site.btaDeputy Prime Minister Donchev: Industry Least Visible Part of Bulgarian Economy, Making Vocational Education Unattractive

Vocational education is not attractive, as neither children nor parents suspect that there is a Bulgarian industry. It is the least visible part of the Bulgarian economy, Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev said here Friday, where he participated in a discussion on the development of Southern Bulgaria, organized by the 24 Chasa daily newspaper.

"Since the beginning of 2025, we have managed to invest BGN 4 billion in the Bulgarian economy, with most of those funds coming from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. A total of 55% of the investments and 79% of the jobs created are in the high-tech sector," the Deputy Prime Minister pointed out. He stressed that education is becoming a key criterion for the competitiveness of the economy. "We can think for a long time about the quantity and quality of Bulgarian engineers, technologists, chemists, mathematicians - all professions that we desperately need. But the conversation must begin with a dialogue about vocational education. Because no industry can function without qualified workers," Donchev stated.

Donchev added that the general task has been set for the Bulgarian industry to be more visible, since this is a matter not only of self-confidence, but also of professional orientation. He noted that the Bulgarian economy is fully integrated into the European market and it is a fact that Bulgarian producers have fought their way through, become competitive and have won market positions.

"At the beginning of Bulgaria's membership in the European Union, the GDP per capita compared to the European average was 31%, and today it is 66%. The GDP since the beginning of membership in nominal terms has increased fourfold", he concluded, adding that even by deducting inflation it has increased by two and a half times. He noted that one of the realistic goals that have been set is for GDP per capita to increase to 75% or 80% percent within the next 5 years.

It is necessary to talk about a reform in statistics as well, he stressed, pointing out that when the government started working on the so-called social climate plan, from which Bulgaria will have access to EUR 9.5 billion from the beginning of 2026, they found that there is no data with regard to the topic of transport poverty in the country.