The Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA), together with the Bulgarian-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and the support of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, organize a Bulgarian-Ukrainian business forum with bilateral meetings, which will be held on April 25, 2024 in "Vasil Levski" hall of the "Hyatt Regency Sofia" hotel in Sofia.

According to data from the National Statistical Institute, for 2023, the bilateral trade between Bulgaria and Ukraine exceeded USD 1 billion. dollars, but there is a decrease of 14.3%, compared to the realized during the same period of the previous year. Bulgarian exports to Ukraine increased by 50.6% and reached USD 537.5 million, and imports from Ukraine to Bulgaria amounted to USD 483.5 million. dollars, registering a 42.0% decline compared to the first half of 2022.

The event on April 25 aims to expand trade and economic ties between the two countries, as well as create prerequisites for the establishment of new contacts between entrepreneurs and companies, given the complex and at the same time dynamic situation in Ukraine. Topics related to post-war reconstruction and the opportunities that European funds will provide to Ukraine for the reconstruction of the economy and infrastructure will be discussed before the Bulgarian business. The geographical proximity of our two countries through the Black Sea, as well as cultural and historical features provide an excellent opportunity to build lasting partnerships, expand traditionally good cooperation and create successful joint businesses.

The business forum will provide an opportunity for representatives of Bulgarian enterprises from the ICT sectors, including fintech and modern technologies, energy, food industry and agriculture, logistics and infrastructure to meet new potential partners, as well as to make direct contacts with enterprises from Ukraine.

In case of interest, registration of the event profile on www.b2bconnect.bg should be done by April 22, 2024. The program of the event, as well as information about the Ukrainian companies, will be sent to those who have registered. Additional information can be obtained from Natalia Necheva at tel. (+359) 2 940 79 37 and from Nikolina Georgieva at tel. (+359) 2 940 79 77.

Participation in the event is free of charge and is organized under Project BG16RFPR001-1.002-0001 "Implementation of measures for the internationalization of Bulgarian SMEs by supporting the activities of the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency " in implementation of activity 7 "Organization and holding of business forums, conferences, contact exchanges and other business events with bilateral meetings or networking between Bulgarian and foreign companies in the country", financed by the European Fund for Regional Development through the Program "Competitiveness and Innovations in Enterprises" 2021-2027, under which BSMEPA is an institutional beneficiary.