Bulgaria has been ranked a Tier 2 country in the State Department Trafficking in Persons Report 2018. On June 28th, 2018, the Department of State published its 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report. After 3 consecutive years of increased and consistent efforts, Bulgaria was upgraded from the unsatisfactory Tier 2 Watch List to the positive Tier 2. It is an important development in the Bulgarian-American dialogue; a step which demonstrates that the commitment of the Bulgarian government, the systematic, comprehensive approach and the progress made in combating human trafficking have been recognized by the United States.
This significant success, along with the removal of our country from the USTR Special 301 Watch List on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (where it was placed for 5 consecutive years), raises our country’s positive profile in the USA.
This is a significant accomplishment for the Bulgarian institutions; it is also a strong positive signal for the foreign investors as well as a precondition for increasing the American business interest in Bulgaria.