Swedish companies evaluate positively the potential for development of their business in Bulgaria

At the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, presentation entitled “Bulgaria – an Attractive Market for Swedish Business” was held. The event was organized in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden in Sofia. The results of a survey held among 40 Swedish companies operating in Bulgaria were presented.

The event was opened by Vasil Todorov, Secretary General of BCCI, who stressed the need for such climate studies, which are a very useful reference for the direction of development of Bulgarian economy.

Positive evaluation was also expressed by H.E. Ms. Louise Bergholm, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to Bulgaria, who thanked BCCI for the good cooperation between the two institutions.

According to the survey data, the main advantages for investing in Bulgaria are the country’s EU membership, the low business maintenance costs, the developing infrastructure, the geographic location, and the low taxes. There are also sectors which can offer greater potential – especially renewable energy, education and qualification. The main cited challenges included difficulties in finding labour force, bureaucracy and the unreformed judicial system.

The survey is available HERE. It was conducted among Swedish companies operating in the field of trade (38%), production (35%), including IT, lending of office space, equipment supply, and recruitment. The Swedish investors provide over 8500 full time jobs in Bulgaria and have put innovation as the main focus of their activity.

The event continued with the exchange of experience and presentations by the companies “Astra Zeneca” and “Trelleborg Bulgaria”.