Bulgaria’s government has tasked a working group with proposing legislative and administrative solutions to 10 administrative barriers to investment by January.

The obstacles, as cited by the press office of the government, include:

– Connection to the technical infrastructure networks (electricity, gas, water), including deadlines for the steps, number of procedures, and expenses;
– Construction permits – number of procedures and deadlines for their completion;
– Uncoordinated administrative procedures related to the implementation of investment intentions and delay of services provided by the central and local administration;
– Frequent legislative changes;
– Lack of road infrastructure or dilapidated existing road infrastructure;
– Lack of specialists in high-demand areas and poor quality of vocational education;
– Corruption and lack of an independent judiciary;
– Low efficiency of the dispute settlement legal framework;
– Administrative procedures related to international trade and associated costs in export and import
– Tax payment time frames.

The analysis of the problems is part of the European Commission’s Investment Plan for Europe, which is a key element of the overall strategy of the EU for encouraging employment, economic growth, and investment.

As regards previous attempts of Bulgaria’s government to reduce the administrative burden, two anti-red tape action plans have been 20% completed since 2010, according to reports of dnevnik.bg.

In March 2015, the Bulgarian government announced that the simplification of existing regulations adopted since 2012 had allowed businesses to save a total of BGN 238.5 M a year.