Private investments in Bulgaria in the group of economic sectors relevant to the circular economy are valued at around 81 million EUR, which is 0.18 % of the GDP and above the EU average of 0.12%. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Economy Lilia Ivanova in her speech at the opening of the Conference on “Circular economy and environment”, organized by Srednogorie Cluster. The Deputy Minister added that the employed people in these sectors are over 59 thousand, accounting for an increase of 1.72%, while the added value amounts to around 521 million EUR and is also growing with 1.2%.
“The transition towards a circular economy presents an opportunity to transform our economy – to make it more sustainable, to help tackle the climate change issues and preserve natural resources, as well as to create more work places and develop competitive advantages for Bulgaria”, the Deputy Minister of Economy said.
In her words, the policy of the Ministry of Economy is focused on innovations for achieving sustainable growth and increasing competitiveness. The Deputy Minister of Economy also pointed out that there are projects, financed under the Operational programme “Innovation and competitiveness”, which are priority axes under “Technological development and innovations” and “Energy and resource effectiveness”, amounting to over 500 million BGN. “These projects are aimed at supporting energy efficiency in the enterprises and increasing the effective use of the resources that contribute directly to the development of the circular economy and the environment”, she said.
Deputy Minister Ivanova also noted that through the methods and technologies of the circular economy, the environmental pollution will be lowered, the difficulties in obtaining raw materials will be reduced, the innovation activity and the competitiveness of the enterprises will be stimulated.