BOJIDAR DANEV: TODAY, THE MOST STRATEGIC INVESTMENT OF THE EU IS ITS EXPANSION

On the 21st of March 2018 in Brussels will be held the Tripartite Social Summit with the participation of the European social partners.

The Executive President of BIA Bojidar Danev, who is a Vice-President of BusinessEurope, will be a keynote speaker on behalf of European business. Mr. Danev’s will give a speech on “Economic and social convergence to strengthen growth and resilience”.

The main theme of the spring social summit is 'Delivering on the European Pillar of Social Rights', in order to strengthen the social acquis and deliver more effective rights to citizens.

Discussions at this summit will focus on three areas: 

• reinforcing innovation, job creation and social fairness in the multiannual financial framework
• new forms of work: challenges and opportunities for employment and social dialogue
• economic and social convergence to strengthen growth and resilience

The Tripartite Social Summit is a forum for dialogue between the EU institutions at president level and the European social partners at top management level.

The summit is co-chaired by the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the Head of State or Government of the rotating presidency; this time the latter is the Bulgarian Prime Minister.

The participating social partners are:

• BusinessEurope, whose member from Bulgaria is BIA
• European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public Services (CEEP), whose member is BICA
• European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UEAPME), whose members are UPEE and Union “Made in Bulgaria”
• European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Eurocadres, whose member is CITUB

________________

Speech by Bojidar Danev, Executive President, Bulgarian Industrial Association

Sub-theme 3: Economic and Social convergence to strengthen growth and resilience

Dear Mr. President Tusk,

Dear Mr. Juncker,

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

The economic and social convergence of the European countries economies is the basis for reaching the growth rate that will bring the European economy to a leading level in the world.

The large imbalances in development between the EU Member States determine also the division of Europe that has its institutional manifestation in member and non-member states of Schengen as well as in member and and non-member states of the Eurozone.

Without economic and social convergence, the human resource drainto the Schengen and the Eurozone member states cannot be limited. This is a socio-economic phenomenon, which conceals particular hazards and it is the root of the internal migration flow.

This is also one of the main reasons for the unsustainable development of some European economies, including for the absence of foreign investors in these countries.

The social convergence is impossible without attaining convergence of the pension and health insurance systems of the individual Member States.

If we talk about priorities in economic and social convergence, it is natural to start this convergence first with its economic part.

All this needs to find its repercussion in the management of the European structural and investment funds as they are a key tool for strengthening the cathing-up growth and resilience of the European economies.

First: These rules must be more flexible to respond to the dynamic economic and social environment.

Second, Adopting a single set of rules of programmes managed through a shared governance and programmes managed centrally by the European Commission in the field of public procurement, state aid and simplified spending, is another important change that needs to be seriously considered and introduced in the next programming period.

Third: Be more focused on individual peculiarities in the different European regions and above all with simplified administrative rules that facilitate the achievement of sustainable results over time.

Unfortunately, there are steps, such as the posting of workers directive, which do not fit into the overall objectives of economic and social convergence between the EU Member States and do not help to boost the employment and growth of all European economies.

We support the BusinessEurope's position on this topic.

It is clearly shown in this year’s reform barometer of BusinessEurope that there is a need to achieve better implementation of structural reforms at national level. Each EU Member State needs to modernise their employment policies and social protection systems to the changing economic and social context in Europe.

In addition, as there are strict rules for admitting new members to the EU, so should relevant algorithms be introduced, beyond the technical criteria for the accession of EU countries to Schengen and to the Eurozone.

The Prime Minister of Israel, Shimon Peres, said years ago that "America's most successful investment is the Marshall Plan." Today, the most strategic investment of the EU is its expansion.

That is what Europe needs to strengthen growth and resilience.

Thank you for your attention!