Bulgaria's accession to the Eurozone, which is a feasible goal for businesses, to the Schengen area, for which Bulgaria needs to work, as well as membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), are among the top priorities of the Association of the Organizations of the Bulgarian Employers (AOBE) for 2023. The priorities were presented during a press conference at BTA by the heads of the four nationally representative employers’ organizations - members of AOBE: Vasil Velev – President of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), Dobri Mitrev – President of the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA), Tsvetan Simeonov – President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) who is also rotating president of the AOBE for 2023, and Engeniy Ivanov – Executive Director of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIBG).
AOBE will work on 44 measures in six key areas for the Bulgarian economy, including business environment and economy, energy and green transition, education and labour market, social policy, European policies and investments.
In his opening speech at the press conference, the President of BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov, pointed out that the companies – members of AOBE produce 86% of the country's gross domestic product and employ 82% of all workers and employees. The formulated priorities for 2023 aim to direct the attention of the institutions to the implementation of policies of key importance to Bulgarian business. They have a wide scope and horizon, in accordance with the dynamics and challenges facing our country.