The President of the BCCI hosted a meeting with Svetlana Stoycheva – Etropolska, the new Ambassador of Bulgaria to Sweden. Drawing on her previous experience with various diplomatic missions abroad and her new appointment, Ambassador Etropolska commented on the goals of her mandate. The goals target strengthening of bilateral ties in many spheres, including at economic, cultural and diplomatic levels. In 2024 Bulgaria and Sweden will be celebrating 110 years of diplomatic relationship and management of the event is already underway.
Opportunities to expand bilateral economic cooperation were the focus of the talks. Trade with Sweden is very diverse. Bulgaria exports mainly electrical equipment, sunflower seeds, processing, furniture, electrotechnical and sewing industries, and imports include telephone and video communication devices, spare parts, transport equipment, papers, agricultural machinery, etc. In 2022 bilateral trade amounted to EUR 668.4 million.
Capital from Sweden has been invested in the telecommunications, electronics and electrical engineering, machinery and equipment, vehicles, trade sectors, etc. The Swedish companies appreciated the business and investment conditions in Bulgaria and, considering consolidating and the expanding of their presence, focused on energy, transport, construction of waste water facilities, environmental protection, healthcare and the IT sector, as well as electronics, machinery and equipment.