Bulgaria is interested in attracting Belgian investment in key sectors of its economy, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has said at a meeting with visiting Belgian Secretary of State for Foreign Trade Pieter De Crem.

Belgian companies could apply for the “implementation of projects in infrastructure, energy, transport, environment, telecommunications” in Bulgaria, Borisov said at the meeting in Sofia on Monday, according to a statement from the Bulgarian government press office.

The meeting was attended by Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister in charge of EU funds Tomislav Donchev.

Borisov noted that the economic policy of the Bulgarian government is aimed at maintaining macroeconomic and financial stability, easing the administrative burden and preserving the lowest tax rates in the EU.

Potential Belgian investors could also benefit from investment opportunities in Bulgaria created under the EU’s Operational Programme Innovation and Competitiveness (OPIC) and the SME Initiative, it was said at the meeting.  

The support under OPIC 2014-2020 aims at addressing the needs, overcoming the challenges and seizing the opportunities for development of Bulgarian economy, by engaging in smart growth and sustainable growth.

The SME Initiative programme for Bulgaria, adopted in October 2015 and funded by EUR 102 M from the European Regional Development Fund, is part of a broader initiative of the European Commission and the EIB Group to encourage Member States to double their use of European Structural and Investment Funds invested through financial instruments in 2014-2020. The programme will unlock over EUR 600 M of additional lending for Bulgarian small businesses.