For the general public, Bulgarian industry does not exist. There is no particular focus on it, and its share of GDP is 28%. How can we get children and their parents to encourage them to study at a vocational high school when industry is invisible and when they imagine working conditions from the end of the 19th century. How many boys and girls want to study to be engineers? Many times less than what we need. This is a social, political and economic problem that we must solve together. This was said by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth Tomislav Donchev at a discussion on the possibilities for improving competitiveness and the challenges facing the mechanical engineering industry. The debate was held within the framework of the Annual General Meeting of the Bulgarian Chamber of Mechanical Engineering in Pazardzhik.
„If I can arouse public interest, I will do it, but I need help from you too. We need to open the factories, have staff from them in the media and social networks. To see the good working conditions. To see that Bulgaria has competitive and modern production, good managers and workers. In the mass case, a qualified worker who develops receives a higher remuneration than many other professions“, Donchev also said.
He emphasized that Bulgaria has invested millions in the Centers of Competence and Centers of Excellence in the country over the years, but they are not used by business because no one knows about the unique laboratory equipment purchased. “In three weeks it will be publicly available together with the terms of use“, he added.
Regarding the financing opportunities under the European programs of the MIR, he recalled that about 5 billion leva are available to the Bulgarian business for digitalization, modernization and energy efficiency through various financial instruments until the end of the program period.
On the topic of defense, Donchev commented that in a mode of inevitability in the coming years Bulgaria will invest billions in the modernization of the armed forces. “It hurts me when this process happens with little or no participation of the Bulgarian industry. Smart countries organize the processes in such a way as to have a maximum effect on the economy, science, development potential“, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
“Following the trends in the development of the military, I have the ambition for Bulgaria to specialize in several areas corresponding to the development and industrial potential. We need to build capacity in the production of drones, given the fact that this is extremely competitive and will strengthen the capabilities of the Bulgarian Armed Forces,“ he also said.
He congratulated the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers for the fact that such meetings take place precisely where the industry is.
In Pazardzhik, Minister Donchev also visited the company for the production of CNC machines, tools and equipment for various sectors of the industry “RAIS“. It has offices in a number of European countries, and its products are used by manufacturers from Europe, Asia and Africa.