Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investments and Industry Alexander Pulev held a meeting with the CEO of “Robert Bosch“ EOOD and representative of the Bosch Group for Bulgaria Dan Lazarescu, at which the company's decision to gradually cease the activities of “Bosch Engineering Center Sofia“, its impact on the high-tech sector in Bulgaria and the opportunities for future cooperation were discussed. The two sides confirmed their desire to maintain active dialogue and good partnership.
During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Pulev emphasized the strategic importance of German investments for the Bulgarian economy. “We extremely value our relations with Germany. It is one of our most important diplomatic and economic partners. Germany is our leading industrial partner and our largest export market. Therefore, any development that affects the German economy inevitably affects Bulgaria“, he said.
Pulev pointed out that promoting investments is among the government's top priorities and will be a key tool for economic growth. “Stimulating investments is a key goal on our agenda. Even in the current financial situation, we have managed to foresee a number of incentives to support the industry – mechanisms to promote investments, support for energy-intensive industries and instruments for companies of strategic importance for the Bulgarian economy“, he pointed out.
During the meeting, Dan Lazarescu emphasized on behalf of the management of “Bosch“ that the company maintains its long-term commitment to Bulgaria and will continue to develop its key activities in our country. According to him, the company's decision is dictated by the changes in the automotive industry and the strategic reallocation of the group's development units. He explained that the decision is the result of a long-term analysis. “We discussed the situation in Sofia very intensively for several months. We are currently making structural changes that affect various engineering centers in Europe“, said the CEO of “Robert Bosch“ EOOD.
Bosch has been present in Bulgaria for more than 30 years and confirms its long-standing commitment to the country. The company will continue to operate in various sectors, serving the Bulgarian market and regional customers. Bosch is strengthening its presence in Bulgaria with a focus on local sales, customer service and training for Automotive Equipment, Power Tools, Home Comfort and Building Technologies, as part of Robert Bosch EOOD, and BSH Household Appliances Bulgaria EOOD, as well as providing comprehensive digital solutions for the Bosch Group through Bosch Digital EOOD.
Lazarescu emphasized that the company will maintain a significant presence in Bulgaria through both its sales and its digital activities, with around 300 highly qualified specialists at Bosch Digital alone continuing to work in the country on high-tech projects related to software development, cloud technologies, Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Pulev assured the company's management that the government will continue to support German investors and the development of the high-tech sector. “We want to help you with everything we can. If we can support your current activities or provide incentives for future growth, we are ready to mobilize all possible instruments to support German investors, including “Bosch“, Pulev emphasized.
He also noted that Bulgaria will continue to actively develop the digitalization of the public sector and will rely on the expertise of leading technology companies. “Accelerated digitalization of the Bulgarian administration is coming and we will rely on the expertise of companies such as “Bosch“. I believe that we have the potential to develop new partnerships in this area“, said the Deputy Prime Minister.
Alexander Pulev emphasized that the automotive industry is among the most important strategic sectors for the Bulgarian economy and the development of engineering centers is of key importance for the country's competitiveness. “The automotive sector in Bulgaria is largely dependent on the development of the German automotive industry. "We started almost from scratch, building expertise in the automotive sector. Today it forms over 10% of Bulgaria's gross domestic product, making it of exceptional importance for the country," said Pulev.
According to him, nearly 40 development centers are already operating in Bulgaria, which requires the state to support the preservation and development of high-tech activities. “We must ensure that this highly qualified workforce will adapt to the new realities. We want not only to preserve our ties with the German automotive industry, but also to deepen them“, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.