The participation of the Czech Republic in the Plovdiv Fair illustrates the growing interest of Czech companies in the Bulgarian market

H.E. Mr. Petr Dokladal, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic

Your Excellency, what is the special participation of the Czech Republic in the Autumn Technical Fair in Plovdiv? Which major industry branches do you present?
We believe that the official participation of the Czech Republic as a partner-country in the 60th edition of the Plovdiv International Technical Fair is a logical step ahead and illustrates the growing interest of Czech companies in the Bulgarian market. The number of our exhibitors is growing every year and thanks to this the Czech exposition has been traditionally among the main partners at the fair. The aim of this year’s partnership was to boost the Czech interest in further development of the relations, besides companies to present some typical elements of our country and culture, and finally to make evident the Czech presence in Bulgaria. By a happy chance, the idea of the partnership in the frames of the Fair coincided with the biggest Czech investment not only in Bulgaria but also in the world – the privatization of the electric distribution companies in Northwest Bulgaria by the C¤EZ Company.

Speaking of concrete fields, the main sectors presented at the fair were energy, machine building, transport, ecology and infrastructure.

What are the economic cooperation perspectives between our countries? Is Bulgaria attractive for Czech investments?
The cooperation perspectives between our countries are still unused, which is proved by the upward trend in the last years. Our aim is to gradually turn the current intensive contacts at high political level into concrete relations and projects at regional and company level. Our investors think of Bulgaria as of a potentially unexploited and unoccupied market. And with the progress of the EU negotiations Bulgaria is becoming a politically and economically suitable country. And this is a basic condition related to investors’ calculations.

I hope that with the successful privatisation of the electric distribution companies the C¤EZ has not exhausted its investment capacity and interest in the Bulgarian energy sector. There is an opportunity for privatisation of electric power resources production, which would lead to some interesting economic results. Even without the C¤EZ investment, the energy sector remains the main area of Czech interest but it is not the only one. You will find Czech investments in manufacturing companies (for example, the production of heating radiators in the company Korado, Strazhitsa), in tourism (hotels in Sofia and Primorsko), in the trade and services. But I would be very glad if the C¤EZ investments would induce other Czech investors to come to Bulgaria.

How can we attract Czech producers?
First of all, with the free space on the market, the stable economical and political situation, the qualified personnel (often speaking Czech language) and the reasonable distance to the Czech Republic. There are sometimes bureaucracy-related problems, it is hard to find terrain for the construction of new buildings, the necessary infrastructure is not there.

What can Bulgaria take from the Czech experience in fast restructuring?
I believe Bulgaria can now learn most from consultations and exchange of experience from the pre-accession period and the full membership of the Czech Republic in the European Union. The experience and procedures during the transition period from a planned to a market economy are generally very similar in all countries of the ex-Soviet block. But the local specifics of each country should be taken into consideration and the foreign experience should be used carefully.

What did the Czech participation in the Plovdiv Fair comprise?
Along with the standard presentation of the participating exhibitors, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic organized a cultural-commercial programme for the visitors of Hall 7 at the Plovdiv Fair. The folklore ensemble “Javornik” performed traditional Czech and Moravian melodies; models presented “Jablonex” jewellery and the designers’ fashion ideas. During the fair movies of the famous director Jiri Mentzel were shown and the visitors could see the latest model of S¤koda Octavia to be sold in Bulgaria.

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