BBC: Is Bulgaria Europe's Silicon Valley?

Views on BG | April 20, 2015, Monday // 11:57|  views

The BBC remins that Bulgaria was a leader in the production of computers during rhe Soviet era. Print screen

Bulgaria could become Europe's Silicon Valley if it tackles corruption and changes the attitudes of politicians, a Bulgarian IT entrepreneur tells the BBC in a report of the British broadcaster.

The man shares that his company has clients from all around the world including South Africa and India. He adds than when he started his business back in 2001, "for a single position we had seventy developers", while for each offer now there are two, three or a maximum of five CVs.

In his words, brain drain was and "still is a big issue" in Bulgaria.

The BBC reminds that "during the Cold War Bulgaria produced 40% of Eastern Bloc computers" and "had more computers per person than almost any other country".

Back then its IT industry "was worth over USD 13 B a year".

Nowadays, it informs, an IT engineer receives about EUR 1300 per month, or "over three times the average salary" (which, for the record, was at EUR 400 per month nationwide and EUR 535 for the capital Sofia in 2014).

But there is also a reminder that, alongside Greece, Italy and Romania, Bulgaria is "the joint most corrupt" EU member, according to Transparency International.

At the end of the video, car dashboards "of the best cars in the industry... like Mercedes and VW" are shown, and the interlocutor is heard saying "all [are] made in Bulgaria".

You can watch the BBC' report here.

 

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Tags: Bulgaria, BBC, IT, computers, brain drain

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