Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 622: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to complaints by Irish citizens regarding moneys which have been taken from them by a development company (details supplied) for apartments in Bulgaria, and if he has been in contact with the Bulgarian authorities in connection with same [48094/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the issue to which the Deputy refers. The Irish citizens concerned have been in contact with our Embassy in Sofia. The Embassy advised that they should seek independent legal advice and provided a list of English-speaking lawyers. The Deputy will appreciate that it is not possible for me or our Embassies to become involved in individual private transactions. A number of complaints have been made by Irish citizens who have been involved in property transactions in Bulgaria. During my visit to Bulgaria on 7 October 2010 I raised the matter with the Foreign Minister, Mr. Nikolay Mladenov. Since that time, EU Embassies in Bulgaria have met with Government Ministers and suggested that a single point of contact be established, at Ministerial or deputy Ministerial level, to which representations on concerns regarding property transactions could be addressed. The Ambassador of Ireland in Sofia also wrote to Minister Mladenov on 14 December 2010, recalling my meeting with him, and requesting assistance in establishing such a contact.

I understand that some progress on this matter has been made and it is hoped that a contact point will be designated in the near future. Once the designation is made, our Embassy and other EU Embassies will request an early meeting with the point of contact to discuss the full range of problems experienced by investors in property in Bulgaria, and to explore any possibilities for follow-up action.