in the cities and towns, and 25,96 in the villages.