Minister of Economy and Energy: We need a competitive economy and a free competition to achieve a sustainable economic growth
We need a competitive economy and a free competition to achieve a sustainable economic growth. Bulgaria has been facing economic and social difficulties over the last years. In spite of that, the state’s efforts are focused on establishing a highly competitive market and a sustainable society with opportunities of Bulgaria's economy to mitigate the economic shocks and to ensure stable economic performance in the future. That said the Minister of Economy and Energy Dragomir Stoynev at a conference of Sofia Competition Forum that coincides with the 50th anniversary of the UNCTAD - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
One of the policies, maintained by the Ministry, is to decrease the company’s costs concerning their access to financing and energy resources, to reduce the license restrictions and encourage the antitrust market rules. I am convinced that the policy as regards the competition is one of the most important as to ensure market economy. The high competitive environment encourages innovation, productivity and competitiveness, said Minister Stoynev.
He recalled that one of the main tasks of the Bulgarian government is to create a better business environment. Our competition policy aims to overcome the anti-competitive practices in the business environment through application of a set of market rules to ensure equal conditions for all enterprises, added Stoynev.
During the first six months following the election of the current government on 29 May 2013, we were able to eliminate or simplify more than a hundred regulatory and licensing regimes, which turned the environment easier for citizens and enterprises, and allowed the latter to come into the markets, stressed the Minister.
The competition protection issues are increasingly related to companies with a large international presence, which requires an adaption of the competition policy and the respective legislation to the altered environment as to avoid distortion of the competition.
In response to a journalist's question what determines the economic growth, Minister Stoynev replied that human capital is the most important and fundamental problem that the Bulgarian economy is facing. Моre Bulgarian companies and entrepreneurs shared that there is a lack of well-educated employees. This is a long-term policy which foundations we have set. So far, the politicians in Bulgaria have always thought ahead for a period of four years as to show what they have done and built, but here we should count on a long-term policy for educated, qualified staff, said the Minister. He stressed that this is the first government that began to enjoin the dual system - something that business needs.
The conference was attended by the Secretary General of UNCTAD His Excellency Mukhisa Kituyi, Head of Policy for the Protection of Competition and Consumers Directorate at UNCTAD Hassan Kaka, Minister of Justice Zinaida Zlatanova, President of the Commission for Protection of Competition Petko Nikolov and others.