The Bulgarian Development Bank can be a key financial and market instrument to support the policies of the state. Also to work to overcome regional imbalances. The bank's new strategy will try to consolidate precisely these two fundamental goals laid down in the BBR Law, together with the support of small and medium-sized businesses. This was stated by the Minister of Innovation and Growth Rosen Karadimov in the program “The day begins with Georgi Lyubenov” according to BNT.
Minister Karadimov emphasized that the bank's previous strategy expired in December 2023, and by law the Council of Ministers must adopt the new one for the three-year period 2024-2026. “Seven key ministries, trade unions, employers participate in the working group , municipalities and experts. "Next week is the last meeting and it will be submitted to the Council of Ministers," Karadimov said. He emphasized that the Bulgarian Development Bank is well capitalized and in excellent financial condition.
According to the Minister, in the new strategy of the bank, it will be assumed that it will be able to support the state with market mechanisms in the social sphere, health care, energy, transport and communication connectivity, infrastructure projects. He gave as an example the hospitals, whose debts the BDB can refinance, as well as the possibility of crediting those working in the budgetary sphere before retirement.
„The bank is considering an option to find a mechanism in full cooperation with the relevant state structures for granting interest-free or low-interest loans for the final recipients. In this way, they will be able to use their advance compensation upon retirement, which will serve as collateral for the loans that BBR will grant, said Minister Karadimov and specified that the development of such an idea is a long and careful process, which should be implemented by regular government.
Regarding investments in our country, the Minister of Innovation and Growth commented on the procedure under the Recovery and Sustainability Plan for Industrial Parks in Bulgaria, which MIR administers.
„When you have a built infrastructure, with an educated workforce, when you have low taxes and a good atmosphere in the country, built logistics, the investment will come here,” Karadimov was categorical.
„The role of the Ministry of Innovation is to coordinate the actions of its structures so that the end result in terms of investments and innovations in small and medium-sized businesses benefits the economy and people”, Minister Karadimov also said.