The newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Portugal Ivan Naydenov visited the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and talked with its President Tsvetan Simeonov. During the meeting, the Bulgarian Ambassador stated his readiness to assist businesses from both countries for more active bilateral trade. He said that the epidemic situation in Portugal is difficult and hard first months of his mission in the European country are expected. The current Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU was highlighted as a priority related to many initiatives and events in Portugal, requiring special attention and efforts on the part of the Bulgarian Embassy.
The President of the Chamber Tsvetan Simeonov acquainted his guest with the tools and services that BCCI keeps and offers in support of companies: its Unified Trade Register, commercial arbitration, the “BG Barcode” product catalogue of GS1 Bulgaria. In view of the absence of a Bulgarian Commercial and Economic Section in Lisbon, an active exchange of up-to-date and useful information on trade and investment inquiries in both directions was negotiated.
According to information of the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy in the period January - September 2020 trade between Bulgaria and Portugal decreased by 37% compared to the same period last year. However, it must be noted that 2019 was very successful for bilateral trade, characterized by a growth of almost 34% on an annual basis and a positive balance for Bulgaria.