Heating bills up

· THE price of central heating in Sofia was increased by 11 per cent beginning on July 2 due to the recent appreciation of natural gas, Toplofikatsia Sofia said. The State Commission of Energy and Water Regulation had approved the new price ceiling of 42 leva per megawatt-hour of heating energy in October 2004, up from 37 leva. Toplofikatsia Sofia will propose another increase to raise the price to 44.8 leva. 

Surplus bliss

· BULGARIA'S state budget surplus hit an all-time high of 994.817 million leva at the end of May, according to the Finance Ministry. At the end of May last year, the surplus stood at 709.747 million leva. According to exerts, the state budget surplus will reach two billion leva by the end of this year. Total revenue hit 7.35 billion leva for the first five months of the year, a 15 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. The increase was due mostly to duties, excises and VAT payments and was tied to the 20-per-cent increase in imports over the same period.

Living arrangements

· BULGARIA was home to a total of 3.7 million housing units at the end of last year, according to a National Statistical Institute survey published on July 1. Of these, 2.3 million were in urban areas and 1.4 million were in rural regions. The per-capita living space averaged 19.54 sq m overall, with 17.20 sq m in urban areas and 24.99 sq m in rural areas. Residents of Sofia enjoyed a 27.07 sq m living space, the largest in the country, followed by Pernik with 26.83 sq m and Vidin with 25.52 sq m. Blagoevgrad had the smallest average living space, with 16.92 sq m, followed by Sofia City, 17.02 sq m, and Sliven, 17.47 sq m. The average housing unit had two occupants. 

More cash to fight AIDS
· BULGARIA will apply for $8.8 million more from the Global Fund to Combat AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for its own plan to prevent and control the disease between 2006 and 2008. Minister without Portfolio Filiz Hyusmenova, Chair of the National Coordination Committee on AIDS with the Cabinet, made the announcement. The Bulgarian Healthcare Ministry will receive the funds. According to ministry data, there are 552 of people with HIV/AIDS on record in Bulgaria. As of June 10, a total of 37 new HIV/AIDS cases were registered this year, according to Dr Tonka Vurleva, chief secretary of the National Committee on AIDS.

FDI spike
· BULGARIA'S foreign direct investment (FDI) hit a 13-year-high last year, surpassing 2.1 billion euro, Economy Minister Milko Kovachev said on June 30.