At a sitting of the Association of Bulgarian Employers’ Organizations (AOBE), held on 19 January 2026 at the premises of the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA), the Bulgarian Industrial Association took over the rotating chairmanship of AOBE for 2026 from the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria (AICB).
In accordance with the established rotation principle, the Chair of the Management Board of AICB, Rumen Radev, officially handed over the chairmanship of ABEO for 2026 to the President of BIA, Dobri Mitrev.
The first ABEO meeting for the year was attended by Rumen Radev – President of the Management Board of AICB, Milena Angelova – Secretary General of AICB, Dobrin Ivanov – Executive Director of AICB, Valentina Radeva – Deputy Executive Director of AICB, Ivelin Zhelyazkov – Director of “Tripartite Cooperation”; Dobri Mitrev – President of BIA, Stanislav Popdonchev – Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of BIA, and Maria Mincheva – Vice-President of BIA; Tsvetan Simeonov – Chair of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Miroslava Markova – Senior Expert “International Cooperation and International Organizations”; Boyan Nikolaev – Deputy Executive Director of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIBG), and Rumyana Georgieva – Parliamentary Secretary and Head of the “Industrial Relations” Unit at CEIBG.
The Association of Bulgarian Employers’ Organizations (AOBE) is a union of the nationally representative employers’ organizations in the Republic of Bulgaria (AICB, BIA, BCCI and CEIBG). The organization was established in 1995 with the aim of providing unified representation of Bulgarian employers at national and international level.
The chairmanship of AOBE by AICB in 2025 was assessed as successful, marked by active and coordinated work of the employers’ organizations in the context of the dynamic economic environment in which the country operates. Particular emphasis was placed on the processes and changes related to Bulgaria’s preparations for joining the euro area, as well as on safeguarding business interests during this key transition period.
The participants adopted, without amendments or additions, the activity report of ABEO for 2025. During the meeting, the draft priorities of AOBE for 2026 were also discussed. Following coordination and approval by the members, these priorities will be officially presented at ABEO’s annual press conference, to be held on 5 February 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the BTA Press Club.
