site.btaPM Borissov Meets World Bank Country Director

PM Borissov Meets World Bank Country Director


Sofia, January 23 (BTA) - Prime Minister Boyko Borissov met here
Friday with Mamta Murthi, World Bank Country Director for
Central Europe and the Baltic Countries. She is in Sofia to
discuss the options for support from the international financial
institutions for enhancing economic growth in Bulgaria, said
the government press office.

The visit comes ahead of the release of a World Bank analysis on
Bulgaria.

The Prime Minister briefed the guest on the government's
development programme until 2018 which is being debated this
week. He underscored the measures for improving business
climate, the transport infrastructure and the quality of the
work force, among others. He said that the essence of this
measures to see Bulgaria bottom off from the EU rankings for
income and growth. "The government is determined to restore
stability and put the country on a track to quickly catch up
with the living standards in the rest of the EU," Borissov
reportedly said.

He said that Bulgaria has a stable partnership with the World
Bank and will continue to rely on its strategic advice and
financing.

Mamta Murthi commented a recent World Bank report on global
economic prospects, saying that growth in Europe and Central
Asia in 2014 slowed down due to the unstable recovery of the
euro zone and stagnation in Russia. The forecast for Bulgaria
includes a growth of 1.1 per cent which is below the 1.4 per
cent for last year.

Murthi said that the analysis which is being prepared for
Bulgaria and which looks into the economic challenges facing the
country and the ways to achieve faster and inclusive growth,
will have its strongest impact in the areas which the government
has put among its priorities.

The World Bank official said she was encouraged to hear that
stability and social consensus are in the focus of the
government's programme. She believes that Bulgaria, being a EU
member, is fully capable of achieving faster, more inclusive and
more sustainable growth that will bring benefit to all people.
She vowed the resolve of the World Bank to support Bulgaria in
these efforts.

Participating in the meeting with Murthi were Deputy Prime
Minister Tomislav Donchev, Regional Development Minister Lilyana
Pavlova and Vladislav Goranov.