Prof. Dr. Tzolo Voutov: “Bulgaria is among the leading countries in the European mineral raw materials industry”
“Bulgaria is among the leading countries in the European mineral raw materials industry. We have been a member of numerous prominent sectoral organizations, such as the World Mining Congress since 1965, EUROMINES since 1991, EURACOAL since 2003, etc. We initiated the establishment of Balkanmine Association in 2004 and the Balkan Academy of Mining Sciences in 2013,” said Prof. Dr. Tzolo Voutov, Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Union of Mining, Geology and Metallurgy during the national celebration of Miner’s Day – 18 August 2017.
In a report on the current state of Bulgaria’s mining industry in 2016, he laid special emphasis on the challenges facing the Bulgarian mineral raw materials industry and its advantages. “Among the positive trends I will point out that the mining enterprises in Bulgaria are characterized with relatively high productivity which is almost 2.5 times higher than the average industry output,” added Prof. Voutov. The high productivity of the sector is due to significant investments in tangible fixed assets, as stated in the research report “Assessment of the Macroeconomic Impact of the Mineral Raw Materials Industry in Bulgaria” prepared by Bauersachs Foundation with the support and cooperation of Industry Watch Bulgaria in 2017. Between 2010 – 2014, the enterprises operating in the mining sector invested more than BGN 1 billion in new modern machinery and equipment according to Eurostat. “A number of companies in the mineral raw materials industry have gone a long way towards technological modernization and have made serious investments which have significantly increased their production efficiency and have improved the environmental parameters and occupational health and safety conditions. Their achievements and sustainable development in accordance with the best practices should serve as an example and be thoroughly supported. These companies, which are the industry driving force, make continuous investments in workplace safety and care for people in compliance with high professional standards, thus bringing forth good results,” stated Prof. Dr. Voutov. He also emphasized that the success of the mining industry is due to the effective collaboration with academic and scientific institutions, the synergy of mining science and practice.
According to Prof. Dr. Sc. Nikolay Valkanov, Chairman of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Chamber of Mining and Geology, the extractive sector is one of the most important pillars of the social economy and socio-economic prosperity of the regions. “This is why we rely on public understanding and strong support from the government in order to provide favorable conditions for sustainable development of this sector. A country that does not develop its own natural resources has little chance of a strong industry,” said Prof. Valkanov.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov congratulated everyone working in the mining sector on the occasion of Miner’s Day. Greetings were also conveyed in a solemn assembly hall by the Minister of Labor and Social Policy Biser Petkov, the Deputy Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov, the President’s Secretary Galab Donev, the Rector of the University of Mining and Geology Prof. Lyuben Totev, the President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) Plamen Dimitrov and other official guests.
