We have a strong political will to encourage joint investments and business ties. Czech investments in Bulgaria already exceed 500 million euros, and trade turnover is approaching 3 billion euros, and this is a solid foundation that we can and must build on. This was stated by Prime Minister Rumen Radev at the Bulgarian-Czech Business Forum, in which he participated together with his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis. The Bulgarian Prime Minister stressed that the goal of both countries is to go beyond traditional trade relations and jointly develop technologies and industrial cooperation, which they can implement in new markets.
The Prime Minister noted Bulgaria's strategic position as an important prerequisite for the development of new joint projects and highlighted the country's role as an intersection of transport, energy and digital corridors. “Today, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen indicated that Bulgaria, together with the EC, will organize a high-level meeting dedicated to the Middle Corridor - the transport corridor connecting Central Asia, the Caucasus and Europe. Bulgaria has a key role in it and can offer partnership in this area“, said Prime Minister Radev.
The Prime Minister emphasized that our country has significant potential for the development of transport and energy solutions, logistics hubs and large-scale infrastructure projects. “That is why we encourage Czech companies to actively participate in our future projects. However, our main goal is, along with traditional industries such as transport, to develop the industries of the future“, the Prime Minister added.
Rumen Radev thanked his Czech counterpart, Prime Minister Babis, for the fulfilled commitment of the Czech industry to deliver 20 modern trains to Bulgaria on time, which allowed our country to meet the requirements under the Recovery and Resilience Plan and receive EU funds earmarked for our country. The Prime Minister also emphasized that this is only part of the potential for cooperation in the transport sector and expressed hope that a logistics center for support and service of Škoda and other Czech companies will be built in Bulgaria.
“Today we are looking beyond traditional areas – we are looking for opportunities in the field of drones, anti-drone systems, cybersecurity and air traffic management“, the Prime Minister said. Among the promising areas, the Prime Minister also highlighted the space sector and the Bulgarian IT ecosystem, including the development of artificial intelligence and data centers.
In the field of energy, Prime Minister Radev also pointed out the opportunities for cooperation with the Czech Republic in the field of nuclear energy and small modular reactors.
For his part, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Andrej Babis, stated that the two countries have the potential to deepen their economic and trade cooperation by creating better conditions for the development and expansion of business. Prime Minister Babis indicated that the Czech government pursues a pragmatic policy in support of export-oriented companies and is actively working to expand their opportunities for international partnerships. The Czech Prime Minister emphasized the need for measures to increase the competitiveness of European industry by ensuring access to cheap and reliable supplies of energy resources.
In the presence of the two Prime Ministers, 7 documents were signed that deepen the Bulgarian-Czech partnership in key sectors. Among them are a memorandum of understanding on the joint testing and certification of weapon systems for the AERO L-39 Skyfox aircraft and a memorandum of cooperation aimed at the development of the Bulgarian healthcare sector. A memorandum of cooperation between the Czech Chamber of Commerce and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a cooperation agreement between the Czech Chamber of Commerce and the Bulgarian-Czech Chamber of Commerce were also signed.
In the field of defense, a memorandum of cooperation was concluded between the Association of the Defense and Security Industry of the Czech Republic and the Bulgarian Defense Industrial Association, as well as a memorandum aimed at the production and maintenance of MARS 4x4 armored vehicles. In the field of transport, a contract was signed for the purchase of eight electric buses for the Municipality of Ruse.