Sofia, April 24 (BTA/GNA) – We believe that Bulgaria should have its place as a key partner in important industries. We believe that today we are laying a solid foundation and with joint efforts in the coming years Bulgaria will become a European leader in the production of electro-mobility technologies, but we will also be a European leader in the production of energy storage systems, said Executive Director of the InvestBulgaria Agency (IBA) Bogdan Bogdanov at an official signing ceremony of a declaration on Bulgaria’s accession to the European Battery Alliance. He added that the IBA is not just an administrative structure, but an important state institution and an agent of key economic policies in Bulgaria.
The Alliance brings together over 800 industrial and innovation partners across the supply chain, Bogdanov said, explaining that Bulgaria aims to improve its competitiveness in this sector, but also Europe’s as a whole.
“The automotive industry in Bulgaria is one of the fastest growing as 90% of the cars in Europe use critical components, sensors manufactured in Bulgaria, but the potential of the Bulgarian automotive industry is yet to emerge. We foresee that the main focus will be electric vehicle technologies, including batteries, inverters, power electronics, power supplies,” Bogdanov said.
He added that as part of this partnership, training and retraining centres for experts will be set up in Bulgaria to cater for the fast-growing battery industry in this country. To accelerate technology transfer, work will also be done with leading Bulgarian universities, innovation institutes, industry associations and partners.
European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel said that the signing of the agreement is an extremely important step because it will strengthen Bulgaria’s role and participation in the Alliance. In her words, Bulgaria’s accession means 440 new actors in the field of innovation.
BTA/GNA