Address by the President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Dear members and partners,

On the eve of 2016, it is my great pleasure to address you with gratitude for the excellent cooperation during the year in which we celebrated the 120^th anniversary of the establishment of the chambers of commerce and industry in Bulgaria. 

In addition to our daily work in favour of businesses, we managed to celebrate the anniversary in over twenty regional centers with the support of hundreds of local business representatives, regional and municipal officials, representatives of the universities and the social partners.

The culmination of the respect paid to the system of chambers of commerce in Bulgaria, was the presence and congratulations we received from the three Presidents of the Republic of Bulgaria – Rosen Plevneliev, Georgi Parvanov and Petar Stoyanov, the Vice-President of the European Commission Kristalina Georgieva, the Director-General of the International Labour Organization Guy Ryder, the Chairman of the World Chambers Federation Peter Mihok, the Secretary General of the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry /EUROCHAMBRES/ Arnaldo Abruzzini, and dozens of leading companies in the economy of the country.

At the same time, Bulgarian entrepreneurs received the improved version of the voluntary Unified Trade Register of BCCI, Product Catalogue and updated version of the mobile application of GS1 Bulgaria “BG Barcode”. The programme for electronic access of the participants in the procedure for dispute resolution of the Arbitration Court at BCCI was also upgraded.

We were able to start working on the rescue of the house of the first Chairman of Sofia Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ivan Grozev from ruin and turning it into a museum. We hope to finish it in 2016 - on the 100^th anniversary of his death.

We are proud that entrepreneurship classes have been introduced from primary school – an achievement of strategic importance to the market economy of our country.

In 2016 we will stay in constant and open dialogue with the employers and trade unions, remaining a predictable partner and counterbalance to the public institutions. As always – a reliable and trustworthy supporter of Bulgarian business.

Huge gratitude to everyone who supported us, to everyone who presented well-grounded opposition and contributed to balancing our positions – for the sake of a more favourable economic environment and better living conditions in Bulgaria.

Tsvetan Simeonov
BCCI President