The Minister of Economy and Industry Bogdan Bogdanov and representatives of the managements of the organizations - members of the Association of the Organizations of Bulgarian Employers (AOBE) - BICA, BIA, BCCI and KRIB, who held a meeting at the invitation of the Minister, agreed to work together on a periodic review of the regulatory regimes and reduction of the administrative burden for business. Deputy Minister Irina Schtonova also attended the meeting.
Bogdanov pointed out that easing the administrative and regulatory burden is one of the main priorities he has set in the work of the department. The minister gave the example of digitalization of certain administrative processes to facilitate procedures for businesses.
He also stressed that he will work to increase the competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy and tackle the challenges facing the development of the industry, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as increase Bulgaria's attractiveness for investment by improving the business environment and the regulatory framework.
The rule of law and the fight against corruption are among the main issues to encourage investments in Bulgaria, it was also pointed out at the meeting.
"We want to create a mechanism for feedback from the business to improve communication and dialogue with employers' representatives," Bogdanov said. The parties agreed on the need for regular meetings to be held once a month at the ministry on specific topics concerning Bulgarian business.
At the meeting the AOBE representatives expressed strong support for Bulgaria's accession to the Eurozone, our country's accession to the Schengen area and the OECD, pointing out that these are also priority issues for the country's businesses.
Emphasis was also put on preserving the existing tax model in Bulgaria, pointing out that this is one of the biggest advantages of the Bulgarian economy.
Vasil Todorov, Secretary General of BCCI, emphasized the main priorities of the Association, which are also in the focus of the Ministry of Economy and Industry - namely - Bulgaria's accession to the Eurozone, the Schengen area and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The preservation of the tax model and the reduction of bureaucratic obstacles to business, with a focus on the difficulties for enterprises in using the services of water and sewerage companies, public utility companies, district heating companies, were also the subject of discussion.
Vasil Todorov also introduced specifics in the measures proposed by BCCI related to the possibility of financing quotas for the training of foreign nationals from third countries (developing economies) in Bulgaria, which is an investment with high returns in the future.
Vasil Velev, Chairman of BICA, emphasized in his speech the 4 reasons for the decline in investments, namely: corrupt practices, dynamic energy prices, labor shortages due to demographic reasons and migration, and problems in the education system. He also shared with specific graphs the current decline of orders in industrial production in the country, as well as the negative trend in Europe, which will inevitably affect Bulgaria.
Vasil Velev argued for the preservation of the current mechanism to compensate the high electricity prices, with a possible option to continue at the beginning of next year in case of a sharp spike in prices during the winter season.
Stanislav Popdonchev, vice president of BIA, highlighted controversial texts in the Transitional and Final Provisions of the draft Law on the State Budget of the Republic of Bulgaria for 2023, concerning the introduction of the obligation to pay wages only by bank transfer, as well as the planned introduction of a requirement for prior declaration of shipments of goods with high fiscal risk (which number over 550 items), which if adopted - will increase the administrative burden and costs for businesses. It will also be a burden for businesses to declare cash on a monthly basis, which will increase the cost of accounting services and make it more difficult for businesses. The importance of preparing export strategies by sector was also mentioned, as well as the need to create a concept for Bulgaria's national representation at international exhibitions.
Adoption of annual plans to review and relax regulatory regimes and rules for their implementation, including timelines for issuing documents and the level of administrative fees. Compliance with the "1-in-2-out" principle. Reforming the selection, performance and appraisal of Offices of Trade and Economic Affairs.
Konstantin Stamenov, chairman of the Energy Committee at KRIB, in his speech focused on the need to remove the restriction for companies that receive free emission allowances to apply for projects with European funding. The need for changes to the Petroleum and Petroleum Products Reserves Act was also pointed out in relation to companies that import for their own consumption and store coke.
Minister Bogdan Bogdanov confirmed the importance of the priorities that the AOBE has set - accession to the Eurozone, Schengen and the OECD, as key for improving the business environment in Bulgaria, expressing the desire of employers' organizations to actively participate in the communication campaign to increase the positive attitude among businesses towards these goals.
The Minister of Economy and Industry and AOBE also discussed intensifying foreign economic cooperation through the Ministry's Office of Trade and Economic Affairs. Bogdanov said that one of the main priorities in his work is to provide support for exports by raising awareness of Bulgarian companies on the opportunities for entering new markets. He suggested that representatives of employers' organisations should participate more actively in the process in order to achieve greater efficiency in the work, as well as to highlight priority sectors that businesses are looking for in foreign markets.
The representatives of the employers also raised the issue of the lack of staff, as well as easing the procedures for importing workers.
