The EU has reserved EUR 18 million for vine renovation in Bulgaria in 2008, said the director of the Executive Agency on Vine and Wine (EAVW) Rositsa Goranova, as cited by BNA. The destined sums should be seized until 15 October because over 2, 400 hectares of vineyards need modernization.
In 2007 Bulgaria produced 1, 796 million hectoliters of wine, including the homemade amounts. Last year's wine export of the country ran up to 1, 125 million hectoliters with dominationg share on the market of the bottled wines - 81%.
Bulgaria has been exporting wine primarily to Russia (65%), Poland, the UK, Germany, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Lithuania. For the time being, there are 203 legally operating wineries in Bulgaria.
The increase of wine import on a yearly basis has grown by 22% growth and reached to 150, 000 hectoliters compared to 123, 000 hectoliters in 2006. The wines are imported mostly from Macedonia, Spain, Russia, Chile, Romania, France and Italy.
The German car market is facing its worse downturn, the nation's auto industry association warned Wednesday as the deepening sense of economic gloom in the country leads to a shakeout in the industry and the prospects of big job cuts.
A comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon as a couple trying to avoid their families at Christmas debuted in first place over the weekend at North American box offices, according to preliminary studio estimates issued Sunday.