tional Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary)

Political parties and leaders:
Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia
MOZER]; Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV];
Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by
BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB
[Ivan KOSTOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed
DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon
SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic
Forces or UDF [Nadezhda MIKHAYLOVA]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD
[Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition
of center-right parties dominated by DSB)

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB;
Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and
national interest groups with various agendas

International organization participation:
ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EU
(applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Elena B. POPTODOROVA
consulate(s): New York
FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973
telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174
chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James William PARDEW
embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1407
mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State, 5740
Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740
telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100
FAX: [359] (2) 937-5230

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the
national emblem formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe has
been removed - it contained a rampant lion within a wreath of wheat
ears below a red five-pointed star and above a ribbon bearing the
dates 681 (first Bulgarian state established) and 1944 (liberation
from Nazi control)

Economy Bulgaria

Economy - overview:
Bulgaria, a former communist country striving to enter the European
Union, has experienced macroec