Prime Minister Babiš held talks in Bulgaria on the development of trade and investment, the energy sector and strengthening European competitiveness
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and the Minister for Industry and Trade, Karel Havlíček, visited Bulgaria on Wednesday 16 September 2026. They were accompanied on their trip by a business delegation of fifty representatives of Czech companies in the defence and aerospace industries, the energy sector, transport infrastructure, engineering, healthcare and other sectors. In Sofia, the Prime Minister held talks with his Bulgarian counterpart, Rumen Radev, focusing in particular on the development of trade and investment, strengthening European competitiveness and cooperation in the energy sector. He also held talks with Mihaela Docova, Speaker of the National Assembly, and met with Czech expatriates.
“We have historically enjoyed excellent and friendly relations with Bulgaria. We are partners within the EU and reliable allies within NATO. We share the same views on a number of issues, such as the development of nuclear energy. We must work together to come up with concrete solutions for the future of Europe, such as strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, and that is exactly what we are doing. The introduction of the ETS 2 emissions trading scheme must be postponed; for EU citizens, this will primarily mean a decline in their standard of living. We also discussed possible cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. Bulgaria also has an extensive gas pipeline network and offers the Czech Republic the potential to diversify its gas supplies,” said the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic also invited the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Radev, to visit Prague.
The prime ministers of both countries officially opened the Czech-Bulgarian Business Forum, which was attended by over 200 representatives of companies from both countries. Such a high turnout is evidence of a strong interest in mutual cooperation. Six memoranda of understanding were signed between Czech and Bulgarian companies and associations, and SOR Libchavy signed a contract to supply eight electric buses to the city of Ruse.
“BTL, a Czech company that manufactures medical devices, plans to increase its investment in Bulgaria and expand its production capacity. I personally presented the Prime Minister with Aero Vodochody’s offer for eight L-39 Skyfox training aircraft. Bulgaria has been operating ten older-model aircraft from Aero Vodochody for ten years. I very much hope that the deal will go ahead in the end,” added Prime Minister Babiš. Last year, Czech companies exported goods worth a record CZK 40 billion (EUR 1.6 billion) to Bulgaria. The value of bilateral trade in 2025 rose to CZK 77 billion (EUR 3.1 billion).
During his visit, Andrej Babiš also met with representatives of the Bulgarian-Czech Chamber of Commerce and subsequently held talks with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mihaela Docova. His itinerary also included a meeting with Czech expatriates. In the evening, together with his Bulgarian counterpart, he attended a gala reception hosted by the Czech Embassy in Sofia to mark Czech Statehood Day.
