On the 2nd of December at 14:00 in the “Cherno More” hall of the “Cherno more” Hotel, the University of Economics-Varna, in partnership with the Regional Agency for Entrepreneurship and Innovations- Varna (RAPIV), presented the successful implementation of its activities as the national EIT Food Hub for Bulgaria for the period 2024-2025. The project is funded by EIT Food, supported by the European Union. The event brought together representatives of agribusiness, academia, and the entrepreneurial sector to discuss the key challenges facing the modern food system and the possible technological approaches to overcoming them.

The press conference was officially opened by Prof. Evgeni Stanimirov,PhD, Rector of the University of Economics- Varna. The project implementation results were presented by Prof. Bistra Vasileva, PhD, Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Staff Development at UE-Varna, Miroslava Ivanova, Head of the Project Management Office at UE- Varna, and Irina Kircheva from RAPIV. The event continued with a discussion featuring Georgi Iliev, Commercial Director at Traki Food Ltd.; Dobri Dobrev, Executive Director at DO BG Ltd.; and Chief Assistant Dr. Petyo Boshnakov, lecturer in the International Economic Relations Department at UE-Varna, owner and manager of Chateau Boshnakoff, and Chairman of the Black Sea Vine and Wine Chamber. The discussion addressed the following topics:

• administrative difficulties and delays in key processes that hinder business development;
• challenges arising from the insufficient preparation of middle-level public administration staff in relation to the sector’s new requirements;
• the shortage of qualified specialists who can contribute to solving existing problems rather than becoming part of them;
• unfair competition caused by unregulated imports, which puts compliant producers at a disadvantage;
• the potential of AI agents to help overcome these challenges—from process optimization to monitoring, analysis, and improvement of administrative interactions

Participants in the discussion agreed that cooperation within the business sector and technological solutions can have a significant positive impact through automation, increased traceability, enhanced data analysis, the implementation of intelligent management systems, and improved institutional coordination. At the same time, it was emphasized that the sustainable development of the sector requires competent professionals, a modernized administration, and a regulatory framework that encourages innovation rather than obstructing it.

03 дек 2025