About Project

information bridge

The project aims to achieve high cross border impact between the regional business community in Sofia, Pernik and Montana regions and the special economic zone (SEZ) in Pirot with focus on assisting the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating within this area.

A network of Business Support Initiatives (BSIs) will be created and its operation supported by NABCC, on the Bulgarian side and RDA South, on the Serbian side. Services to be provided by the BSIs will include information about the legal, regulatory and administrative framework of the Free zone Pirot, along with marketing and strategic planning support for its mid-term goals, and information about the investment climate, EU regulations and financial opportunities in Bulgaria.

The BSI will also include technological support by the construction of information portals, production of promotional materials and business forums for displaying the advantages of the aforementioned regions.

The project actively promotes the competitiveness of SMEs and assists the regional development and mutual integration of the communities of both sides of the border.

The project provides an in depth information about the investment opportunities, regulatory and legal framework of the Free Economic Zone (FEZ) in Pirot to Bulgarian SMEs on cross border regions between Bulgaria and Serbia.

At the same time, the project aims to explore the competitiveness of SMEs on both side of the border with focus on entering new markets, use of human capital, finance mechanisms, strategic planning and development. More specifically, business leaders will share their experience in working within the EU regulations and markets, and the special opportunities of operating a business or retail operations within the FEZ Pirot will be presented.

Download pdf documents:

MBL - Analysis of the competitiveness of Bulgarian SMEs in the cross-border regions — market penetration, barriers to entry