Dear readers of Noblesse Oblige,

First of all, let me congratulate the BIA both to its 40th anniversary and to the first anniversary of this magazine.

Dear readers of Noblesse Oblige,

First of all, let me congratulate the BIA both to its 40th anniversary and to the first anniversary of this magazine. It is of utmost importance to shed light on the positive impact made by employers on our European societies. We should not forget that without successful companies, there is neither inclusive growth nor technological solutions to mitigate climate change. Let’s also keep in mind that these successes are largely contingent to the preservation and completion of the single market. For this very reason, the European construction, this crucial achievement, needs our constant consideration.

My trip to Sofia in 2018 for the BusinessEurope’s Council of Presidents reinforced my very good impressions of the vitality of the Bulgarian business sector. I was particularly impressed by the variety and quality of the recipients of the BIA awarding ceremony that I attended. These award-winning Bulgarian entrepreneurs are a testament to the pivotal role played by the business sector in increasing the prosperity of the Bulgarian society. Your continuous excellent results regarding growth and employment rates are largely driven by the strong productivity within your companies, confirming the quality of innovation and management in the Bulgarian private sector.

The European “third way”, namely that companies care about economic prosperity as well as protecting people and the planet, sets us apart from both the American and Chinese models. For companies to fully play their critical role in our European societies, we need an adequate legislative framework. This is what the BIA strives to achieve at the Bulgarian level in collaboration with national authorities. In that respect, the BIA played an important role lately, for instance by ensuring that most of the planned reforms related to Bulgaria’s accession to the EU’s Exchange Rate Mechanism are implemented.

Similarly, BusinessEurope’s mission is to ensure that European legislations are geared towards economic prosperity which is the basis for achieving our social and environmental goals. Yet, we’re facing numerous global challenges such as climate change or trade wars. In addition, we Europeans are not faring very well in the global competition regarding the digital and technological race. For this purpose, BusinessEurope has proposed an ambitious agenda for the new EU legislative cycle set out in our flagship publication ‘Prosperity. People. Planet – Three Pillars for the European Union Agenda in 2019-2024’. Only ambitious policies providing the right framework conditions for businesses will enable us to address efficiently both global and European challenges.

I would like to conclude by emphasising two correlated features that today define successful employers among many others. First, the intellectual fortitude to always acknowledge the business sector’s invaluable contribution to the affluence of our societies. Second, the ability to bear in mind that this critical role in society entails responsibilities of equal measure as Noblesse oblige, by his very title, reminds us wisely.

Date: 20.04.2020

Readed: 630