Business ·
US extends Lukoil licence in Bulgaria to April 2027 – no new investment projects
The US allows deals with the Burgas refinery until 24 April 2027; sanctions remain. No new plants or layoffs were reported since Thursday morning. The NSI published no new data.
Total of projects with stated value454.0EUR m
New jobs (stated)2,570
Inflation (CPI) Sep 2026, year on year5.7%
Industrial output Aug 2026, year on year−5.4% −5.40 %
The main news: the US has issued a new general licence (No. 130B) for the Bulgarian subsidiaries of Russian oil company Lukoil. Deals with the Burgas refinery, the fuel station network and the aviation and marine fuel companies are now allowed until 24 April 2027. The news agency BTA reported this on Friday morning (16 October). Sanctions on Lukoil itself remain. The refinery is one of the largest employers in Burgas; the report gives no job figures.
We found no new investment projects, plant closures or mass layoffs in Bulgaria since Thursday morning at BTA, Mediapool, Capital, Investor.bg or on the Economy Ministry's website. In Washington, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Poulev said on Thursday that Bulgaria is ready for joint production with the US in defence and high technology – with no companies, amounts or jobs named.
We have added one project we had missed: tile maker Izida Ceramica said on 13 October that it is putting over EUR 20m into its plant in Elin Pelin (Sofia province). This raises the total of projects with a stated value in the table from EUR 434.0m to EUR 454.0m. Stated new jobs remain at 2,570. The project is not new in the last 24 hours.
The overall picture is unchanged: the state is backing 13 projects worth about EUR 266m, but industrial output in August was 5.4% below a year earlier. The statistics office NSI has published no new data since September inflation (5.7%). The government proposes raising the minimum wage to EUR 660 from 1 January 2027 (now EUR 620.20) – still a draft for consultation.
| Region | Company / project | Sector | Amount (EUR m) | Jobs (− = cuts) | Status / date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burgas | Lukoil Neftochim Burgas and other Lukoil subsidiaries – US extends general licence (No. 130B) to 24 Apr 2027 | Refining / fuels | – | – | NEW: BTA, 16 Oct 2026, 07:14; continued operation, not a new investment – not in total; sanctions on Lukoil remain; staff numbers not given |
| Nationwide | 13 state-backed projects (IPA; companies and regions not named) | Various sectors | 266.3 | 1,840 | Council of Ministers decision of 14 Oct 2026 (BTA); amount and jobs are investor commitments ("about"); aid amount not stated |
| Belovo and Velingrad municipalities (eastern Rila) / Chaira PSHPP | NEK – Yadenitsa dam and reversible tunnel to Chaira reservoir: state guarantees up to EUR 228.1m | Energy / storage | – | – | decision of 14 Oct 2026, guarantees in 2027 budget; loan guarantee, not project value – not in total; tender value EUR 350m excl. VAT (Mediapool) |
| Sofia province (Novi Han, Elin Pelin municipality) | dormakaba (Switzerland) – new plant for automatic entrance systems (revolving and sliding doors), over 22,000 m² | Engineering / building technology | – | 200 | opened 8 Oct 2026, reported 13 Oct 2026 (Standart, DBR); team to exceed 200 people; amount not disclosed – not in total |
| Sofia province (Elin Pelin) | Izida Ceramica – tile plant expansion and upgrade, new SACMI CONTINUA+ line (capacity from 6.5m to c. 11m m²/year) | Building materials / ceramics | 20.0 | – | ADDED LATE (not new): company statement 13 Oct 2026 (Money.bg; Standart 14 Oct); "over EUR 20m" – counted as 20; timing and jobs not given |
| Nationwide (stated in Albena, Dobrich province) | Investment Programme for municipal projects – EUR 101m paid out in one month (over 560 payments, over 300 projects) | Public funding / municipal infrastructure | – | – | 12 Oct 2026 (BTA); contracts for 2,370 of 3,492 projects; payouts, not a new project – not in total |
| Nationwide (announced in Sliven) | Innovation Ministry – nearly EUR 83m for green technology in micro, small and medium firms (Ivan Vasilev) | Funding / SMEs, green technology | – | – | 10 Oct 2026 (BTA); machinery, equipment, software; programme, not a project – not in total; application date not given |
| Sliven / south-east Bulgaria | Fund of Funds – over EUR 120m for projects in south-eastern Bulgaria (stated by Alexander Poulev at Sliven forum) | Funding / infrastructure, SMEs | – | – | 10 Oct 2026; funding pool, not a single project – not in total; no companies or jobs named |
| Sofia province (Pirdop) | Aurubis Bulgaria – copper tankhouse expansion, EU strategic project | Metallurgy / raw materials | – | – | EU status 9 Oct 2026; per DBR (14 Oct 2026) cathode copper up c. 50% to 340,000 t/year; EUR 120m investment already announced in 2023 (not in total); no job figure |
| Stara Zagora (Kazanlak) | Arsenal AD – new automated nitrocellulose line (part of a programme of over EUR 300m) | Defence | – | – | opened 8 Oct 2026, reported 9 Oct; whole programme over EUR 300m (not in total – cost of the line not given); no job figure |
| Shumen (near Smyadovo) | Karash Invest – planned gunpowder plant, added to list of strategic sites | Defence | – | – | Council of Ministers decision of 7 Oct 2026; amount and jobs not stated |
| Plovdiv (Krumovo village) | Senora (NL4YOU) – production and trade base with showroom | Clothing / fashion | – | 50 | Reported 23 Sep 2026; nearly EUR 2m (approximate, not in total); construction from autumn 2026 |
| Burgas / Karlovo (Plovdiv province) | Rheinmetall – gunpowder and 155mm ammunition plants | Defence | – | – | Per Mediapool (5 Oct 2026) gunpowder plant moves to Burgas; per Valentin Radev unclear how far the ammunition plant near Karlovo will go ahead (c. 1,000 jobs expected there) |
| Sliven (industrial park) | Sugarland – warehouse and trade base (4,976 m² plot) | Food and drinks distribution | 0.7 | 10 | Reported 2 Oct 2026; construction to start within 12 months, completion within 36 |
| Nationwide | Textile, clothing and leather industry (BATOK) – firms cutting staff, closing | Textiles and clothing | – | – | Letter to PM and 8 ministers (2 Oct 2026), reported again 5 Oct 2026; no specific figures |
| Veliko Tarnovo (Lyaskovets) | Armako Industries – production expansion | Metal and plastic parts | 50.0 | – | Planned, announced 2 Oct 2026 (over EUR 50m) |
| Dobrich | Magic Flame – Klas Olio: sunflower oil and meal plant | Food processing | 20.0 | 60 | Opened 25 Sep 2026; 60 jobs (other report: 100) |
| Ruse | Bulmarket Group – LVZ industrial park (over EUR 60m; over 210 staff) | Rail equipment | 60.0 | 210 | Opened 1 Oct 2026 |
| Kardzhali | VESS Modules – solar module plant (1 GW/year) | Solar manufacturing | 15.0 | 200 | Opened 1 Oct 2026; c. 300 jobs at full capacity |
| Sofia | Healthy Bars – new protein-bar plant | Food | 22.0 | – | Under construction, completion in coming months (18 Sep 2026) |
| Indicator | vs prior month (%; industry and construction seasonally adj.) | vs year earlier (%) | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inflation (CPI), September 2026 – final | −0.2 % | +5.7 % | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Inflation (HICP, EU method), September 2026 | 0.0 % | +5.6 % | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Industrial production, August 2026 | +0.7 % | −5.4 % | 9 Oct 2026 |
| – manufacturing, August 2026 | +0.8 % | −6.1 % | 9 Oct 2026 |
| – energy (power, heat, gas), August 2026 | +10.7 % | +42.4 % | 9 Oct 2026 |
| – mining and quarrying, August 2026 | −19.7 % | −54.1 % | 9 Oct 2026 |
| Industrial production, July 2026 | −3.0 % | −6.8 % | 9 Oct 2026 (per BTA) |
| Construction output, August 2026 | +0.8 % | +4.2 % | 9 Oct 2026 |
| Retail sales, August 2026 (comparable prices) | +0.3 % | +5.9 % | 7 Oct 2026 |
| Region | Registered, August 2026 (Employment Agency) | Labour Force Survey 2025 (NSI) |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 5.47 | 3.5 |
| Stara Zagora | 4.93 | – |
| Dobrich | 4.20 | – |
| Veliko Tarnovo (labour office area) | 4.00 | – |
For information only, not investment advice. Prices as of the time stated, not real-time quotes.
Sources
- BTA – US extends authorization for transactions with Lukoil's foreign subsidiaries until 24 April 2027, GL 130B (16.10.2026, 07:14)
- Fakti.bg – USA verlängern Lizenz für Lukoil in Bulgarien bis 2027, betroffene Firmen (15.10.2026, 22:28)
- BTA – Pulew in Washington: bereit für gemeinsame Produktion, keine Projekte genannt (15.10.2026, 11:35)
- BTA – Regierung schlägt Mindestlohn 660 Euro für 2027 vor, Entwurf (15.10.2026, 08:49)
- Money.bg – Izida Ceramica: über 20 Mio. Euro für Werk bei Sofia (13.10.2026, 12:25)
- Standart – Izida Ceramica, Elin Pelin, über 20 Mio. Euro (14.10.2026, 07:59)
- NSI – Startseite/Pressemitteilungen: keine neuen Veröffentlichungen nach dem 14.10.2026 (geprüft 16.10.2026)
- BTA – Kabinett unterstützt 13 Investitionsprojekte, rund 266.310.000 Euro, rund 1840 Stellen (14.10.2026, 17:52)
- Trud – Beschlüsse des Ministerrats vom 14.10.2026 (13 Projekte, Garantien NEK)
- Ruse.news – 13 Investitionsprojekte: Zusage für 1840 Stellen (14.10.2026, 18:34)
- BTA – Staatsgarantien für PSW Tschaira als strategisches Energieprojekt, bis 228.086.452 Euro (14.10.2026, 17:58)
- Mediapool – Staatsgarantien 228 Mio. Euro für Stausee Jadeniza; Wert des Vergabeverfahrens 350 Mio. Euro (14.10.2026, 19:50)
- Eurocom – Kabinettsbeschlüsse: Mehrausgaben 2026 und Garantien für PSW Tschaira (14.10.2026, 17:43)
- NEK – Öffentliche Anhörung zum UVP-Bericht Projekt Jadeniza: Gemeinden Belowo und Welingrad, Ost-Rila (22.6.2017)
- DBR – Aurubis: 50 % mehr Kupfer in Pirdop, Stromversorgung (14.10.2026)
- BTA – Inflation September 2026: −0,2 % M/M, 5,7 % J/J; HVPI 0,0 % / 5,6 % (14.10.2026, 11:43)
- Euronews Bulgaria – NSI: 5,7 % Jahresinflation im September (14.10.2026)
- Standart – Neues Werk bei Sofia: dormakaba in Nowi Han, über 200 Beschäftigte, eröffnet 8.10. (13.10.2026, 17:38)
- DBR – Über 200 Arbeitsplätze: neues Werk für automatische Türen in Nowi Han (13.10.2026)
- BTA – Bürgermeister und Staat in Albena: 101 Mio. Euro in einem Monat für über 300 Gemeindeprojekte (12.10.2026, 14:21)
- BTA – Fast 83 Mio. Euro für grüne Technologien in KMU, Minister Wassilew (10.10.2026, 14:16)
- 24 Chasa – Pulew: über 120 Mio. Euro aus dem Fonds der Fonds für Südostbulgarien (10.10.2026, 15:41)
- Standart – Sliwen: Mittlerer Korridor, 120 Mio. Euro, Forum mit Pulew (10.10.2026, 17:35)
- Economic.bg – Kupfer aus Pirdop in EU-Rohstoffplänen, 120 Mio. Euro, 230.000→340.000 t (9.10.2026, 16:45)
- Club Z – Pirdop-Projekt erhält EU-Strategiestatus (9.10.2026, 11:22)
- BTA – New Nitrocellulose Plant at Arsenal (9.10.2026, 10:45)
- 24 Chasa – Pulew eröffnet Nitrozellulose-Anlage bei Arsenal (9.10.2026)
- News.bg – Neue Nitrozellulose-Anlage bei Arsenal (9.10.2026)
- Dir.bg – Arsenal investiert über 300 Mio. Euro (9.10.2026)
- novini247 – Pulew bei Arsenal, Eröffnung „gestern“ (9.10.2026)
- Standart – Über 300 Mio. Investitionen bei Arsenal (9.10.2026)
- ShumenOnline – Karash Invest in Liste strategischer Objekte (7.10.2026)
- Novinite – Gunpowder plant near Smyadovo approved (8.10.2026)
- BTA – Industrieproduktion August 2026: −5,4 % J/J, +0,7 % M/M (9.10.2026, 11:21)
- BTA – Bauproduktion August 2026: +4,2 % J/J (9.10.2026, 11:33)
- Investor.bg – Industrieproduktion August (9.10.2026)
- NSI – Pressemitteilungen: Einzelhandelsumsatz August 2026 +0,3 % zum Vormonat (7.10.2026)
- BTA – Einzelhandelsumsatz August 2026: +0,3 % M/M, +5,9 % J/J (NSI, 7.10.2026, 11:21)
- Plovdiv24 – Senora/NL4YOU: knapp 2 Mio. Euro, mind. 50 Stellen, Krumowo (23.9.2026)
- Mediapool – Fragen um das Rheinmetall-Werk; Munitionswerk bleibt bei Karlowo (5.10.2026)
- Plovdiv24 – Textilbranche: Firmen bauen ab und schließen (5.10.2026)
- Focus – BATOK-Brief an Premier und 8 Minister (2.10.2026)
- Blitz – Näherei-Firmen bauen ab und schließen (3.10.2026)
- Standart – Sugarland, Industriepark Sliwen, 700.000 Euro (2.10.2026)
- BTA – Pulew: Rheinmetall-Werk binnen 30 Monaten (4.10.2026)
- BTA – Registrierte Arbeitslosigkeit August 2026: 5,47 % (17.9.2026)
- BTA – Weliko Tarnowo: Arbeitslosigkeit August 4 % (16.9.2026)
- KarlovoPress – Pulew: Rheinmetall-Werk binnen 30 Monaten (5.10.2026)
- Focus – Pulew: neues Gelände bei Burgas für Rheinmetall (2.10.2026)
- Burgasnews – Pulverwerk Rheinmetall bei Burgas (4.10.2026)
- Mediapool – Kabinett verlegt Rheinmetall-Werk nach Burgas (2.10.2026)
- Standart – Armako Industries Ljaskowez (3.10.2026)
- Economic.bg – Direktinvestitionen Jan.–Juli 2026: 3,45 Mrd. Euro, BNB (18.9.2026)
- Standart – VESS Modules Kardschali, ca. 200 Stellen (2.10.2026)
- Standart – Bulmarket LVZ Russe (2.10.2026)
- Fakti.bg – Armako Industries, über 50 Mio. Euro (2.10.2026)
- RegNews – Pulew bei Armako in Ljaskowez (2.10.2026)
- DBR – Armako Ljaskowez (3.10.2026)
- 24 Chasa – Werk Magic Flame – Klas Olio, Dobritsch (25.9.2026)
- Novinite – Dobrich plant, 60 jobs (26.9.2026)
- BTA – Bulmarket LVZ Ruse (1.10.2026)
- Money.bg – VESS Modules Kardzhali (1.10.2026)
- SeeNews – Healthy Bars (18.9.2026)
- BTA – Rheinmetall project (2.10.2026)
- BTA – Stara Zagora unemployment August 2026
- BTA – Dobrich unemployment August 2026
- NSI – Arbeitskräfteerhebung 2025 (Bulgarien, 3,5 %)
- novini247 – Direktinvestitionen Jan.–Juli 2026 (3,448 Mrd., davon 2,622 Mrd. reinvestiert; BNB vorläufig)
- NSI – Inflation September 2026, Schnellschätzung: 5,6 % J/J, −0,3 % M/M; endgültig am 14.10.2026 (1.10.2026)
