Home | China | World | Business World Bank Grants Bulgaria New Loans for Structural Reform THU, FEB 28, 2002     The World Bank will grant a Project Adjustment Loan of between 400 and 500 million U.S. dollars to Bulgaria's structural reform over the next three years,the bank's director for Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia, Andru Vorkink said on Wednesday. As the precondition for the loan, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Vassilev announced Wednesday that the government will finish the privatization of several state-owned enterprises "around the middle of the year." The enterprises include the national telecommunications company BTC, tobacco company Bugartabac, national insurance company DZI, and the bank Biohim. At the joint press conference with Vorkink, Vassilev said the government will try to improve the investment climate in Bulgaria,develop the labor market, reduce unemployment, speed up the reform of the social security system, and plan the privatization of the national bank DSK. The Bulgarian government has also pledged to establish a competent energy market, which will safeguard consumers' interests,provide high-quality service and properly use the country's energy resources. At the press conference, Vorkink also briefed the World Bank's evaluation of Bulgaria's three-year reform from 2002 to 2004, saying the country's poverty has been greatly reduced and reform has entered the second stage. So far, the World Bank plans to grant Bulgaria loans totaling 1.543 billion dollars in 27 projects, and nine of the projects supported by 315-million-dollar loans have been completed. Editor:Zhong Source:Xinhua Recommend to your friend email:    China Central Television,All Rights Reserved