This is the first time in 10 years that so many open procedures have been held for positions abroad
The Ministry of Economy and Industry (MEI) is inviting applications for 16 positions of Trade Representatives in the Trade and Economic Affairs Offices (TEAO) of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Not in more than 10 years have so many open procedures been announced for these positions. In the last decade, priority has been given to closed procedures to which only staff of the institution have been able to apply.
By order of Minister Nikola Stojanov, the new procedures for commercial attachés are conducted as transparently as possible and are announced to the media, with the aim of involving more participants and ensuring competitive selection. This is part of the overall change in the work of the TEAO, which the Minister of Economy has set among his main priorities.
We would like to remind you that in April the first competition procedure under the new rules was launched and promoted to the media. As a result, 73 candidates took part and the interest was 5 times higher than in previous similar competitions held in the Ministry of the Interior.
Ten of the positions for which the new competitions are being launched are in countries where there are existing trade representatives, but whose mandate is due to expire this calendar year. These are Austria (Vienna), Germany (two cities — Berlin and Frankfurt am Main), Georgia (Tbilisi), Greece (Athens), Israel (Tel Aviv), Spain (Madrid), Slovenia (Ljubljana), Turkey (Istanbul) and Sweden (Stockholm). The competition procedures for them are opened in accordance with the changes in the rules of operation of the TEAO, namely in order to better coordinate between a newly recruited official and one who leaves for Sofia. It should be recalled that the new rules provide for an overlap period. In this way, the staff will pass on to each other the work and information on initiatives that have been launched and need to be continued, as well as the contacts established with the administration and business in the host country.
Positions are vacant in Algeria (Algiers), India (Delhi), Kazakhstan (Almaty), China (Beijing), Portugal (Lisbon) and Switzerland (Bern). One of the top priorities of the Ministry of Economy and Industry is to promote Bulgaria’s foreign trade and attract foreign investors. The main task of the trade representatives will be to build and develop the potential of bilateral economic relations between the host country and Bulgaria, as well as to assist Bulgarian companies that want to enter the respective foreign market.
The deadline for applications is 26 May 2023, and the Selection Committee includes only experts from the institution, with no participation from the political leadership of the Ministry. The aim is to conduct them as openly as possible and to select them according to objective criteria.
As in the previous procedures, the requirements for candidates for sales representatives are that they have a Master’s degree and have an excellent command of the official language or the common language of the country for which they are applying. The candidate should also have a good knowledge of the economic development, foreign economic and trade relations, as well as of Bulgaria’s bilateral relations with the specific country applied for. It is also necessary to be familiar with the Bulgarian regulatory framework related to the activities of the TEAO as well as the investment, trade and customs policies of our country. The foreign language proficiency will also be checked by an external expert before the Selection Board. Under Bulgarian law, candidates must be Bulgarian citizens and have no nationality other than that of a Member State of the European Union.
Detailed information about the competition is available at: