40 representatives of the German business in our country took part in an online meeting with Mayor Zdravko Dimitrov on the topic “Plovdiv – economic development and prospects”. It was organized by the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, by initiative of its chairman Dr. Mitko Vassilev and its representative in Plovdiv Dr. Mariana Cholakova. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Mayor for Education, Business Development and European Policies Mr. Stefan Stoyanov.
According to the mayor, Plovdiv has become an industrial leader in Southeast Europe with Trakia Economic Zone and its industrial parks, which employ over 75,000 people and have attracted over 2 billion euro in green investments.
“We are proud of the hundreds international companies and the new Bulgarian industry, which have radically changed the face of the region and the country,” said Zdravko Dimitrov. He reminded that our city is a natural center of an area with more than 600 thousand permanent residents. There are nearly 100 German companies and over 18,000 foreign specialists who have chosen to live and work in Plovdiv, 560 of whom are German citizens.
“We expect Plovdiv and the region to continue to show raise in the economy and strengthen their position as one of the industrial leaders in Southeast Europe. In addition, production and high technology, research, business services and trade will be the driving economic sectors of Plovdiv in the coming years.” said Stefan Stoyanov.
Dr. Mariana Cholakova shared: “Our chamber works with the Municipality of Plovdiv. We openly comment on all issues of interest to companies and potential new investors from Germany. There is trust between us and we are sure that the conditions that are offered will not change.”
During the meeting, the possibilities for hiring qualified labor were also commented. Plovdiv has 8 universities with 34,000 students, dozens of vocational high schools and 31 dual classes, which are supported by 30 companies. Stefan Stoyanov also recalled the trends announced by the NSI, according to which Plovdiv shows positive mechanical growth for 2019 of 3.1%, followed by Sofia with 2.4% and other major cities. This is the highest value for the city in two decades. Plovdiv offers good opportunities for realization, good quality of life and prospects for development, making it attractive for young people.
