The Bulgarian economy grew by 2.2 percent in 2015, driven by low fuel prices and firm exports. However, the European Commission predicts Bulgarian GDP will only increast by 1.5 percent in 2015, followed by 1.6 percent in 2016, Balkan Insight reports. Poor use of EU funds is one issue cited as a reason for the projected slowdown. Bulgaria recently dropped five places to 60th in the Heritage Foundation’s economic freedom rankings, largely due to concerns over property rights and corruption.