President meets with European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation

Innovation, research and technology are at the heart of the policy to develop a competitive European economy. This is what President Rumen Radev said at a meeting today with European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva.

The President congratulated the Commissioner on her election to the responsible post and noted the key importance of her portfolio for the EU. The Head of State pointed out that globally Europe has been seriously lagging behind in innovation in recent years and needs to catch up. A big challenge is the fragmented European space in science and innovation, Rumen Radev pointed out, adding the need to look for a way to unite it without eliminating internal competition.  

The priorities of the Bulgarian Commissioner were discussed and the challenges Europe faces in this area were highlighted. Emphasis was placed on startups and the necessity for greater flexibility in terms of programmes and regulations, stimulating the private sector to invest in innovation and science, as well as retaining and attracting talented scientists to the EU.

The two concurred that links between educational institutions and business need to be consolidated to accelerate innovation, and that the scientific and technical infrastructure related to research and practical testing must be improved and expanded. Radev highlighted as a prerequisite for the development of innovations in this country a sustainable and competitive economy and the development of quality education.

During the meeting, the importance of the Horizon Europe programme was underlined as an important instrument for the development of science, in which a number of EU partners are also interested. The prospect of establishing an International Institute for Sustainable Technologies with technology from CERN in the country was also debated, which would create qualitatively new conditions for research in various fields of science.