07 Мар 2025
"It is very important for us to meet with business representatives from various key sectors in the region, to provide information about the services that the municipality offers and to hear the problems that we can solve together." This is how the Deputy Mayor for Transport, Ecology, Investments and Green Transition Radostin Tanev defined the goal of the series of meetings with businesses, which began at the end of 2024. The first meeting this year was with restaurateurs and hoteliers.
"Invest Stara Zagora can also be an active partner in submitting information for the next programming period," added Rositsa Raykova, Head of the Investments, Energy Efficiency and Green Transition Department.
"Currently, options for a new zoning of the country are for public discussion. The division of certain regions is not only important for statistics, but also for access to European funds. The percentage of EU funding under the various programs depends on the economic and demographic indicators of each region,” explained Raykova. This is also an issue that the municipality team wants to discuss with the business community, as became clear during the conversation.
At the invitation of Deputy Mayor Tanev, the Regional Information Center and the Labor Bureau – Stara Zagora participated in the meeting.
The Manager of the Regional Information Center (RIC) – Stara Zagora Radka Tileva presented the opportunities for applying for projects funded by the EU for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
She presented in detail the PROCEDURE “DIVERSIFICATION AND ADAPTATION OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES TO THE ECONOMIC TRANSITION”. Emphasis was also placed on training and employment opportunities.
In the discussion, Radka Tileva emphasized that the funding concerns the service sector, with eligible projects being those for the restaurant industry, but not for the hotel industry. An important clarification that Tileva made is that previously purchased equipment and machines will not be financed. An allowable preliminary expense could be, for example, the design cost.
She committed the OIC to provide free consultation and guidance in the preparation of documentation to any entrepreneur who needs support when applying.
Representatives from the hotel and restaurant sector identified the lack of labor as their main problem. The head of the "Intermediary Services" department at the Labor Bureau in Stara Zagora, Lyuben Georgiev, introduced the audience to detailed proposals for the Youth Employment Program.
He drew special attention to the fact that under this program there is an opportunity to stimulate mentors and trainers.
To help businesses, the Vibejobs platform was presented again - a portal for searching and offering jobs. The service is for all micro, small and medium-sized enterprises on the territory of the municipality. This is an opportunity to apply for registration and receive a package of job advertisements on the platform, which they can publish completely free of charge until September 18, 2025, and the user receives each suitable advertisement on their phone.
In conclusion, he drew attention to several upcoming events. WorkIn Stara Zagora – April 11-12, ZagoraDev and Digital4StaraZagora in November, and three more industry meetings with businesses are due by the end of this month.
