Nikolay Denkov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria, participated in the IDEI Global Women Leaders Forum 2023 yesterday.
During the forum, he emphasized that higher competitiveness and more significant progress in the amount of trillions of euros would benefit the European economy if women had equal representation in entrepreneurship, high technology and engineering disciplines.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of women’s participation in science, business and leadership. According to the National Statistical Institute, the share of women entrepreneurs in Bulgaria is 30%, which is above the European average.
In high technology, Bulgaria is also significantly above the European standard on this indicator – 41%. “There is something to be proud of, but there is much more to do,” the prime minister said.
Acad. Denkov also gave examples from his personal story indicative of the progress our country has made over the years in terms of the participation of more women in science.
So, for example, in the Department of Engineering Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering at Sofia University, where an acad. Denkov teaches there are already three times as many women – doctorates, associates and students.
“We believe in you; we count on you. And we know that you are often the better half of humanity,” the Prime Minister addressed women leaders at yesterday’s forum.
Additionally, he wanted to expand business opportunities. During a meeting with representatives of 15 of the largest US companies, PM Denkov mentioned that Bulgaria is a gateway to Europe due to its geographical location and border with Turkey, and together with the excellent education that provides the training of talents and experts, it offers many investment opportunities.
Ambassador of the United States of America (USA) to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten and Chairman of the American-Central European Business Association Eric Stewart also participated.
Bulgaria is vital in many areas, including electronics, information technology, robotics, medicine, the automotive industry, and the defence industry. PM Denkov expressed that Bulgaria needs big investors because the country wants to develop a modern European high-tech industry.