Why many UK and international companies have selected Bulgaria as an outsourcing and R&D destination and what Bulgaria can offer for the business? The potential of the country, insights on the IT and BPO sectors including case studies and the opportunities for investment in high value-added sectors were presented yesterday at the first edition of the Bulgarian Investment Forum in London, held on at the London Hilton on Park Lane Hotel. The forum opened with a presentation from the Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Traicho Traikov.
Bulgaria has established itself as a leading global destination. The main advantages presented are:
• Skilled, multilingual labor force. Bulgarian IT and BPO centres provide services in up to 30 different languages.
• Political and economic stability. Bulgaria has a balanced budget and government debt is at 16% of GDP, a rare exception in the EU.
• Competitive cost of doing business. Bulgaria has a flat tax rate of 10% and some of the lowest costs of doing business in the region.
• Investment incentives. Specialized incentives for the IT and BPO sector are under consideration.
• Attractive lifestyle and cost of living. Ski, golf, beaches, spa resorts, and wineries within a few hours drive from Sofia.
Furthermore, as one of the participants – Mr. Xavier Marcenac, Executive Director of CallPoint New Europe added, ‘Bulgaria is attractive for boutique projects. This means that the call centers are able to offer a specific know-how and specialization in certain industries, services or languages. According to each project’s special characteristics this enables us to offer the optimal mix of resources. This certainly leads to a high quality of services provided and transformation solutions offered.’
