The world trade centers in Europe discuss regional integration and economic development in Sofia.

The "WTCA Europe Regional Conference 2025" continued with a visit to Interpred - World Trade Center Sofia and Sofia Tech Park. The management of the center introduced colleagues to the activities of WTC Sofia, the building, as well as Interpred Boyana and Interpred Tsar Boris. The company that manages the center is engaged in renting offices, commercial spaces, parking lots and conference halls; organizing business meetings and trade missions; providing services serving the business sector.

At Sofia Tech Park, the participants in the meeting visited a laboratory where prototypes for industrial robots are produced. They got acquainted with the DISCOVERER supercomputer, which is among the leading in computing power. DISCOVERER is proof of the country's commitment to the development of high-performance computing. Co-financed by the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) and the Bulgarian government, it is among the top 500 supercomputers in the world. With powerful infrastructure and state-of-the-art technologies, DISCOVERER is dedicated to promoting innovation, conducting pioneering research, and nurturing the next generation of IT talents. 80% of its capacity is used for free. Bulgarian and foreign companies can take advantage of the facility's capabilities.

The meeting program also included a discussion of opportunities in Europe for regional integration and economic development, presented by Krasen Stanchev, an economist, founder of the Institute for Market Economics and member of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He examined the current political uncertainty on a global scale as a factor affecting the economy of Europe and the region. According to Stanchev, the uncertainty will disappear in a few years, and Europe needs to work more closely with neighboring regions and its eastern neighbors to achieve greater benefits and competitiveness. He pointed out that all countries in this expanded European region participate in some common or partial free trade zones. He recommended developing relations in order to expand the free movement of goods and services.

Stanchev also noted that Bulgaria, Romania, the Baltic region, and Ireland have 7 times faster economic growth in the period 2000 - 2022. This indicates the capacity to maintain the growth rate and achieve higher performance in these countries.

Krasen Stanchev also discussed Europe's relations with the United States, emphasizing the retaliatory measures against high import tariffs in the United States.

The role of European world trade centers in regional integration and economic development was presented by Nicolas Beatty, coordinator of the World Trade Center Rennes Bretagne, and Patricia Moinard, WTC Metz Saarbrücken.

The meeting of the World Trade Centers from Europe in Sofia continues.