Last updated in October 2009
Political relations
Relations are close and friendly and mutual visits are frequent. Parliamentary friendship groups between the two houses seek to promote bilateral contacts. There are particularly intensive contacts between Bulgaria and the German federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate. The Konrad Adenauer, Friedrich Ebert, Friedrich Naumann and Hanns Seidel Foundations have offices in Sofia.
Bulgaria’s new government views Germany as a strategic partner in the EU. Many government ministers speak German. German experts are active in an advisory capacity in Bulgarian government ministries as part of implementation measures connected with the country’s EU accession.
Economic relations
For years, Germany has been Bulgaria’s principal trading partner, just ahead of Italy and Russia. In 2008, the volume of bilateral trade reached nearly EUR 4.1 billion, and in the first four months of 2009 EUR 1.7 billion. In 2008, Germany ranked third among direct investors in Bulgaria, with investments worth EUR 688 million, after Austriaand the Netherlands. In the first half of 2009, German direct investments in Bulgaria were worth EUR 161 million. More than 580,000 German tourists visited Bulgaria in 2008. The Bulgarian side is particularly keen to step up cooperation in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
With its 430 members, the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Sofia is, for business and the German Embassy, the most important partner in promoting economic relations.
Prior to Bulgaria’s EU accession, German supported the country’s transformation process through bilateral economic cooperation. This focused on promoting small and medium-sized businesses and agriculture as well as the public administration. For this purpose, Germany made available a total of just under EUR 200 million over a period of fifteen years. The still ongoing projects are due to be wound up by the end of 2010.
Cultural relations
Cultural cooperation has traditionally been good and close. Intensive exchange was mainly with the GDR before the fall of communism. The main pillar of cultural relations is the Cultural Agreement of 19 March 1996. Agreements on school education and teacher secondment were signed on 20 March 2000. Currently over 100 cooperation arrangements exist with some 50 German universities.
German is popular as a foreign language among the young generation as well. At schools, it is the most widely taught language, after English. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) supports the development of German-language university courses and faculties. University education is supported by four DAAD academic teachers, a DAAD language assistant and four Robert Bosch Foundation teachers. In academic exchange, the DAAD and the German Research Foundation (DFG) each fund some 100 scholarships a year and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation sponsors a number of research scholarships. The more than 12,000 young Bulgarians studying at German universities are evidence of the fact that Germany is by far the most popular foreign study destination. 22 grammar schools specializing in foreign languages offer instruction leading to the German Language Diploma (DSD), and at the German School in Sofia and Galabov Grammar School pupils can take the German university-entrance examination (Abitur). In the 2009/2010 school year, 29 teachers were seconded to 14 schools to support German teaching. The German School in Sofia, which is located on the grounds of the German Embassy, began work in September 2008. There are 14 volunteers working at 13 schools under the “kulturweit” programme.
There is also keen interest in the language courses and the many cultural programmes organized by the Goethe Institute in Sofia, which maintains reading rooms in Plovdiv, Rousse and Varna. Culture managers from the Robert Bosch Foundation are engaged in cultural work at the Elias Canetti Society in Rousse and the Art Today Association in Plovdiv.
