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South-Eastern Region Profile

   Area and geography: an area of 14, 647sq.km. The region spans the country's southeastern parts. Its northern border passes along the Balkan Mountains ridge and reaches the Black Sea to the east. Connections to the North East and North Central regions run through the low passes at Vratnik and Kotel. The South Central Region borders the region to the west. The southern border of the region coincides with the state frontier with Turkey. The Black Sea forms a natural border to the east. The region is open both eastwards and westwards. This aspect facilitates connections with other regions and with the Black Sea Region countries. Administratively the region is divided into 3 sub-regions (Bourgas, Yambol, and Sliven). They have 22 municipalities and 486 settlements between them. The major centers are Bourgas followed by Sliven and Yambol.

   Climate: The climate is transitional continental with strong influence from the Black Sea along the coast. There are often droughts in summer.

   History: As in the other regions, Thracian tribes inhabited this area in ancient times. The Thracian town of Kabile (today Yambol) was a significant stronghold under the rule of Philip of Macedonia. The Hellenic colonizers established many settlements along the Black Sea coast, the main ones being Apollonia (Sozopol) and Mesemvria (Nessebar). Under the Romans, settlements were founded at Debeltrus, Bourgas, Dianopolis, and Yambol. After the foundation of the Bulgarian state this territory played an important role in the country's development.

   Population: At the end of 2003 the population of the region reaches 802,932 people (10% of the population in Bulgaria). The region is characterized by a considerably varied population structure and distribution. In general, migration from all municipalities is directed to the center of the region - Bourgas (Pop. 193 316), which is the reason for the town's growth. Bourgas is the country's major seaport. The town is also a cultural center with established academic institutions. The coastline, on the other hand, is covered with a series of smaller towns of rich cultural and historic heritage, as well as health and seaside tourism centers (Pomorie, Nessebar, Sozopol, Primorsko and others). Sliven (Pop. 100 695) is the administrative, economic and cultural center of the region. The regional center Yambol (Pop. 82 924) has concentrated 54 percent of the population and the major part of the industrial potential, as well as the cultural and historic values of the area.

   Employment rate: Totally the region accounts 8.9% of the country’s employment level. Among the sectors with the highest contribution to the national sectoral employment are: coke, refined petroleum products and nuclear fuels (82.6%), fish and other fishing products (34.1%), products of forestry & logging (15.4%), transport & travel agencies services (13.0%), and textiles (12.4%).

   Unemployment rate: The unemployment rate in 2003 is estimated 19.4%. The registered annual unemployment rate is gradually reducing and reaches the lowest level of unemployment for the country and the region. The unemployment rate for the region now is even lower than the national average 7.4% (by 0.5 points).

   Distribution of employment: The employment is more oriented to the services and industrial sectors, as well as to the tourist sector. People are less engaged with the agrarian sector despite the favorable availability of cultivating land. Only the services sector demonstrates recent trends of steady increase for all the sub-regions. The businesses and industry in the region are represented exclusively by micro and small enterprises. The significance of the large enterprises decreases, which leads to shrinking of the net income from sales in the region.

   Industry: The industry is mainly represented within the Bourgas region with the leading sectors of petrochemistry and oil processing. In Sliven region the textile and food industry are of leading significance, and in Yambol region the leader is just the food industry.

   GDP: Up until 2000, the South-Eastern Region reports high values of the indices of GDP and GDP per capita as compared to the other planning regions in our country. The region contributes 13.2% to the national GDP as a whole. In year 2005 the GDP per capita is only 10% lower than the national one.

   Development of the regional economy: Petrol processing is the principal industrial sector which is crucial for the economic development of the region. The region is famous for its processed crude oil which is exported. Other important industrial sectors include food and beverages production, machine tool engineering (ship building and ship repair) and electro-technical industry. The product line comprises ships, chemical fibre, and electro-technical components. The energy sector is represented by industrial thermal power plants. Above all, this sector relies on the national grid. Arable land accounts for 34 percent of the total area of the region. Compared to the rest of the country, a relatively higher share of land is used for cultivating technical and cereal crops and perennial plants.

   Infrastructure and urban development: The access to varied types of transport in the region is at a good level, considering the availability of airports, harbors and railway stations. The Bourgas airport and the nearby (at about 10-15 km) Bourgas harbor, railway junction, international highway E87, and a duty-free zone are just a few examples. The region is entirely covered with power and water supply networks, as well as telecommunications infrastructure. The region is not among the leaders in the scientific research field, but it does have scientific researchers in the field of chemical industry and agriculture. The region has a basic network of business centers and business incubators, which could expand their activity aiming their efforts towards transferring new technologies.

   Environment: Though not managed efficiently, the water resources are sufficient to satisfy the population needs. The quality of surface waters in the region is good for the exception of the areas polluted by untreated household and industrial waters around the major towns. The air quality standards can be further maintained. The soil and sound pollution are considerable, but not irremediable. The Southeastern region is among the richest regions in biological diversity, which determines its large potential to be included in the European network Natura 2000.

   Protected territories and landmarks: The protected areas network is well developed. The country’s largest protected area is located here, namely, Strandja Natural Park. Biodiversity and protected areas are important factors for development of all types of tourism, especially ecotourism. The Black Sea coast is highly valued as a visiting spot in this region.

The region is one of the richest in Bulgaria in biological diversity and natural old forests. This provides opportunities for development of specialized tourism and recreation in the inside of the region. Climatic and soil conditions favor agriculture development. Water resources are limited and unevenly distributed, which necessitates using them wisely. The climatic conditions, diverse landscape (including along the Black Sea coast) and the generous availability of spas and curative mud are favorable conditions for tourism development. The South-Eastern Region has rich cultural heritage whose protection and maintenance requires more efforts than are presently made.
The amount of direct international investments in the region is below the average for the country. The investment process, however, follows the overall trend towards increase that is typical for the entire country. This investment impact may favorably revive businesses and the economy in the administrative sub-regions, as well as in the region as a whole.
The transport services in the regional centers are relatively good, while quality improvement may be sought in two directions- renovation of the bus park and replacement of some bus lines with trolleys in Bourgas and Sliven sub-regions.

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