In the first half of 2024, bilateral trade surpassed EUR 2.2 billion.
Greece is a key partner for Bulgaria, ranking fourth among our foreign trade partners. This was announced by the Minister of Economy and Industry, Dr. Petko Nikolov, during his speech at the opening of the Bulgarian-Greek business forum held at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Sofia. The forum included representatives from the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry and nearly 80 companies in high technology, tourism, ICT, food and beverages, construction, and other sectors. The President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tsvetan Simeonov, and the Ambassador of Greece to Bulgaria, His Excellency Alexios-Marios Liberopoulos, also attended the event.
Minister Nikolov noted that economic relations with Greece are progressing well, with bilateral trade reaching record levels in recent years. He said that in 2023, the exchange between the two countries surpassed EUR 4.6 billion, and then for the current year, from January to June alone, it reached nearly EUR 2.5 billion. The Minister of Economy and Industry said that these numbers demonstrate the significant growth potential in the economic partnership between Bulgaria and Greece.
Greece is also one of the strategic investors in our country. As of the beginning of 2024, the amount of Greek investments in Bulgaria exceeds EUR 3.5 billion, with nearly EUR 80 million invested in just the first quarter of 2024,” Minister Nikolov said.
He added that Bulgaria’s full accession to the Schengen Area will reduce the time and costs related to the physical movement of tourists between the two countries, facilitate trade and transactions, and improve border, customs, and tax control. “Bulgaria values Greece’s consistent support in this matter and is confident that Greek businesses and the Greek government will continue to back the Bulgarian side at the European level, positively affecting bilateral trade and investment flows,” Nikolov said. He added that, in this context, the Bulgarian and Greek governments should continue to develop and modernize road and rail infrastructure between the two countries, which will strengthen the positive impact of Bulgaria’s full accession to Schengen and will lead to significant economic growth.
The Bulgarian government sees a shared challenge for Bulgaria and Greece, as EU member states, in working towards the goals of the “Digital Decade 2030”, a European initiative with connectivity as one of its four pillars, Nikolov said. He also noted that close cooperation and the exchange of ideas and best practices at both governmental and business levels are essential for developing national strategic roadmaps to achieve the objectives of the Digital Decade.