Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors is planning to start building cars in Europe in a new joint venture with a Bulgarian partner near the city of Lovech. The project was announced during a meeting on Tuesday between the Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev and two of Great Wall's Vice Presents, the government said in a statement. According to Reuters, Bulgarian media have reported that Great Wall's investment partner is most probably a local firm called Litex. The Bulgarian government said that Great Wall will invest approximately €80 million to build the new car plant at Lovech, which is located about 170 km northeast of the country’s capital city, Sofia. The Chinese-Bulgarian joint venture, which will employee around 1,500 workers, is scheduled to begin in early 2009.