Finance Minister Assen Vassilev met with a delegation of leading US companies here on Thursday, his Ministry reported. On the delegation are representatives of companies in the fields of defence, healthcare, cybersecurity, energy, construction, and telecommunications. US Ambassador to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten also attended the meeting.
Addressing the delegation, Vassilev said that the Bulgarian government has set itself as main goals the country's entry in Schengen, the eurozone, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). By joining the Schengen area, Bulgaria will automatically achieve an economic growth of 3%, because the existing obstacles to trade development stemming from logistical difficulties at the border will be lifted, he argued.
He said that Bulgaria will participate in the construction of the North-South infrastructure corridor, which will link the Mediterranean with Northern Europe, Moldova, and Ukraine from Greece through Bulgaria and Romania. According to Vassilev, this project is key for connectivity in Southeast Europe, and over EUR 6 billion will be invested in it.
Bulgaria's full membership in the eurozone and the OECD will contribute to the country's economic development and welfare, Vassilev said firmly, stressing that the Bulgarian institutions are doing everything possible to make that happen. He expects these processes to lead to economic growth and visibility of Bulgaria as well as to the country's full inclusion in the European institutional framework. According to his forecasts, the results from that could be comparable to the GDP growth of 6% to 8% a year and the increase in foreign direct investments observed in the 2004-2007 period, after Bulgaria joined NATO and the EU.
The Finance Minister acquainted the US business representatives with Bulgaria's competitive advantages as an investment destination, and expressed the hope that their companies will open offices here very soon.
/RY/
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