Bosch Reaffirms Long-Term Commitment to Bulgaria During Talks with Economy Minister 2026

Balgarianovinite.com Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investment and Industry Alexander Poulev met with Dan Lazarescu, General Manager of Robert Bosch Ltd. and Bosch Group’s representative for Bulgaria, to discuss the company’s decision to gradually wind down operations at the Bosch Engineering Center Sofia, its impact on Bulgaria’s high-tech sector, and opportunities for future cooperation, the Economy Ministry said in a press release on Monday.
The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining an active dialogue and strengthening their longstanding partnership.
During the meeting, Lazarescu said on behalf of Bosch’s management that the company remained committed to Bulgaria over the long term and would continue developing its core business activities in the country.
He explained that the decision to close the engineering centre was driven by structural changes in the global automotive industry and the strategic reorganization of Bosch’s research and development operations. According to Lazarescu, the move followed an extensive evaluation process.
“We discussed the situation in Sofia very intensively over several months. We are currently implementing structural changes affecting a number of engineering centres across Europe,” he said.
Lazarescu stressed that Bosch would maintain a significant presence in Bulgaria through both its commercial operations and digital business activities. Around 300 highly qualified specialists employed by Bosch Digital will continue working in the country on advanced software development, cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) projects.
Bosch has operated in Bulgaria for more than 30 years and remains firmly committed to the country, the Ministry said. The company will continue serving both the Bulgarian market and regional customers across a range of business sectors.
Poulev assured the company’s leadership that the Bulgarian government would continue supporting German investors and the development of the country’s high-tech industries. “We want to assist you in every way we can. If we can support your current operations or provide incentives for future growth, we are ready to mobilize every available instrument to help German investors, including Bosch,” the Deputy PM said.
He also highlighted the government’s plans to accelerate the digital transformation of the public sector, adding that Bulgaria intended to rely on the expertise of leading technology companies. “The digitalization of Bulgaria’s public administration will accelerate, and we will count on the expertise of companies such as Bosch. I believe we have strong potential to build new partnerships in this field,” Poulev said.
He described the automotive industry as one of the Bulgarian economy’s most strategic sectors, emphasizing that engineering and R&D centres play a crucial role in maintaining the country’s competitiveness. “Bulgaria’s automotive sector is closely linked to the performance of the German automotive industry. We started almost from scratch in building expertise in this field. Today, the sector accounts for more than 10% of Bulgaria’s GDP, making it critically important to the country’s economy,” Poulev said.
He noted that nearly 40 research and development centres now operate in Bulgaria, underscoring the need for continued government support to preserve and expand high-value technological activities.
“We must ensure that this highly skilled workforce adapts to the new realities. Our goal is not only to preserve our ties with the German automotive industry but to deepen them,” he added.
During the meeting, Poulev also stressed the strategic importance of German investment for Bulgaria.
“We highly value our relationship with Germany. It is one of Bulgaria’s most important diplomatic and economic partners, our leading industrial partner and largest export market. For that reason, any developments affecting the German economy inevitably have repercussions for Bulgaria as well,” he said.
At end-June, Bosch announced that it would close its Engineering Center Sofia by mid-2027 as part of a broader restructuring plan. The move is expected to affect around 670 employees, with approximately 400 positions to be eliminated during 2026 and the remaining jobs to be phased out by the middle of 2027. Bosch Reaffirms Long-Term Commitment to Bulgaria During Talks with Economy Minister 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-13 17:11:54 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