Mr. Tsvetan Simeonov, President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), held talks with Willy Van Impe, Honorary Consul General of Bulgaria in the Kingdom of Belgium (Flanders region). Josef Fertsele also took part in the meeting.
During the discussion, Mr. Simeonov presented the current economic situation in Bulgaria, just months before the country’s official accession to the Eurozone on January 1, 2026.
He emphasized that Bulgaria has maintained “iron discipline” under its currency board arrangement:
“Over the past 10 years, the national currencies of Hungary, Romania, and Poland have depreciated against the euro — Hungary by 43%, Poland by 7.79%, and Romania by over 18%. By comparison, since 1997 the exchange rate in Bulgaria has remained unchanged, meaning that the money we had then has the same value in euros today.”
Mr. Simeonov added that the three mentioned countries have still not joined the Eurozone due to various reasons, including non-compliance with external debt and inflation criteria.
The President of the Chamber further noted that Bulgaria is actively working towards membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which will also significantly improve the country’s business climate.
It should be recalled that Willy Van Impe is a long-standing partner and supporter of the Chamber and has been awarded the “Golden Laurel Branch” for his services to Bulgaria — the highest distinction conferred by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on foreign nationals.
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According to data from the Ministry of Economy and Industry, by the end of 2024 the total value of Belgian investments in Bulgaria amounted to €3308.5 billion.