Business ·
Poulev in Sliven: over EUR 120m in Fund of Funds money for south-east Bulgaria
No new plants were announced over the weekend. Deputy PM Poulev pointed to over EUR 120m from the Fund of Funds in Sliven. Catch-up: Aurubis's Pirdop expansion becomes an EU strategic project.
Total of projects with stated value167.7EUR m
New entries since 10 Oct morning (incl. catch-ups)2
Industrial output Aug 2026, year on year−5.4% −5.40 %
New jobs (stated)530
On Saturday (10 October) Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Alexander Poulev spoke at the Sliven Future Forum 2026. He said over EUR 120m from the Fund of Funds is earmarked for regional development in southern Bulgaria – for energy efficiency, transport and energy links and infrastructure. Small and medium-sized firms can also benefit. The Fund of Funds is a state body that channels EU money as loans and equity. This is a funding pool, not a single project: no companies, project amounts or jobs were named.
Catch-up from 9 October: the European Commission gave strategic-project status for critical raw materials to Aurubis Bulgaria's copper tankhouse expansion near Pirdop (Sofia province). This is meant to speed up permits. The EUR 120m investment was already announced in 2023; annual cathode copper output is to rise from 230,000 to 340,000 tonnes. We found no new plant openings or job cuts with specific figures over the weekend.
The latest data remain the statistics office NSI's figures of 9 October: industrial output in August was 5.4% below a year earlier and 0.7% above July.
The table has been trimmed: entries older than about four weeks (ZS Europe and Advanced Medical Care of 8 Sep, Bosch Sofia, Viking near Plovdiv) were removed. The total of projects with a stated value is therefore EUR 167.7m (previously 192.2), and stated new jobs 530 (previously 565). The Aurubis investment and the funding pool are not counted.
| Region | Company / project | Sector | Amount (EUR m) | Jobs (− = cuts) | Status / date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sliven / south-east Bulgaria | Fund of Funds – over EUR 120m for regional development in southern Bulgaria (stated by Alexander Poulev at Sliven forum) | Funding / infrastructure, SMEs | – | – | NEW: 10 Oct 2026; funding pool, not a single project – not in total; no companies or jobs named |
| Sofia province (Pirdop) | Aurubis Bulgaria – copper tankhouse expansion, EU strategic project | Metallurgy / raw materials | – | – | ADDED: EU status 9 Oct 2026; EUR 120m investment already announced in 2023 (not in total); cathode copper from 230,000 to 340,000 t/year; no job figure |
| Stara Zagora (Kazanlak) | Arsenal AD – new automated nitrocellulose line (part of a programme of over EUR 300m) | Defence | – | – | opened 8 Oct 2026, reported 9 Oct; whole programme over EUR 300m (not in total – cost of the line not given); no job figure |
| Shumen (near Smyadovo) | Karash Invest – planned gunpowder plant, added to list of strategic sites | Defence | – | – | Council of Ministers decision of 7 Oct 2026; amount and jobs not stated |
| Plovdiv (Krumovo village) | Senora (NL4YOU) – production and trade base with showroom | Clothing / fashion | – | 50 | Reported 23 Sep 2026; nearly EUR 2m (approximate, not in total); construction from autumn 2026 |
| Burgas (Burgas Industrial Park, phase 2) | Park phase 2 (c. 60 ha): 8 investors, 2 already building | Industrial park / infrastructure | – | – | Reported 29 Sep 2026; infrastructure nearly EUR 20m (EU recovery plan); phase 1 has over 1,000 jobs |
| Burgas / Karlovo (Plovdiv province) | Rheinmetall – gunpowder and 155mm ammunition plants | Defence | – | – | Per Mediapool (5 Oct 2026) gunpowder plant moves to Burgas; per Valentin Radev unclear how far the ammunition plant near Karlovo will go ahead (c. 1,000 jobs expected there) |
| Sliven (industrial park) | Sugarland – warehouse and trade base (4,976 m² plot) | Food and drinks distribution | 0.7 | 10 | Reported 2 Oct 2026; construction to start within 12 months, completion within 36 |
| Nationwide | Textile, clothing and leather industry (BATOK) – firms cutting staff, closing | Textiles and clothing | – | – | Letter to PM and 8 ministers (2 Oct 2026), reported again 5 Oct 2026; no specific figures |
| Veliko Tarnovo (Lyaskovets) | Armako Industries – production expansion | Metal and plastic parts | 50.0 | – | Planned, announced 2 Oct 2026 (over EUR 50m) |
| Dobrich | Magic Flame – Klas Olio: sunflower oil and meal plant | Food processing | 20.0 | 60 | Opened 25 Sep 2026; 60 jobs (other report: 100) |
| Ruse | Bulmarket Group – LVZ industrial park (over EUR 60m; over 210 staff) | Rail equipment | 60.0 | 210 | Opened 1 Oct 2026 |
| Kardzhali | VESS Modules – solar module plant (1 GW/year) | Solar manufacturing | 15.0 | 200 | Opened 1 Oct 2026; c. 300 jobs at full capacity |
| Sofia | Healthy Bars – new protein-bar plant | Food | 22.0 | – | Under construction, completion in coming months (18 Sep 2026) |
| Tenevo (Yambol province) | Renalfa IPP & Eurowind – 242 MWp solar + 311 MW battery storage | Energy | – | – | Commissioned 30 Sep 2026 |
| Indicator | vs prior month (%, seasonally adj.) | vs year earlier (%, calendar adj.) | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial production, August 2026 | +0.7 % | −5.4 % | 9 Oct 2026 |
| – manufacturing, August 2026 | +0.8 % | −6.1 % | 9 Oct 2026 |
| – energy (power, heat, gas), August 2026 | +10.7 % | +42.4 % | 9 Oct 2026 |
| – mining and quarrying, August 2026 | −19.7 % | −54.1 % | 9 Oct 2026 |
| Industrial production, July 2026 | −3.0 % | −6.8 % | 9 Oct 2026 (per BTA) |
| Construction output, August 2026 | +0.8 % | +4.2 % | 9 Oct 2026 |
| Retail sales, August 2026 (comparable prices) | +0.3 % | +5.9 % | 7 Oct 2026 |
| Region | Registered, August 2026 (Employment Agency) | Labour Force Survey 2025 (NSI) |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 5.47 | 3.5 |
| Stara Zagora | 4.93 | – |
| Dobrich | 4.20 | – |
| Veliko Tarnovo (labour office area) | 4.00 | – |
For information only, not investment advice. Prices as of the time stated, not real-time quotes.
Sources
- 24 Chasa – Pulew: über 120 Mio. Euro aus dem Fonds der Fonds für Südostbulgarien (10.10.2026, 15:41)
- Standart – Sliwen: Mittlerer Korridor, 120 Mio. Euro, Forum mit Pulew (10.10.2026, 17:35)
- Economic.bg – Kupfer aus Pirdop in EU-Rohstoffplänen, 120 Mio. Euro, 230.000→340.000 t (9.10.2026, 16:45)
- Club Z – Pirdop-Projekt erhält EU-Strategiestatus (9.10.2026, 11:22)
- BTA – New Nitrocellulose Plant at Arsenal (9.10.2026, 10:45)
- 24 Chasa – Pulew eröffnet Nitrozellulose-Anlage bei Arsenal (9.10.2026)
- News.bg – Neue Nitrozellulose-Anlage bei Arsenal (9.10.2026)
- Dir.bg – Arsenal investiert über 300 Mio. Euro (9.10.2026)
- novini247 – Pulew bei Arsenal, Eröffnung „gestern“ (9.10.2026)
- Standart – Über 300 Mio. Investitionen bei Arsenal (9.10.2026)
- ShumenOnline – Karash Invest in Liste strategischer Objekte (7.10.2026)
- Novinite – Gunpowder plant near Smyadovo approved (8.10.2026)
- BTA – Industrieproduktion August 2026: −5,4 % J/J, +0,7 % M/M (9.10.2026, 11:21)
- BTA – Bauproduktion August 2026: +4,2 % J/J (9.10.2026, 11:33)
- Investor.bg – Industrieproduktion August (9.10.2026)
- NSI – Pressemitteilungen: Einzelhandelsumsatz August 2026 +0,3 % zum Vormonat (7.10.2026)
- BTA – Einzelhandelsumsatz August 2026: +0,3 % M/M, +5,9 % J/J (NSI, 7.10.2026, 11:21)
- Plovdiv24 – Senora/NL4YOU: knapp 2 Mio. Euro, mind. 50 Stellen, Krumowo (23.9.2026)
- Focus – Industriepark Burgas: über 1000 Stellen, Phase 2 mit 8 Investoren (29.9.2026)
- Investor.bg – Automotive und Rüstung setzen am stärksten auf Roboter (7.10.2026)
- Mediapool – Fragen um das Rheinmetall-Werk; Munitionswerk bleibt bei Karlowo (5.10.2026)
- Plovdiv24 – Textilbranche: Firmen bauen ab und schließen (5.10.2026)
- Focus – BATOK-Brief an Premier und 8 Minister (2.10.2026)
- Blitz – Näherei-Firmen bauen ab und schließen (3.10.2026)
- Standart – Sugarland, Industriepark Sliwen, 700.000 Euro (2.10.2026)
- BTA – Pulew: Rheinmetall-Werk binnen 30 Monaten (4.10.2026)
- BTA – Registrierte Arbeitslosigkeit August 2026: 5,47 % (17.9.2026)
- BTA – Weliko Tarnowo: Arbeitslosigkeit August 4 % (16.9.2026)
- KarlovoPress – Pulew: Rheinmetall-Werk binnen 30 Monaten (5.10.2026)
- Focus – Pulew: neues Gelände bei Burgas für Rheinmetall (2.10.2026)
- Burgasnews – Pulverwerk Rheinmetall bei Burgas (4.10.2026)
- Mediapool – Kabinett verlegt Rheinmetall-Werk nach Burgas (2.10.2026)
- Standart – Armako Industries Ljaskowez (3.10.2026)
- Economic.bg – Direktinvestitionen Jan.–Juli 2026: 3,45 Mrd. Euro, BNB (18.9.2026)
- Standart – VESS Modules Kardschali, ca. 200 Stellen (2.10.2026)
- Standart – Bulmarket LVZ Russe (2.10.2026)
- Fakti.bg – Armako Industries, über 50 Mio. Euro (2.10.2026)
- RegNews – Pulew bei Armako in Ljaskowez (2.10.2026)
- Standart – Programm für Industriezonen im Haushalt 2027 (2.10.2026)
- DBR – Armako Ljaskowez (3.10.2026)
- 24 Chasa – Werk Magic Flame – Klas Olio, Dobritsch (25.9.2026)
- Novinite – Dobrich plant, 60 jobs (26.9.2026)
- BTA – Bulmarket LVZ Ruse (1.10.2026)
- Money.bg – VESS Modules Kardzhali (1.10.2026)
- SeeNews – Healthy Bars (18.9.2026)
- SeeNews – Renalfa/Eurowind Tenevo (30.9.2026)
- BTA – Rheinmetall project (2.10.2026)
- BTA – Stara Zagora unemployment August 2026
- BTA – Dobrich unemployment August 2026
- NSI – Arbeitskräfteerhebung 2025 (Bulgarien, 3,5 %)
- BTA – Bulgarien in der Eurozone (Eurostat August)
- novini247 – Direktinvestitionen Jan.–Juli 2026 (3,448 Mrd., davon 2,622 Mrd. reinvestiert; BNB vorläufig)
