The most successful Commercial and Economic Affairs Offices (CEAO) of our country abroad for 2025 have been awarded

CEAO Romania is the winner in the ranking of the BCCI and the Ministry of Economy, Investment and Industry

The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry /BCCI/, together with the Ministry of Economy, Investment and Industry /MEII/ held the traditional annual awards ceremony for the most successful Commercial and Economic Affairs Offices (CEAO) for 2025, organized after the annual meeting of the heads of the services at the MEII.

The ceremony was opened by the Chairman of the BCCI, Tsvetan Simeonov, who emphasized that for the sixteenth consecutive year, the Chamber and the Ministry of Economy, Investments and Industry have jointly evaluated the activities of the Commercial and Economic Affairs Offices and distinguished the most effective services for their contribution to the development of Bulgaria's foreign economic relations.

The evaluation of the CEAO was carried out on the basis of objective indicators, including the growth of Bulgarian exports, attracted investments and the increase in tourist flows in 2025 compared to the previous year, as well as the overall assessment of business and the Ministry of Economy, Investments and Industry for the work of the services.

In the presence of Deputy Minister Krasimir Yakimov, Deputy Minister Mihaela Karadimova, the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Investment Agency Angel Ivanov, the Executive Director of BSMEPA Dr. Boyko Takov, the Deputy Chairman of the BCCI Dr. Vasil Todorov and experts from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, six awards were presented.

Encouragement diplomas were awarded to the CEAO in Germany, China and Spain. The third place in the ranking was taken by the CEAO in Poland, the second place was taken by the CEAO in Japan, and the prestigious first place award – the bronze statuette “Hermes” and a diploma of the BCCI – was awarded to the Commercial and Economic Affairs Office in Romania – Ivaylo Marinov for his outstanding contribution to the development of bilateral trade and economic relations, the increase in Bulgarian exports, the attraction of investments and the promotion of tourism.

The extremely active activity of submitting informational economic materials by the CEAO in Albania, Vietnam and Kazakhstan was noted, which the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry actively uses and distributes to its members.

With the annual awards, the BCCI promotes good practices in economic diplomacy and recognizes the professionalism of the Commercial and Economic Affairs Offices, which actively assist Bulgarian companies in expanding their presence in international markets and attracting investments in the country.

Earlier in the day, the Chairman of the BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov participated in the annual meeting of the management of the Ministry of Economy, Investment and Industry, the economic advisors, long-term seconded to the CEAO with the managements of the nationally represented employer organizations - the Association of Industrial Capital, the Bulgarian Industrial Chamber, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria. Simeonov emphasized the fact that the statistical data for 2025 show that despite the challenges, Bulgarian exports, investments and tourist flows continue to develop dynamically.

The BCCI conducted a survey among businesses on how they work with CEAO and it showed a positive trend in the assessment – ​​over 56% of the surveyed companies have used CEAO services, which is a significant increase compared to the previous year /31%/. This shows increased trust in the CEAO network.