French companies invest an average of BGN 1 billion a year in Bulgaria

The trends over the last decade show that French companies invest an average of BGN 1 billion a year in our country. This was said by the Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Irina Stonova during an event of the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

She pointed out that French investors bring serious added value to the Bulgarian economy and are the engine of the permanent growth of trade between the two countries. France occupies sixth place in terms of the export of Bulgarian goods. Exports from our country to the French Republic increased by over 16% last year and reached 1.5 billion euros. "I am sure that the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is one of the most active chambers in our country, has made a serious contribution to these good results," added Irina Stonova.

"Many of the French companies in our country are developing their programs for dual training and to attract young people to their production activities. This shows that they want to build a lasting relationship with Bulgaria and their plans related to our country are long-term," said the Deputy Minister of Economy.

The Chairman of the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Stephane Delaye, said that it is expected that the members of the chamber will soon increase to 300. He congratulated the team of the Ministry of Economy and Industry for working to make our country an increasingly attractive destination for foreign investment. "In the month of October, we expect a business delegation of 130 French companies to visit Bulgaria to study the potential and opportunities for the development of their projects here," he added.

During the event, the 2023/2024 Yearbook of the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry was presented. The initiative to issue it started more than 15 years ago. To date, more than 270 companies are members of the Chamber, and their number is constantly growing. The event was attended by the ambassador of France H.E. Joel Meyer, the executive director of the Bulgarian Investment Agency Bogdan Bogdanov, the director of the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vesela Todorova-Mozettig, representatives of French business and others.