Minister of e-Government Valentin Mundrov held a meeting with the Chairman of the Bulgarian Employers' Association for Innovative Technologies (BRAIT) Iliya Krastev and representatives of the industry organization. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of e-Government Alexander Yolovski and Simeon Kartselyanski, National Coordinator for Cybersecurity.
The main focus of the conversation was the upcoming construction of a centralized national cybersecurity system, which would guarantee national security and data sovereignty in the country.
“The implementation of the project will allow Bulgaria to rank among the leading countries and adequately respond to the new challenges in the field of cybersecurity“, emphasized Minister Mundrov. He added that the development of a modern, sustainable and reliable system is a priority of national importance.
During the meeting, the representatives of the sector expressed their readiness to be an active partner of the state and emphasized the need for transparency and effective communication with the administration.
Valentin Mundrov stated that during his term as minister he had always been guided by the principles of publicity and openness: All public procurements in the Ministry of e-Government are open and comply with the requirements of the Public Procurement Act, which allows the participation of the widest possible range of companies, he was categorical.
He specified that the legacy from the first term when the ministry was established includes secret procedures with restrictive technical parameters. “I found procedures that were classified for at least 15 years – without public information about their values, specifications and contractors. It was difficult with this legacy, but today everything in the Ministry of Electronic Governance is open and transparent. There are no more closed procedures in the ministry“, said Mundrov.
The state has the responsibility to protect the national interest by ensuring that taxpayers' funds are spent effectively, transparently and for the benefit of society. That is why Mundrov emphasized that past practices that allowed for opaque procedures and inflated costs should not be repeated.
The minister expressed his confidence that the state and business should work together to develop the digital transformation, cybersecurity and competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy.
“I believe that the state and business should go hand in hand. We are open and accept any proposals from business to improve the dialogue. Each proposal will be considered and discussed. However, the responsibility lies with the state, so we must work proactively in cooperation with the industry,“ the minister emphasized.
The Ministry of e-Government will continue to develop the partnership with industry organizations to ensure sustainability, transparency and a high level of cybersecurity in the state.
BRAIT representatives expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved by “Information Services“ AD in recent years, emphasizing the significant development of the company's expert and technological capacity.