Bulgaria’s exports to the UK have grown steadily over the past few years, exceeding € 650 million in 2017. This is almost double the year-over-2007 and more than three times the year before our accession to the EU. This was made clear during a meeting of Deputy Economy Minister Alexander Manolev with Greg Hands, Deputy Minister of the Economy of Great Britain.

Bulgaria and the United Kingdom will exchange good practices and experience between their services in trade and economic affairs, was agreed during the conversation. The details of this interaction are about to be specified, but the UK supports the proposal in principle. This will help us to better understand the Bulgarian market, especially as not a small number of British companies operate on it, said Greg Hands.

They also discussed the potential for increased bilateral trade and the expected impact of the UK’s exit from the European Union. “Britain has always been an important partner and I hope not only to maintain good economic relations but also to work on building them,” the Bulgarian Deputy Minister said. According to him, more and more companies in Bulgaria are successfully exporting to the island state.

Greg Hands stressed that the UK would continue to be economically connected with Bulgaria and Europe. He expressed his willingness to participate in common events and initiatives in sectors of mutual interest. They also discussed the expected impact on the European economy of US trade policy.

Deputy Minister Manolev congratulated them on the results they achieved and discussed with them the difficulties they encountered. “Such meetings have a special charge because they show that Bulgarian entrepreneurs are successful even in the largest and most competitive markets,” he said. In his words, the main objective of the Ministry of Economy team is to keep in touch with these business representatives and to work towards creating a mechanism for mutual assistance of other Bulgarian companies that are planning to go out on the relevant market. “The Ministry of Economy and our Office of Trade and Economic Affairs are at your disposal to support you in the difficulties you face,” he said at the meeting.

Source: Ministry of Economy