We have officially invited the President and CEO of Mondi Group, based in the United Kingdom, to a meeting. Today, we received confirmation that the senior management in London has accepted the invitation and will review our proposal during their board session. The meeting will focus on the future of the plant. Our main goal is to keep Mondi as an investor in the municipality of Stamboliyski. The Minister of Economy and Industry, Dr. Petko Nikolov, said this during today’s parliamentary oversight session. He mentioned that efforts are being made in two areas. First, we are engaging in dialog with the investor to maintain the production facilities at Mondi Stamboliyski. “This is a sensible decision for the owner, the workers, and the region’s economy,” said Minister Nikolov. He also noted that if a decision is made to sell the assets, the Ministry of Economy and Industry shares the workers’ stance: any new owner must be committed to preserving the production activities and jobs.
Dr. Petko Nikolov provided a chronological account of the actions taken by the Ministry of Economy after Mondi officially announced the closure of its plant in Bulgaria on October 25, 2024, through a notice published on the Financial Times online platform. He emphasized that the Ministry of Economy and Industry had not been informed of this decision by the owner. Instead, three days later, on October 28, 2024, the ministry received a notification from Mr. Petar Nedelev, the mayor of the Stamboliyski municipality, informing them of the plant’s closure.
Dr. Petko Nikolov stated that a prompt request was submitted to the Ministry of Economy and Industry through its Commercial and Economic Affairs Offices to investigate the organization and structure of Mondi Group. “Based on the information obtained, it was evident that discussions about the future of Mondi Stamboliyski need to occur at the highest level with the holding company’s management in the United Kingdom,” the Minister of Economy noted.
Dr. Petko Nikolov said that a meeting was held at the Ministry of Economy and Industry with the management of Mondi Stamboliyski. “During this meeting, it was communicated to us that, at this stage, the owner does not plan to resell the production facilities and warehouses to another investor,” the Minister stressed, adding that it was confirmed that the reason for the decision to close the plant was the fire that occurred at the end of September 2024, which damaged key production facilities. Dr. Petko Nikolov also noted that another meeting took place at the Ministry of Economy and Industry with representatives of the workers and the Initiative Committee for the Plant’s Rescue.
“We share the view that if the plant is to be sold, the new owner must be an investor who will maintain the production activities and the jobs of the people,” Minister Nikolov asserted. It became clear from his remarks that information was received by the workers’ representative indicating that the management of Mondi Stamboliyski will pay compensation to each employee, amounting to at least 10 months’ salary.
Minister Nikolov pointed out that the Plovdiv region, which includes the town of Stamboliyski, has a strong economic profile and is second only to Sofia in terms of gross domestic product in the country. He emphasized the need to find alternative employment for the workers from Mondi and indicated that such opportunities could be sought in the future new plant for industrial paper and cardboard packaging in the neighboring municipality of Maritsa.