· BULGARIA is ready to sign the documents for the country's accession to the European Union's Open Skies Agreement, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport and Communications Minister Nikolai Vassilev said on June 10.
Vassilev said the first step towards the real opening of Bulgaria's skies would be when low-cost air carriers enter the market. Representatives of Hungarian budget airline, Wizz Air, are expected to visit Bulgaria soon. The company, that has received a licence to operate as a low-cost air carrier in Bulgaria, may start operations this summer. Industry representatives said they opposed the opening of Bulgaria's skies this year, because most companies were not able to cope with competition from other airlines, especially low-cost ones.

· THE Privatisation Agency (PA) is to sell by tender the road maintenance companies of Sofia, Sliven, Lom (on the Danube), Pavlikeni (Northern Bulgaria) and Berkovitsa (North-Western Bulgaria), the agency said on June 13.
A total of 41 718 shares representing a 100 per cent stake in Putno Poddurzhane (Road Maintenance) - Sofia is to be sold through an open public tender. The starting price is 1.05 million leva and the increment is 100 000 leva. The deposit to participate in the process is 315 000 leva. To be eligible to take part in the tender, companies must have experience in repairing and maintaining roads, have at least two million leva of their own capital, and must not be subject to insolvency proceedings.

· NET sales of produce, goods and services in the trade, repair and technical servicing of cars and motorcycles and personal and household goods sector were 11.3 per cent higher in January to April than in the same period last year, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said on June 10.
There were increases in all main commercial activities, the largest increase - 16 per cent, being in trade in cars and fuels and repairs of cars.

· ON June 9, the Cabinet approved a draft agreement creating a Southeast European regional energy community.
Parties to the agreement include the European Community, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, Turkey, Croatia and the UN administrative mission in Kosovo. Participants without a right to vote include Austria, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Hungary.  The agreement is aimed at creating a liberalised electricity and natural gas market in South Eastern Europe, in line with the rules of the EU common energy market. This includes elimination of restrictions on quantities on energy exports and waiver of customs duties.