VICE PRESIDENTS OF BIA GEORGI SHIVAROV AND DIKRAN TEBEYAN WELCOMED AUSTRIAN DELEGATION IN BIA

Vice Presidents of BIA Georgi Shivarov and Dikran Tebeyan welcomed today, 30 January, Austrian delegation including Klaus Fabjan – Ambassador of Austria, Michael Angerer – head of the Trade Service at the Austrian embassy, Rudolf Trauner – President of WKOÖ, the Vice President of WKOÖ – Walter Bremberger, and a group of Austrian media representatives, including Austria Presse Agentur.

In his opening speech Georgi Shivarov underlined the long partnership between the Bulgarian Industrial Association and WKOÖ, including in the sphere of enlisting Austrian investments in Bulgaria. An accent was put on the possibilities revealed for the both organizations thanks to their membership in BUSINESSEUROPE.

Mr. Trauner said that in 2009 the town of Linz will be a Culture Capital of Europe and that will be a good opportunity for extending the culture and economic relations between Bulgaria and Austria. In that relation Mr. Trauner invited BIA to be the organizer of the Bulgarian business delegations in Linz next year.

The media representatives had special interest on the problem that appeared for Bulgaria connected with the reduced CO2 quotas, and most of all an answer was needed on the issue how that will reflect on eventual investment intentions. The Director of the Clean Industry Center at BIA Dimitar Brankov explained that the EC decision for reducing quotas will affect the industrial development in very harmful way and will jeopardize future investments.

Austrian journalists had interest in the labor cost and the labor shortage in Bulgaria. The Vice President of BIA Mr. Dikran Tebeyan explained that Bulgarian remains on the last place when it comes to the payment rates, but that is due to two main facts: first – this is the big share of informal economy that hides taxes and real incomes, and second – the prices in Bulgaria are two and tree times lower than in Europe which reflects on the purchaser’s capacity.