Bulgarian foreign trade grows in 2015: report

Bulgarian exports and imports grew by 4.0 percent and 0.9 percent respectively in 2015 year-on-year, according to final data published by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on Monday.

In 2015, the country exported goods worth 44.9 billion Bulgarian lev (some 25.8 billion U.S. dollars), while the imported goods were 51.5 billion lev, the NSI said.

The largest growth in the country's exports was recorded in the chemical and related products sector (12.5 percent), while the most notable fall was reported in mineral fuels, lubricants, and related materials (13.4 percent).

Regarding imports, the largest growth was recorded in miscellaneous manufactured articles sector (13.1 percent), while the most notable fall was reported in the mineral fuel, lubricants and related materials sector (21.0 percent), NSI said.

Bulgarian exports to European Union (EU) countries increased by 7.9 percent compared to 2014, while the country's imports from the EU increased by 5.2 percent.

Meanwhile, the exports and imports to and from non-EU countries decreased by 2.5 percent and 6.1 percent respectively.

China, in particular, was Bulgaria's second largest export destination outside the EU, and the third largest non-EU importer to the Balkan country, with figures amounting to 1.0 billion lev and 1.9 billion lev, or 0.6 percent and 12 percent more than in 2014. (1 U.S. dollar=1.74 Bulgarian lev) Endit