site.btaPresident Plevneliev Opens 8th Webit.Festival at Sofia Tech Park

President Plevneliev  Opens 8th Webit.Festival  at Sofia Tech Park

Sofia, April 19 (BTA) - President Rosen Plevneliev opened here at Sofia Tech Park on Tuesday the 8th edition of the Webit.Festival, which is a forum for technology, innovation and investment that gathers some of world's top enterprise leaders, Europe's top policy makers and the hottest startups and founders. The two-day forum is held under Plevneliev's auspices and attended by 4,300 participants from 74 countries.

Speaking during the opening, the President said that reforms and entrepreneurship are necessary steps, which will help speed up economic growth in Bulgaria. Innovations and entrepreneurship are the true driving force for development, he said, adding that this country has all the prerequisites to succeed. Plevneliev noted the fast Internet speed in Bulgaria, the highly qualified computer programmers who were trained in this country and the achievements of Bulgarian students at international olympiads. 

He recalled that Bulgaria ranks fifth in the world in terms of victories at international olympiads, preceded by South Korea, China, USA and Russia, which is proof of the talent present in Bulgaria and the Balkans as a whole.

Plevneliev further noted that the creation of the first science and technology park in the region turns Bulgaria into a regional centre in the information and communication technologies. A total of 17,500 jobs were created in the sector over the past ten years, he said, adding that 35,500 jobs were opened in the outsourcing industry in the past five years and they are likely to double by 2020.