France intended to invest 400 million euro in Bulgaria, French trade minister Christine Lagarde said in Paris during an economic forum dedicated to Bulgaria.

Bulgaria was a promising business market,  Lagarde said, as quoted by a Bulgarian Government media statement.

Trade between France and Bulgaria had reached a billion euro in 2005, Lagarde said. French exports to Bulgaria had increased by 24 per cent in the past six months, she said.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said that Bulgaria and France could co-operate in the field of infrastructure, tourism and agriculture.

The energy sector, especially nuclear energy, was another field in which the two countries could co-operate, he said. Bulgaria did not have rich mineral resources, but could offer a highly educated and dynamic workforce.