Egypt and Bulgaria signalled a renewed push to deepen economic ties on Monday, as Sofia confirmed that 26 Bulgarian companies will participate in next month's session of the Egyptian–Bulgarian Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation in Cairo—part of a wider effort to expand Bulgarian investment in the Egyptian market. Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Hasan El-Khatib met Bulgaria's ambassador to Egypt, Deyan Katrachev, and commercial counsellor Vladislav Robev to review preparations for the 2–4 December committee meetings. The talks will coincide with the visit of Bulgaria's economy and industry minister, who will also attend the EDEX 2025 defence exhibition. El-Khatib said Egypt values its long-standing partnership with Bulgaria and is keen to strengthen cooperation in priority sectors, including electric vehicles, information technology and digital transformation. He added that the joint committee provides an opportunity to advance mutual investment and trade. The minister also highlighted recent reforms undertaken by Egypt to ease the burden on investors and traders, noting that government measures have reduced administrative and regulatory hurdles by 65%, with a target of cutting them by 90% in the coming period. Katrachev said Bulgaria is committed to expanding its economic presence in Egypt, either through companies already operating in the country or through new firms seeking entry into the Egyptian market for the first time. He noted that the 26 Bulgarian companies expected to join the committee meetings operate across a wide range of priority sectors. Both sides agreed that the upcoming session of the joint committee will be an important platform to advance cooperation, strengthen private-sector partnerships and explore new investment opportunities in the region.
