site.btaEnergy Industry Leads Bulgarian Exports since 2016

Since 2016, with the exception of 2022, we have been the first in exports of all industries, with a share of about 11%. And despite a decline last year, the electrical industry is growing at over 12%, said Dimitar Beleliev, Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Association of Electrical Engineering and Electronics (BASEL), during the first business forum Electrical Industry 2024. The event is jointly organized by BASEL and the Executive Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises.  

"There are more than 1,300 companies in Bulgaria with an economic code 'Electronics and Electrical Engineering', with more than 55,000 employees. The sector attracts the largest foreign and Bulgarian investors in the national economy. We are a leader of innovation, perhaps one of the largest taxpayers and employers in Bulgaria," Beleliev said. 

Lack of manpower and the distortion of the labour market by the state administration are among the biggest challenges facing companies in this sector, he said. 

"There is no clear policy on the part of the state on how to stimulate the workforce, which are the strategic sectors, what kind of workers are needed," he explained regarding the lack of employees. Secondly, he pointed to "the distortion of the market by the state sector, where many people are employed." 

The association believes that the electricity industry in the country should be supported by the state in the legal ways possible.