The competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy is of key importance for the sustainable development of the country and the Bulgarian government is open to dialogue with representatives of employer organizations in search of working solutions. This was stated by Prime Minister Rumen Radev during a meeting at the Council of Ministers with representatives of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIB), the Bulgarian Industrial Chamber (BIA) and the Bulgarian Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers (BFIEK). The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Energy Iva Petrova.
During the meeting, the business representatives emphasized that they support the reforms undertaken by the government and highlighted the challenges facing the energy-intensive industry in Bulgaria and the opportunities for overcoming them at a national and European level. Employers' organizations noted that 80% of energy-intensive companies in the country work for export and called for improving measures to ensure their competitiveness. The possibilities for attracting more funds from European programs in the sector were considered, as well as for the more effective use of funds from the Electricity System Security Fund, so as not to burden the national budget with compensatory programs in connection with energy prices.
The Prime Minister emphasized Bulgaria's positions regarding the adoption of the next Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU, with the achievement of “industrial convergence“ being among the priorities for our country. Prime Minister Radev emphasized that Bulgaria will insist that the funds under the new Competitiveness Fund also reach the less developed member states, so as not to deepen the industrial and technological gap in Europe. “With the European partners, we discussed the fair distribution of funds, which would lead to the achievement of true convergence in industry, in innovation and in digitalization“, said Prime Minister Rumen Radev.