Entrepreneurial projects in Pernik are on the fast track

Pernik is a good city for entrepreneurial initiatives. When it comes to investments, things are being fast-tracked in the local administration. We are interested in attracting investors with high added value, but we also continue to work with existing ones."

This was stated by Stefan Krastev, Deputy Mayor of Pernik, who took part in the seminar "Opportunities for Entrepreneurship in Pernik", organized by Brand Media Bulgaria within the framework of the EU-funded project TOP JOBS in partnership with the Municipality of Pernik.

According to the deputy mayor, the municipality is making efforts to continue the upward, positive trend. The city has adopted a municipal ordinance to encourage Class B investments, which means they amount to over 125 thousand euros each. Krastev shared examples of investor interest in his city, commenting that two such projects are already in the process of certification, and a decision by the Regional Inspectorate for Environment, Water and Environment is expected. In addition, he recalled other investments that have already been made in the fields of production of electronic system elements, silicone products, the food industry and others.

Yesterday, plans were submitted for the expansion of another plant with over 14 thousand square meters of production area. This is proof that the city is alive.”

One of the factors that makes Pernik interesting for entrepreneurs is that it has preserved its infrastructure, has vocational high schools that train specialists in various fields, and in addition, the city does not suffer from depopulation like other regions in the country. Due to its proximity to the Bulgarian capital Sofia, many people have found work there, but many are also already tired of daily commutes and would prefer to look for work in Pernik.

Pernik has a great resource that can be harnessed."

According to the deputy mayor, assistance from European instruments for the development of entrepreneurship in the city is of great importance. However, Krastev noted as a problem the current NUTS zoning of Bulgaria, which bundles Pernik in one region with Sofia. As a result, the capital city distorts the economic indicators of the region and Pernik cannot sufficiently benefit from European funding the way, for instance, Stara Zagora can. In this context, he said that he expects to see how much enthusiasm a recently launched government measure to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises will generate.

Because of this injustice, the intensity of financial aid here will be lower. This is a serious injustice, but we have been active enough to remove it in the next programming period."

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Managing Authority. Neither the European Union nor the Managing Authority can be held responsible for them.

Translated by Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov