Today marks the official day in which Bulgaria and Romania join the European Union. Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev is shown here while he puts his country on the map.
Let's take a look at some of the numbers on Bulgaria from Wikipedia:
"The annual year-on-year GDP growth for 2005 and 2006 is expected to total 5.3% and 6.0%, respectively. Industrial output for 2005 is forecast to rise by 11.9% year-on-year, and for 2006 — by 15.2% year-on-year. Unemployment for 2005 is projected at 11.5% and for 2006 — at under 10%. As of 2006 the GDP structure is: agriculture- 8.0%; industry-26,1%; services- 65.9%."
And more on technology:
"Bulgaria offers excellent conditions for high-tech and telecommunication industries and services with its strategic location, highly-qualified workforce, macroeconomic stability, growing domestic market and good education. This is why some multinational companies choose Bulgaria to build their regional offices and headquarters even before the joining to the EU. The most notable of these is Hewlett-Packard, which built its Global Service Centre for Europe, the Near East and Africa in the capital."
and telecommunications:
"Telecommunications is perhaps the fastest growing industry in the country. There are currently three mobile operators: Globul, Mtel and Vivatel which provide almost 100% coverage. They have hundreds of service centres throughout the country which are constantly growing and improving. More than 5,500,000 Bulgarians own mobile cellular phones. Every town and many villages have fast Internet connection. There are around 100,000 Internet hosts."
The border checkpoint in Silistra ceased functioning as of today. To celebrate Bulgaria and Romania's EU accession a light rainbow was projected over the Danube at midnight sharp. It connected Silistra and Romanian Kulurash.
What can this mean to us? Two less barriers. New marketplaces, customer base, and labor force are now easier to access in the European economy. The world continues to get flatter.