Major digital technology festival kicks off in Bulgaria

Webit Festival Europe, one of the largest digital technology events in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), kicked off here on Tuesday, gathering nearly 5,100 attendees from over 90 countries and regions.

The two-day forum, held in Sofia Tech Park under the patronage of Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev, Sofia Mayor Jordanka Fandakova and the European Commission, includes 12 parallel conferences on topics, such as Marketing and Innovation, Digital Economy Leadership, Smart Cities, Mobility, Digital Transformation, and Security and Privacy.

"Undoubtedly, this is one of the most important events in our region dedicated to digital industries and entrepreneurship," Radev said at the opening ceremony.

The boom in digital technologies has resulted in many social, political, business and philosophical consequences, the Bulgarian president said.

These technologies could be beneficial or harmful, depending on how they would be developed and used, said Radev, who had been a professional jet fighter pilot from 1987 to August 2016 when he retired from the army.

Radev said he was convinced that the participants in the event would unite around common human values so that these technologies serve for peace and prosperity.

Teodor Sedlarski, Bulgaria's caretaker Minister of Economy, said the event was part of the strategy for digitization of the Bulgarian economy, which aimed at transition to new industries, new technologies, new forms of employment, and new business models. Endit