Page contents Page contents How Bulgaria ranks within EU countriesTotal investmentMarch 2022Total financing under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) in Bulgaria amounted to €773 million and was set to trigger €4.7 billion in additional investmentsInfrastructure and innovation projects9 approved projects financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) with EFSI backingapproximately €364 million in total financingset to trigger €1.1 billion in total investmentSmall and medium enterprises (SMEs)20 approved agreements with intermediary banks financed by European Investment Fund (EIF) with EFSI backing€406 million in total financingset to trigger approximately €3.6 billion in investments with some 21,354 SMEs and mid-cap companies expected to benefit from improved access to financeExamples projects supported by the Investment Plan in BulgariaDigital transformation services: Software GroupAn €18 million loan is supporting Bulgarian tech company Software Group’s global expansion plans. Software Group helps financial service providers digitise their business. The company manages its clients’ digital transformation process, helping them become more efficient operationally. Software Group is using the financing boost to invest in innovation and increase its workforce.Grain port terminal: Agria GroupWith help from the EU, the Agria Group is building a new facility near the Port of Varna in the area of Beloslav in Bulgaria. A loan of €14 million is financing the construction of a building which will be used for the storage, handling and export of grain, vegetable oils and sunflower meals. The new facility will have a total annual throughput of 1 million tonnes of grain.Fashion start-up: Kloshar bagsKloshar Bags is a start-up fashion brand in Sofia, Bulgaria. After the company was founded the brand quickly gained interest via social media, and soon they wanted to expand, increasing the need for investment in materials and logistics. They received a loan from a microfinance institution, which is guaranteed by the European Investment Fund and the Juncker Plan. The loan allowed Kloshar Bags to launch their own online shop and expand the team, and they now export their bags to clients across the world, from the United States to South Korea.Agricultural machinery: KARADKarad is a small business which imports and sells agricultural machinery in Bulgaria. When they decided to expand, Karad secured a Juncker Plan-backed loan from Cibank in order to improve the company's facilities and import more machinery. Karad employs 11 staff.Full list of EFSI-backed projects approved by the EIB
