Bulgaria

About Bulgaria

Bulgaria is just like any other EU country. All EU countries look the same, if you're coming from Asia or Africa. In the same way that the average European isn't aware of the differences between the average Thai and Malaysian city.

Likewise the Bulgarian people look no different to any other Europeans, (with the exception of the small ethnic Turkish and Roma minorities living in the country). Most Bulgarians are officially of the Christian orthodox religion, but don’t take religion as seriously as the catholic countries such as Italy or Spain.

In the EU there are the “clean and organized” German speaking and Scandinavian countries; and the more “easy going” Mediterranean countries, such as Spain, France, Italy. Bulgaria belongs to the second group, with uneven pavements, streets that need cleaning, and a more relaxed attitude to life.

Rich country

According to the statistics, Bulgaria is the poorest country in the EU. Compared with any third world country, Bulgarians live a luxurious and privileged lifestyle.

Almost everyone lives in an apartment or house, with clean running water and electricity working 24/7. Almost everyone has a car, mobile phone, cable TV, computer, broadband internet. Almost everyone can afford to eat out - there is more than enough good food, wine and beer to go around. The government is stable, and so is the currency.

Within the country there are differences in living standards. Primorsko is reported to be the richest municipality (per capita), thanks to tourism, while Sofia and the large tourist resorts such as Bansko and Sunny Beach have the highest prices.

The poor

As in almost any rich country, there is an disadvantaged section of the population. In Bulgaria, it is the 'Roma' (or 'gypsies', as they call themselves). Most of the horses and carts that you see are owned by the Roma. Their lifestyle is similar to that of the English “rag and bone man”.

The Roma live in the poorest areas of town, or in shelters they have constructed themselves, out of material they have found. They are like a separate ethnic group, with their own language. They look different to most Bulgarians, having darker skin, due to their Indian / Asian origin. There are also Roma that are fully integrated into Bulgarian society, and quite a few famous athletes and sportsmen of Roma origin.

Contract Killings

Organized crime in Bulgaria is a big topic with the EU and widely reported in the press, particularly when members of rival gangs shoot each other. In the 19 years since the fall of communism (in 1989) there have been a total of 150 such killings, which is either unacceptably high, or surprisingly low, depending on how you've been influenced by the media. Source: BBC.

Bulgarian Mafia

The word “mafia” exists in Bulgaria, however it has a broader meaning to the English word. In English, it means those organizations involved in illegal businesses (drugs, slavery, counterfeiting). In Bulgaria, it also refers to owners of legitimate businesses (hotels, insurance, security), who engage in naughty practices such as corruption, intimidation and tax evasion.

Bulgarians also refer to politicians as the “mafia” - so when you see people marching in the street demonstrating against the Mafia, it is not necessarily what it seems.

How not to buy a baby

In 2007 two BBC freelance journalists caused outrage in Bulgaria, with the poor quality of their reporting. Claiming to have discovered “how to buy a baby” they used the same style of reporting found in the lowest quality newspapers.

The journalists started with a criminal act: offering €60,000 to buy a baby. This attracted a local con-man into making the journalists believe that he had a source of babies, and the interview with him was secretly recorded and broadcast. No doubt if they asked to buy a ‘green man from Mars’, this would have been possible too, for €60,000.

Soon after the report came out, some interesting information from Interpol about the two journalists was leaked by the Bulgarian police. Apparently both were convicted criminals, one for fraud.

The journalists achieved their aim of writing an article that a lot of people would read, but damaged the credibility of the BBC. This is one article about the controversy:
BABIES FOR SALE

How to buy a baby

In Bulgaria (as in most countries), the mother states who the father is on the birth certificate. If you want to ‘buy a baby’, then you pay the mother to state that you are the father. According to an investigative report on Bulgarian TV, some mothers were willing to do this for as little as €1,000.

Of course this could work anywhere. Unless there is a dispute, there is no requirement for DNA tests to prove who the father is, in any country.

Another way to ‘buy a baby’ is through a corruption of the legal adoption process. For example paying officials to speed things up, or to ignore inconvenient requirements.

Information

Did you know?

Estate agents in Bulgaria can take up to 15% commission on a property sale. Read more…

Mass tourism

The largest tourist area is Sunny Beach. It is regularly in the news, often not for the right reasons. Read more…

Summer Palace

In communist times, the 'Great Leader' built his seaside Palace in Perla, next to Primorsko town.
See photo.

German cars

Bulgarians drive the same cars that Germans drive. VW, Audi, Mercedes, BMW are all popular. Germany is the number one exporter of second hand cars to Bulgaria.

Fast internet

According to this site, Bulgaria has the sixth fastest internet in the world.

The slowest speed available on ADSL is 6Mbit, the fastest is 12Mbit.

Nature Tourism

Bulgaria is a popular destination for nature tourism. In particular the Ropotamo reserve contains many rare species. Read more…