112th regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry (EUROCHAMBRES) was held in Brussels. Tsvetan Simeonov, BCCI President attended the meeting.
A progress report during the Cyprus EU Presidency and the priorities of the forthcoming Irish Presidency were presented at the meeting. In the first half of 2013 Ireland, at the head of the EU will insist on searching for stabilization and crisis response as well as improving banking regulation. The priorities also include creating new jobs and stimulating economic growth, enhancing competition within the single market and increasing youth employment. Concluding free trade agreements with the U.S.A. and ASEAN countries remains a priority.
Mr. Henry Malosse - President of the European Economic and Social Committee was guest speaker at the event; he presented the need of consolidating the common European values focusing on entrepreneurship and solidarity, the difficulties provoked by the crisis and the necessity of making every endeavor directed towards keeping the European Union a number one economic power. He stressed on the need to follow through regarding the implementation of the four types of freedom as well as on the measures to increase youth employment: training, qualifications and apprenticeships.
Internal organizational issues regarding the 2013 budget of the Association as well as the draft program of events in 2013 were also discussed during the meeting.
An election was held for Board members, Vice-Presidents and members of the budget committee. BCCI President Tsvetan Simeonov was re-elected a member of the Board of Eurochambres for 2013.
During the meeting of the Board of Directors of Eurochambres in Brussels Tsvetan Simeonov spoke with Mr. Rifat Hisarciklioglu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and Mr. Constantin Mihalos, President of the Union of Greek Chambers of Commerce.
The three Presidents discussed the coordination of the business participation at the upcoming Third Regional Business Forum in Canakkale, Turkey on 21st November 2012 and the Southeast Europe Business Forum in Istanbul on 22-23 November 2012.
The meeting in Canakkale has been conducted twice as a bilateral up to now but at the insistence of BCCI it will be held as trilateral because there will be representatives of the local authorities from the border regions of Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria and representatives of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the three countries, along with business representatives.