Bulgaria Schedule of Events - Dec 8 - Jan 26

* Monday, December 8 - Sofia: The head of the European Commission's Enlargement Directorate-General Michael Lee pays a one-day visit to Bulgaria, to meet the country's Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Plugchieva, in charge of absorption of EU funds.

* Monday, December 8 - Brussels (Belgium): Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin to take part in the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, to hold news conference after the Council.

* Monday, December 8 - Sofia: EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva holds news conference to present her performance during 2008 and tasks for 2009.

* Monday, December 8 - Sofia: The water utility company operating in the capital Sofia, Sofiyska Voda, and state energy and water regulator to discuss water prices.

* Monday, December 8 - Sofia: Bulgaria's central bank to auction 30 million levs ($19.6 million/15.3 million euro) in 10-year treasury notes.

Monday, December 8 - Sofia: Central bank expected to release weekly foreign exchange reserves data as of December 5.

Tuesday, December 9 - Sofia: Bulgarian blue-chip car battery maker MonBat to release forecast for its financial performance in 2009.

Tuesday, December 9 - Sofia: National Statistics Institute to release industrial production/sales data for October.

Friday, December 12 - Sofia: National Statistics Institute to release November consumer price statistics.

Sunday, December 14 – Skopje (Macedonia): Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev starts two-day official visit to Macedonia, meets Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

Monday, December 15 - Sofia: National Statistics Institute to release Bulgaria's gross domestic product (GDP) data for the third quarter of 2008.

Monday, December 15 - Sofia: Bulgaria’s central bank to release current account balance data for end-October (1000 GMT).

Monday, December 15 - Sofia: The Bulgarian Stock Exchange holds a round table on the problems of the non-banking financial sector in the context of the global financial crisis. (0730-0900 GMT).

Friday, December 19 - Sofia: Bulgarian road construction group Holding Roads holds an extraordinary general shareholders' meeting to vote on paying a bonus of 3.84 million levs ($2.5 million/2.0 million euro) to its supervisory board chairman Vassil Bozhkov.

* Saturday, December 20 - Working day, to make up for December 31, Wednesday, which is a market and public holiday.

Tuesday, December 23 - Sofia: Last trading day of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange for 2008.

Tuesday, December 23 - Sofia: Bulgaria's central bank to release November money supply data (1000 GMT).

Tuesday, December 23 - Sofia: Bulgaria's central bank to release November commercial banks credit portfolio.

Tuesday, December 23 - Sofia: Bulgaria’s central bank to issue end-October gross foreign debt data (1200 GMT).

Wednesday, December 24 – Public and market holiday.

Thursday, December 25 - Christmas Day, public and market holiday.

Friday, December 26 - Second day of Christmas, public and market holiday.

Monday, December 29 - National Statistics Institute to release November producer prices data.

Monday, December 29 - National Statistics Institute to release business sentiment data.

Wednesday, December 31 - Market and public holiday.

Wednesday, December 31 - Deadline by which the Finance Ministry is to release 11-month budget balance data expires.

Wednesday, December 31 - Deadline by which the Finance Ministry is to release end-November public debt data.

Thursday, January 1 - New Year's Day. Public and market holiday.

Friday, January 2 – Public and market holiday.

Monday, January 5 - Sofia: First trading day of Bulgarian Stock Exchange BSE for 2009.

* Saturday, January 10 - Working day to make up for January 2, Friday, which is a market and public holiday.

* Monday, January 26 - Sofia: Bulgaria's central bank to auction 30 million levs ($19.6 million/15.3 million euro) in 10-year treasury notes.