On 25 April 2025 the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) celebrated its 45th birthday.
BIA is the first non-governmental organization in the former socialist bloc that paved the way for the transition to market relations in the economy. Although established in times of planned economy, BIA managed to impose some modern, not only for that time, but also for today, principles of market behaviour. The Association established the first venture capital fund in Bulgaria and the first commercial bank in Bulgaria (Bank for Economic Initiatives JSC), through which it financed the construction of more than 600 small and medium-sized enterprises. Many of them are still developing successfully today.
In the early 1990s, BIA became the initiator for the establishment of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation, which laid the foundations for the social dialogue system in Bulgaria. To this day, BIA is an active participant in the dialogue between employers, trade unions and the state for the formation of economic policy in Bulgaria, the development and improvement of the regulatory base in the social and economic sphere.
Thanks to the expert potential of BIA and its position as a nationally representative employers' organization, a number of problems in the economy have been solved.
Among the serious merits of BIA for the development of the modern Bulgarian economy are:
- Bulgaria's first Internet access network;
- The first electronic signature (BulSign) through the international certification organization GlobalSign.
- Establishment of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange;
- The introduction of the Court of Arbitration as an institution helping to resolve commercial disputes more quickly;
- The establishment of the country's first health and pension funds, as well as the first leasing company - Interlease AD;
- The introduction of the three-pillar social insurance model;
- The construction of technology parks at the Technical Universities of Sofia and Varna, working in the field of technology transfer;
- The introduction of private judicial enforcement;
- The removal of the Commercial Registry from the courts;
- The introduction of a cap on state fees for court proceedings in challenges to individual administrative acts;
- Introduction of a flat tax on personal income and corporate profits;
- The abolition of VAT on food donations;
- The drastic reduction in the number of payment orders for tax and social security payments through the introduction of the single account;
- The creation of the possibility (through a statutory change) to pay state and municipal taxes via POS terminals without the corresponding bank charges;
- Many others.
BIA's work in the area of vocational training is extremely important. The Vocational Training Centre, which has been specially established for this purpose, provides qualification and retraining in a wide range of professions for which BIA issues a nationally recognised document. BIA also offers training for computer network specialists (Cisco Networking Academy program) - CCNA, CCNP, DevNet Associate.
BIA is the only business organization in Central and Eastern Europe that has established a unit (Clean Industry Centre) to support compliance with national and European environmental, quality and safety requirements.
Through its International Economic Relations Centre, BIA is the contact point of the largest information and advisory network in support of small and medium-sized enterprises in the world - Enterprise Europe Network (EEN).
Since 1999, BIA has a Court of Arbitration, which guarantees high quality in dispute resolution, determined by the authoritative composition of the arbitration panel - former constitutional judges and some of the most prominent scholars, eminent lawyers and experts.
The Association publishes a wide range of information materials and thematic online newsletters, as well the Noblesse Oblige magazine. Every day, users of BIA's services receive up-to-date business information via the Business Industry Capital e-newsletter, which reaches more than 30,000 subscribers in two languages in Bulgaria and abroad.
The BIA family includes over 140 branch organisations, 27 regional and 170 municipal organisations, as well as over 22 000 direct members (companies). BIA members also include the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and over 36 universities and technical unions.
BIA is the only Bulgarian business organization, member of the BussinessEurope - a confederation of European business, through which it represents the interests of Bulgarian companies and employers at European level. The Association actively participates in the work of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), and has signed cooperation agreements with over 70 national employers' and business organisations from the most developed countries in Europe, Asia, America and Africa.
BIA works to achieve a free, fair and compassionate society based on the cult of work, education and the culture of human resources - the main engine of progress.
