Balgarianovinite.com Bulgaria is expected to post economic growth of over 3% in 2025, one of the highest rates in Europe, but this is still not sufficient, outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth Tomislav Donchev told Bulgarian National Radio on Sunday. According to him, in the medium and long term, the main factor for the competitiveness of Bulgaria’s economy will be the quality of its human capital.
“Politicians talk their usual political clichés – sometimes about tourism, sometimes about agriculture – but no one talks about the needs of Bulgarian industry, which is a significant part of the economy, accounting for nearly 28% of GDP,” Donchev said. He identified business infrastructure as a key factor, including the creation of new industrial zones, noting that when an industrial zone is ready, investments materialize much faster. He also stressed the importance of how the state intervenes in these processes, warning that public funding should not crowd out private investment.
The outgoing Deputy PM underlined that Bulgaria is strong in the field of artificial intelligence, pointing out that the country has its own sovereign AI model, something few states can claim.
Commenting on criticism that the government has not done enough to protect the 1.5 million Bulgarians living below or near the poverty line, Donchev acknowledged that although social payments have increased over the past four to five years, they remain insufficient. He stressed that any additional social payments for specific groups must be accompanied by a clear answer on where the funding will come from – whether through higher taxes or cuts in other policy areas.
Regarding the upcoming election campaign, Donchev said he intends once again to develop his arguments about the need for economic transformation in Bulgaria, which includes efforts and measures to achieve much higher value added from the economy.
He disputed claims of a sharp drop in investment, arguing that in 2025 alone BGN 12 billion were invested from the state budget, with a similar amount coming from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and EU programmes. “From the perspective of public investment, these are record levels,” Donchev said. He added that foreign direct investment in 2025 will exceed that of the previous year, with exact figures expected in mid-year.
Turning to the upcoming snap elections, Donchev said that “there is nothing wrong with political disagreement, but it is wrong to argue over election technology just before elections”. According to him, endless disputes undermine trust in the electoral process as a whole. He expressed the view that the declining voter turnout is due not only to frustration with political rhetoric, but also to eroded confidence in election technology.
Donchev also said it was difficult for him to comment on the political intentions of former president Rumen Radev (2017–2026) due to a lack of specific proposals. Bulgaria’s 2025 Economic Growth Exceeds 3%, but Structural Reforms Are Needed 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-02-01 13:21:23 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law