The Bulgarian government has not yet selected the new strategic operator for the country's largest steel mill Kremikovtzi, though it had been expected to choose last week between the Ukrainian investment company Smartgroup and Brazilian mining and steel company Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN).
According to Nina Radeva, Bulgaria's deputy minister of economy and energy, the negotiations with the two candidate investors are still continuing and conditions for future cooperation are being considered.
Speaking to local media, Ms Radeva said, "We are trying to choose the future investor as soon as possible. We cannot fix a deadline due to the complexity of the contracts that we have to sign. It is a matter of very complicated forms of agreement."
Ms Radeva, however, stated that both companies are still interested in the investment and expects that the final decision will become clear within ten days.