Companies, investors, and consultants discussed the preparation of SMEs for investments.

Companies from various sectors, including furniture, construction, ICT, hospitality, transport, energy, and finance, participated in the B2B event "Investments that Matter: More Flexible and Innovative Enterprises in Bulgaria."

The event was organized by the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and aimed to bring together business representatives, investors, and financing consultants in one place.

The main objective of the event was to prepare small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for investments in the context of the "green" transition and access to financing.

The transition to sustainability is one of the priorities of the Fund of Funds, and for the current programming period 2021-2027, the fund's resources have been nearly doubled. Pavel Lisev, former director of the FNF, emphasized this aspect and presented the future financial instruments dedicated to sustainability. These instruments will stimulate innovation, digitalization, and the implementation of Industry 4.0 concepts in businesses, entrepreneurship, and the circular economy.

Eleonora Ivanova, former executive director of BRCC, presented the benefits of the STAGE program, a European initiative that actively supports companies in their ecological transition. The program contributes to the creation of a European ecosystem that connects companies, consultants, and investors with the common goal of supporting investments in sustainable European businesses.

ProCredit Bank, the main partner of the event, presented to the audience the main financing instruments for high-potential companies in Bulgaria.

Participants also had the opportunity to learn about best practices from Rositsa Chopeva, a financing and sustainability consultant in business and part of the STAGE expert network, and from a representative of a Bulgarian company that received one of the first grants approved under this European program.