Minister Nikolov: We are stimulating investments in high-tech industries
Among our leading priorities are the preservation of economic and financial stability in the country and the continuation of activities related to Bulgaria's accession to Schengen, the Eurozone and the OECD. This was said by the Minister of Economy and Industry Dr. Petko Nikolov during the Eighth Annual Meeting of the Bulgarian Forum of Business Leaders (BFBL) with ambassadors, which is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in partnership with representatives of the diplomatic corps in our country.
"The Covid pandemic and military conflicts have shown Europe that economic security is not a given, that we must be united in order to be able to guarantee the sustainable economic development of countries," he said in his speech to the forum.
Minister Nikolov emphasized that infrastructure connectivity, the energy sector, digitization and the IT sector are key for the development of the whole of Europe, and investments in infrastructure, green connectivity and industrial zones are key for the region. "During the last decade, our country has been developing at a dynamic pace and represents an important part of the overall business ecosystem within the European Union," said the Minister of Economy. He was categorical that the development of our economy is closely linked to the main horizontal priorities of the European Union for accelerated digitization and integration of circular economy models. "Bulgaria is steadfastly following the trend of digitization of business processes and has demonstrated progress in many respects," added the Minister of Economy.
"Our policy is aimed at stimulating investments in high-tech production, the market implementation of innovations and the introduction of new technologies, both in production processes and in the creation of new products and services, to build a competitive, resource-efficient low-carbon industry", the economy minister also pointed out. He assured that efforts are being made to create a favorable institutional environment for business operations, including through the creation of an industrial ecosystem of industrial parks across the country, through the construction of prepared industrial grounds and the creation of conditions for the development of research and development activities.
Dr. Nikolov was categorical that whatever goals we set for ourselves in the economic or technological aspect, we cannot achieve them without developing the human potential. "Human resource development is a long-term solution and the main challenges facing businesses are related to this," he added.
The Minister of Economy also emphasized that special attention is paid both to the regional dimension for the uniform development of all regions of the country, and to the sectoral dimension to attract investments in activities with high added value. According to him, Europe has all the prerequisites to become one of the leaders in the high-tech sectors, and Bulgaria and the mechatronics, electronics and microelectronics sectors can play an important role in this process.
Nikolov assured that companies, regardless of whether they are Bulgarian or foreign, can count on institutional support from the Ministry of Economy and Industry.