(The event will be in Sofia and in English) Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, The EU-Chambers in Bulgaria are pleased to invite you to the following event: Business AI in CE Europe (Sofia Edition)! Navigating Regulations, Risks, and Growth Subtitle: Legal Compliance, Global AI Pitfalls, and Local Investment Incentives. Date: 2nd of December 2026. Venue: Rosslyn Central Park Hotel, Vitosha Blvd 106, Sofia 1463. Programme: 16:30 - 17:00 Arrival. Welcome drink.
17:00 - 17:05 Opening Remarks - representative of the Ministry of Economy, Investment and Industry of Bulgaria (TBC)
17:05 - 17:20 Navigating the EU AI Act: Legal Compliance & Frameworks for 2026 Speaker: Siyanna Lilova, Head of CEE and Managing Director, Praven Intelekt (Lexroom Bulgaria). Focus: Mandatory rules, strict restrictions, and high-risk AI classifications that businesses in Bulgaria must comply with to avoid severe European penalties.
17:20 - 17:35 What is an AI Native Company? Perils & Promises Speaker: Peter Statev, Chairman, European Digital Innovation Hub for Big Data, High-Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence - InnovationAmp
17:35 - 17:50 The Transformation Generation: Why Central and Eastern Europe Can Win in the AI Era Speaker: Dr. Petar Stanchev, CEO and Founder, Aplis Solutions (Prague), AssIQ.ai (Brno) and Vice President, Czech-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, member if the Czech Association for Artificial Intelligence. Focus: How three decades of transformation prepared Central and Eastern European companies for the AI era, and what it takes to turn regional talent and speed of adaptation into a place on the global scene.
17:50 - 18:05 Why Some AI Projects Fail… AI Readiness in Bulgaria and the Region. Speaker: Pavel Ivanov, Executive Director, Institute of Public Administration, Republic of Bulgaria Focus: Public Sector Reform, Regional & EU Initiatives across Southeast Europe and the Western Balkans, Innovation & Emerging Tech
18:05 - 18:20 Investing in AI and Innovation in Bulgaria: Incentives and Institutional Support Speaker: Angel Ivanov, Deputy Executive Director, InvestBulgaria Agency Focus: The Investment Promotion Act framework and its relevance to AI-related projects: certification, state incentives and assistance from InvestBulgaria Agency.
18:20 - 18:35 Work After Agents: What Changes When AI Stops Waiting for Instructions? Speaker: Ivan Draganov, Project Manager, GATE Institute, Sofia University, and Co-Founder, Skill Catalyst. Focus: From asking AI questions to giving it goals, why most pilots never reach production, the three conditions Bulgarian businesses need in place before agents can create real value: defined workflows, clean data and a named human owner.
18:35 - 19:00 Q&A Session moderated by Doncho Barbalov, advisor to the Investment Council at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Details: Open floor for questions from the audience to all speakers.
19:00 - 20:30 Buffet dinner, wine tasting & informal networking over fine wine and food. Enjoy the international company of the different chambers in the heart of Sofia, the fine food, the exceptional atmosphere of Rosslyn Central Park Hotel and a great networking opportunity! The language of the event is English. For protocol and security reasons on-line REGISTRATION is mandatory. Please use the link. Participation fee: EUR 50/person (inc. VAT). For members of the chambers listed below and their registered invitees: EUR 35/person (inc. VAT). Co-organizing chambers: Belgium-Bulgaria-Luxembourg Business Club
Bulgarian-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Hungarian-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce
Italian Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria
Dutch Bulgarian Business Association
Bulgarian-Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce Bulgarian-Spanish Chamber of Commerce Our sponsors:
Gedeon Richter Bulgaria
HORN Magyarország
Unicredit Bulbank
Lexroom
Skill Catalyst
Domain Bessa Valley
InnovationAmp / European Digital Innovation Hub
European Institute of Business and Public Education Available sponsor packages: Silver € 250 * Gold € 500 * Platinum € 1,000 For additional details on participation and/or sponsorship opportunities please contact [email protected] Best regards, Rossen
Dr. Rossen Tkatchenko
President
Hungarian-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce
President
EU-Chambers in Bulgaria ************************************************** P.S. The illustration is a non-AI product! It was created by Zdravko Denev specially for the event:) ************************************************** | 
