Bulgarian-Polish trade should top $200 Million by end of 2003

Poland is the twentieth foreign trade partner of Bulgaria and third in CEFTA states. Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski will visit Bulgaria on Monday, and according to an interview published on Saturday by Bulgarian daily "24 czas" he estimates the wakening of commercial, economic and tourist contacts was noticeable and raising concerns. Commercial turnover between the countries has drastically dropped between the '80s and '90s, which was partially due to the unsolved issue of Bulgarian debt. In 2002, Polish-Bulgarian trade reached about $150 million in terms of value, which was less than a year earlier, and since mid-2002 Bulgaria has not imported Polish coal, which used to be Poland biggest export commodity to Bulgaria. According to data from the Polish Embassy in Sofia, the first half of 2003 saw Polish exports increase by 62%, while imports from Bulgaria rose by 41%. The value of foreign trade amounted to $90 million over that period and should most likely top $200 million by the end of 2003. (www.onet.pl) M.M.