Four investments projects in an advanced stage of development will provide work to thousands of young Bulgarians in 2013, according to Energy and Economy Minister Delyan Dobrev.

In an interview for Capital daily, Dobrev emphasizes that foreign direct investments in Bulgaria in 2012 increased by 30% from 2011 to the level of EUR 1.336 B.

"We currently attract nearly as much investments in the real sector as before 2009," he says, specifying that the calculations do not include investments in the financial sector and real estate, which recorded a boom before the crisis.

He reminds that Bulgaria organized investment forums in Japan, India, Germany, and the UK, adding that the campaign has already yielded tangible results.

"We are also working on a very big project for a shared services center of a large company based in Bulgaria. The company prefers to remain anonymous at this stage because by moving to Bulgaria, it will cut jobs in Western Europe, including in France, where this is a very sensitive topic," Bulgaria's Economy Minister informs.

"We are working on four projects in the sphere of outsourcing centers and shared services centers which are to open in 2013, providing employment to many young people. Three projects of Chinese companies for electric and conventional buses are also at an advanced stage of development. We are also discussing projects involving auto parts with several companies," he notes.

Commenting on the priorities of the Competitiveness Operational Power in the next programming period (2014-2020), he suggests that a specialization of the funds is necessary, as the strategy for the entire EU requires

Dobrev points out that Bulgaria's priorities in the next 7-year programming period should be innovations, energy efficiency, and export-oriented companies, as well as companies which turn raw materials into products with high added value.

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