The Minister of Economy and Industry Petar Dilov held a meeting with the Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Robert de Groot. The two discussed the possibilities for financing projects and initiatives of Bulgarian small and medium-sized companies. Deputy Minister Doncho Barbalov also participated in it.
During the meeting, the current trends and priorities in the EIB policy were presented, related to supporting investments that support the key policies of the European Union - infrastructure, innovations, transition to a green economy, projects in the field of security and defense, cybersecurity, drones, dual-use technologies and others.
Petar Dilov emphasized that the Ministry of Economy and Industry is actively working to increase the competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy. He emphasized the ministry's efforts to promote exports, support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and create favorable conditions for attracting foreign investment by ensuring a transparent and stable business environment.
“Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the Bulgarian economy“, noted Dilov. The Minister of Economy indicated that active work is being done to increase the digitalization and energy efficiency of SMEs, as well as to expand their access to European and national financial instruments that support technology transfer, innovation and the increase in their production capacity.
“One of the priority economic sectors for us is the defense industry, in which many small and medium-sized companies also operate“. According to him, it generates over 4% of Bulgaria's GDP and is a key source of employment, innovation and investment.
For his part, EIB Vice-President Robert de Groot presented the bank's strategic guidelines aimed at supporting projects with high added value that contribute to sustainable growth and achieving the EU's climate goals.
The EIB is an international financial institution owned by the EU Member States. The Bank's Board of Directors includes ministers (mainly finance ministers) from all EU countries. It determines the general lending policy. The EIB's main role is to support investments that serve EU policies: infrastructure, innovation, transition to a green economy, support for the defense industry, etc.