Maria Gabriel: Education and innovation are key to overcoming the challenges in Bulgaria

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maria Gabriel, today opened the forum "Career and life - why in Bulgaria?" of Bulgaria Wants You, which over the years has become the largest career forum for Bulgarians in the country and abroad. The event brought together popular Bulgarians from the sphere of entrepreneurship, business and public life, who presented their personal point of view on the advantages for a career and life in Bulgaria.

"Before we get to the future, there is a need to support those who are here and now - to direct the focus to that present which highlights the strengths and positive examples, and in this way give the request for the country to become a leader in South-Eastern Europe. And if I have to answer the question, why and how career and life in Bulgaria, my answer is: innovations. To reach this answer, the most important thing is to support our talents, young people, people with skills that change the environment around them. I strongly believe that it is achievable with teamwork and consistent efforts to change the environment in which people live, businesses operate, and institutions facilitate the process and help remove barriers," said Deputy Prime Minister Maria Gabriel.

She highlighted as an advantage that Bulgaria is a member of the EU and if we want the country to be an active participant in the current dynamic processes, setting and shaping the direction, now is the time. "United and not divided, active and not passive, daring and not afraid, we can make it so that with the talents of Bulgaria we can change the view of the country, support the positive examples and defend the place of a regional innovation leader", he added more Maria Gabriel.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized 3 important aspects: the key role of talent and education, the type of innovation that should be focused on, and how to promote Bulgaria as one of the most dynamic innovation ecosystems in Southeast Europe. In this context, she gave due credit to teachers and university professors, because, in her words, they are the most important motivators for the deployment of talents, and schools and universities are an integral part of the Bulgarian innovation ecosystem.

Maria Gabriel also emphasized the challenges, for example, the need to continue modernization in the educational environment, the introduction of innovative practices in other socio-economic spheres, more common efforts to deal with global problems. According to her, education and innovation are the two key tools for overcoming challenges in all strategic sectors, and Bulgaria is applying to be a leader in South-Eastern Europe with a total value of its startups of 5.6 billion euros and providing more jobs per 100,000 people from all other countries in the region.

"Education, talents, skills, innovations, strategic sectors - connecting them in a network can be the Bulgarian answer to today's challenges. I sincerely believe that if our talents feel that they are part of an ecosystem where people support each other, then they will also feel the benefits of a career and life in Bulgaria. We need our Bulgarian generation of innovators, who can make Bulgaria a part of the new wave of innovation. Career and life in Bulgaria is a mission. And if our talents want to be creators, drivers and leaders of a new generation innovation ecosystem, Bulgaria is the place," concluded Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Gabriel.