A real process of preparation of the specific sites for the establishment of an industrial zone near Varna has started. The project will be joint – between the National Company of Industrial Zones and the municipalities of Varna and Aksakovo
‘We are conducting lawsuits regarding the shares of Plovdiv Fair. The shares are and should be owned by the state. We must preserve this key asset for our country. This was stated by the Minister of Economy and Industry Bogdan Bogdanov at a briefing after a meeting with the Mayor of Varna Blahgomir Kotsev, the Chairman of the City Council of Varna Hristo Dimitrov and the deputy chairmen of the Varna City Council.
At the moment we do not expect a final decision from the Municipality of Varna and the Regional Administration because we have a lawsuit, but for us it is also important the moral statement that could be made, how Varna envisages the development of this key asset and the return of the shares’, Bogdanov said.
In his words, the shares of the Plovdiv Fair were given free of charge to Varna Municipality, so there is no comment on the payment by the state. The Minister of Economy added that as the shares were provided, they should be returned.
‘Varna Municipality’s shares in Plovdiv Fair should be returned to the state. This was also confirmed by the mayor of the seaside city Blagomir Kotsev. ‘The Plovdiv Fair should be preserved as a national treasure and developed. Falling into private hands and becoming an accomplice in a hidden privatisation is not something Varna wants to participate in’, he pointed out.
After the meeting it also became clear that a real process of preparation of the specific sites for the establishment of an industrial zone near Varna has started. It is about 4500 acres south of the village of Slanchevo. Minister Bogdanov specified that the project will be a joint one – between the National Company of Industrial Zones and the municipalities of Varna and Aksakovo. ‘We believe that such cooperation can show that the state, the municipality, the Regional Administration and the Municipal Council can cooperate to achieve a more efficient economic environment,’ Bogdanov said. This cooperation, according to the minister, can lead to the development of projects that attract investors and personnel and stimulate the relationship with universities.
From the words of Minister Bogdanov it also became clear that north of the Hemus highway will be located an agro-hub, which is expected to become a center of attraction for the food industry. The project has also been discussed with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
‘The remaining 3,000 acres south of the Hemus motorway will be mainly targeted at high value-added industries, taking advantage of the logistical advantages that Varna provides,’ he said. ‘We need to work more and more to create an infrastructure that can attract companies that produce higher value-added products, not the products made on an ad hoc basis with imported raw materials that are simply processed here and exported,’ the economy minister said.
In his words, this will be another opportunity for young people, because these industrial zones are becoming a center of attraction for scientific organizations and institutes to develop science and innovation around business.
Minister Bogdanov also visited some of the sites with the Mayor of Aksakovo Municipality Eng. Atanas Stoilov.