4.45 Burgas 2023, Инвестиционен анализ

The Municipality of Burgas offers a very favourable environment for doing business, for looking for investments, including for the creation of innovative startups.

The institutions of local government and local self-government have an equal contribution to the creation of conditions for the development of the city. The municipal council takes first place in the ranking of the municipal councils included in the study. The municipal council and its standing committees have set a benchmark for transparency and accountability in work, which is a prerequisite for applying business consultation mechanisms when discussing amendments to regulations and policies for municipal development. The municipal council has adopted a regulatory framework for the promotion of investments and decisions for the development of industrial zones. The mayor and his team make adequate efforts to attract investments and additional funds for the development of the municipality; have implemented the solutions for the creation of industrial zones, and at the current stage, through the Industrial and Business Park “Burgas”, Industrial Zone “North”, Industrial Zone “South”, “Ravnets” Zone have been created; a Business Incubator also functions.

Certain deficits in the work of the local executive authority are found in the exercise of control over service providers and contractors of contracts under municipal projects.

The website of the municipality provides a significant amount of information about business, which is well structured and adequate in its content. In the “Business” section, basic information about regulations and services for business is published; a link has been created to information about “Support for Burgas business”, “Business Incubator Burgas”, “Careers in the IT sector”. A link to a specialiсed site for investments and start-up businesses “The Investment Portal” has also been created. The portal has been developed in Bulgarian and English, providing information on conditions for business, including innovative startups, free office spaces, industrial zones, documents and useful links, business map of Burgas.

Municipal administration ranks first in the sector ranking of the overall study of the Local System Integrity Index. It makes a significant contribution to maintaining an adequate level of publicity and accountability regarding the work of individual institutions and structural units, including those engaged in attracting investments and supporting innovative startups. The administration has an excellent capacity to provide administrative services for businesses; ensures timely and adequate public access to existing registers, draft documents and decisions. This circumstance, in turn, serves as a positive prerequisite for the participation of citizens and businesses in the consultative process of their discussion.

Local businesses have favourable conditions for carrying out their activities, and according to business representatives, these conditions favour larger companies. Most of the local business organisations show a fluid approach to the opportunities to participate in a consultative process when discussing changes in the regulatory framework and regarding decisions of the authorities. Their practice also includes informal dispute resolution mechanisms.

Some of the structures of civil society (media and civil organisations) make an important contribution to the implementation of public control over institutions at the local level. In this regard, the contribution of environmental organisations should be noted. To a certain extent, this contributes favourably to the creation of an environment for attracting investment and for competition between economic entities.