Sofia and Plovdiv Join Efforts to Attract Investors in Bulgaria
Sofia Municipality and Plovdiv Municipality have taken the initiative to build a national union of the major industrial centers in Bulgaria, aiming to develop a unified strategy for establishing our country as an attractive investment destination. The idea behind the initiative is to increase foreign investment in the country and attract strategic investors through joint efforts, resource sharing, and a unified marketing strategy for our country.
The Sofia Investment Agency team, led by Maria Hristova, Head of the Investment Analysis Department, Stefan Stefanov, Deputy Mayor of Plovdiv in charge of Education and Business Development, and Engineer Emil Yankov, Business Development Manager from Thrakia Economic Zone held a meeting in Plovdiv in connection with the initiative. It was decided to invite the other major industrial centers to join, thus constituting a common national union.
Part of the initiative’s specific activities is the creation and development of each of the major cities’ investment profiles, to identify the strengths of local industries, the specifics of the workforce, the talent pool, and other economic indicators that are subject to investors’ interest.
The cities’ teams will also work on creating a national campaign, which aims to familiarize foreign investors with the opportunities to find the appropriate place for setting up their business in our country according to their specific needs. The ambition of the team of the Sofia Investment Agency and the Business Development Department in Plovdiv Municipality is to direct potential investors towards the most suitable locations for them in the country according to the sector in which they operate and the economic ecosystem of the respective region.
Maria Hristova stated Sofia’s readiness to join forces with experts in key areas from other cities. “Only joint efforts between the big cities can help Bulgaria sustain its pace of establishing itself as an increasingly attractive and recognizable destination for key international businesses. This leads to an increase in employees’ purchasing power and, respectively, to a higher quality of life, which is our primary goal. “
One of the planned initiatives for attracting investors is presenting Bulgaria to top employers in Europe and to describe the advantages of our country compared to other countries in the region.
According to Stefan Stefanov, Deputy Mayor of Plovdiv, the big cities together have a stronger potential to position Bulgaria among the leading investment destinations in the EU. “When we work on a request from a potential investor, we compete with regions from other countries. If we work together, we will be a more attractive location and more so at a very dynamic stage for investors.
Meetings with other big cities that Sofia will attract to the initiative are yet to be held.
