On 12.10.2023, at the InterContinental Hotel in Sofia, was held a Bulgarian-French Business Forum, organized jointly by the regional structure of the French employers' organization MEDEF from the department of Ile-et-Vilaine, part of the Brittany region, the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA), the Embassy of the Republic of France in Bulgaria and the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The event is part of the 22nd International Familiarisation Mission of Medef35.
The President of Medef35 Eric Chalan Belaval, the Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Nikolay Pavlov and the President of the Bulgarian Industrial Association Dobri Mitrev made official greetings to the participants in the forum.
"This full house and increased interest in our country is a positive sign and a prerequisite for future partnerships and shared success. Bulgaria is a place that provides favourable conditions for investments in various fields, but especially in the field of digitalization and green economy, automotive industry, fintech solutions, defence, aerospace industry and others. Bulgaria is a regional leader in creating a start-up ecosystem. For 2022, our country is leading in Southeastern Europe with over 1,600 startups. The Bulgarian government's economic policy objectives include preserving the country's economic and financial stability while taking proactive measures to achieve high economic growth. These include pursuing a policy to accelerate the introduction of the euro and Bulgaria's accession to Schengen, changing the structure of the economy by stimulating the creation and development of sustainable enterprises in high-tech industries and knowledge-intensive services and encouraging investment, promoting Bulgaria as a preferred destination for investment in high value-added sectors," said Deputy Minister Nikolay Pavlov, adding that the Ministry of Economy was ready to support companies wishing to invest in Bulgaria.
BIA President Dobri Mitrev presented the history, mission and main priorities of the organization, including: advocacy for a legislative and regulatory environment conducive to a change in the structure of the economy aimed at high added value, development of sustainable and competitive business in the context of green and digital transformation of the economy and society, flexible labor market and ensuring access to human capital; an active role of BIA members in the drafting of European legislation by strengthening and improving interaction with the Bulgarian members of the European Parliament, the state administration responsible for the formulation of the Bulgarian position; support to members for the implementation of European and national legislation and policies with impact on the industrial development and the economy of the country; active dialogue between business, government, and other stakeholders for the implementation of the objectives and priorities of the European Green Deal; promoting a proactive cybersecurity culture, using tools and resources to build robust preventive mechanisms in enterprises to reduce the risk of incidents; supporting technological development, innovation and research; developing the capacity of Bulgarian businesses to grow and sustain the export potential of Bulgarian businesses and position themselves well in international supply chains with high added value and a focus on green technologies and digitalization.
"We can be the wind in the sails of any enterprise. We know the structure of the economy well enough; we have close interaction with the legislative and executive authorities in Bulgaria. I believe that you and we will be active partners in making the business climate in our country even more favourable for investments, for opening new opportunities for both enterprises and the people working in them, and to create more and more wealth in the interest of the citizens of France, Bulgaria and the whole European Union," Dobri Mitrev said.
BIA Vice-President Maria Mincheva presented information on the development of social dialogue in Bulgaria over the last thirty years, the reforms in labour legislation, the framework for social partnership, the mechanism for collective bargaining and relations with employee organizations and the role of BIA as a nationally representative organization of employers in the main bodies for social dialogue at national and European level.
Shteryo Nozharov, Economic Advisor at BIA, presented the prospects for the development of the Bulgarian economy in three main areas - innovation and investment, reforms and business environment and budgetary policy.
Vesela Todorova-Mosettig, Director of the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, presented information on the main economic sectors in which French companies operate in Bulgaria and there is potential for partnership between the two countries, including automotive, aeronautics, textiles, food industry, energy, etc.
The second part of the forum included a round table and a Q&A session with the participation of successful French companies operating in Bulgaria. Participants were Veneta Pisarska, Director of Lesafre Bulgaria (member of BIA), Miroslav Konstantinov, Director for Europe of the furniture company M2Prom, part of the Lindera Group, Xavier Marcenac, co-founder of Nasekomo, producing sustainable insect products for the feed and agricultural industries, and Amelie LeClair, founder of “Presechni tochki”, providing training and expertise on European issues, career development, change management.
At the end of the forum Dobri Mitrev and the President of Medef35 Eric Chalan Belval signed an agreement for cooperation, exchange of information and opinions, important for improving the business environment in Europe, as well as a commitment to serve French and Bulgarian companies, members of both organizations, willing to establish contacts and business cooperation with each other. The President of BIA left a message in the honorary golden book of Medef as a sign of good partnership and willingness to cooperate.
After the official part, the French delegation visited Bulgarian companies, members of BIA and got acquainted with the production, technological solutions and partnership opportunities.
Representatives of companies from the food industry visited the Mondelēz factory in the town of Svoge, where chocolate, biscuits and confectionery are produced and many new products and processes are developed for the global leader in the sector. The visit was supported by the Food and Beverage Association Bulgaria.
Another part of the delegation visited IPL Kapaska Group's women's and men's fashion factory. The management of the processes in the factory is fully automated and the technology is to be patented in the USA. The visit was made with the assistance of the Garment Industry Chamber. The French guests were very impressed by the company's management philosophy, the quality of the products produced and the company's own digitized process management solution. The good working conditions in the company also made a very strong impression.
The delegation also visited Giga Automata, who showcased their collaborative robot (cobot), which provides automation solutions to the labour shortage problem. All the components of the robot were developed entirely by the company - mechanics, electronics, control panel. The modular working principle makes the cobot extremely easy to service and maintain, including by the user without the need for external contractors. This principle also allows the addition of additional components according to the customer's profile such as lasers, counters, etc. to suit the needs of the respective production. The visit was made with the assistance of the Professional Association of Robotics and Automation.
