26.09.2013

Minister of Finance Petar Chobanov has met with an EIB delegation headed by the Director for South-East Europe Mr. Luca Lazzaroli. The priorities of future cooperation with the Bank in the context of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 and the Europe 2020 Strategy were discussed during the meeting. Mr. Petar Chobanov and Mr. Luca Lazzaroli also considered the possibilities for expansion of the partnership between EIB and the Bulgarian Development Bank to implement different schemes providing easier access of SMEs to financing. Both sides agreed that supporting SMEs should be the focus of joint activities of the Bulgarian bank and the European financial institution. The issues related to supporting agriculture and implementing EIB-funded projects in Bulgaria to enhance competition and productivity and contribute to economic growth and employment were also part of the discussion.

The European Investment Bank supports Bulgaria in the construction of important infrastructure projects in the energy, transport, environmental and water sector. The Bank has so far invested around EUR 3.3 billion in Bulgaria. EIB also assists in the absorption of the Structural and Cohesion Funds by providing resources for the national co-financing of projects included in the operational programmes.