“It should be made clear that in view of the forthcoming financial crisis the implementation of the large-scale infrastructure projects should kick off, Georgi Tabakov, chairman of the Bulgarian Economic Forum said at the presentation of the 10th Southeast Europe Economic Forum “Regional Impact of Global Economic Challenges”.

Investments in this field will help engage the entire labor force and equipment, as well as companies with vast experience.

„The problem in Bulgaria is that we are always talking in the future tense about the large-scale infrastructure projects – highways, other roads, water supply and sewerage projects, waste treatment depots etc. Funding has been allocated for these projects under the EU programs and the business wants to know how long will it take for the Bulgarian administration to unblock it, Tabakov added.

Georgi Tabakov is optimistic that within the framework of the event and the topic “Infrastructure, construction and real estate” the permanent optimism of the administration and the of the business will collide. The global financial trends in Southeast Europe will be discussed within the framework of the financial stage of the Southeast Europe Economic Forum.

Bulgarian finance minister Plamen Oresharski, Florian Fichtl, World Bank Country Manager for Bulgaria, and Ibrahim Turhan, Deputy Governor of the Central bank of Turkey will take part in the discussion. The main speaker in this panel will be Steve Hanke, a professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University, who is regarded as the father of the currency board in Bulgaria.

There will also be a panel on Power Engineering, Energy Efficiency and Environment in Southeast Europe at the forum. The large-scale energy projects in the region will be discussed at the forum, as well as the opportunities for the funding of various initiatives in the sector.

The issue for the internet access in the entire country will also be addressed at the forum. Each and every resident should have internet access, according to the Lisbon Strategy. As a result, the Bulgarian municipalities will get a chance to obtain EU funding to set up wi fi areas and other ways for internet access, Tabakov said.

The 10the Southeast Europe Economic Forum will take place on November 5-6 and is expected to be attended by more than 1 000 participants.