General Assembly of the Association of Balkan Chambers

On 7 December, in the Serbian capital Belgrade a general assembly of the Association of Balkan Chambers (ABC) was held. Representatives of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also took part in the event.

The President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia Marko Čadež opened the meeting as host and President of the Association in 2017. He expressed his satisfaction with the presence of representatives of the chambers of commerce and industry of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and Montenegro. The importance of good cooperation on the Balkans on the path of Serbia to the EU was highlighted. Čadež confirmed ABC’s role in removing a number of barriers to trade in the region, the establishment of the CEFTA free zone, the implementation of many bilateral investments. Since the establishment of ABC in 1994 until 2016, Serbia’s trade with the countries in the region increased by 30%.

The main topics discussed at the meeting were the development of ICT, dual training, and cooperation between the chambers – members of ABC in support of the businesses from the region.

The President of BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov informed his partners from the Balkan countries about the preparation of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the future international initiatives which will be held in our country in 2018, including a meeting of the Board of EUROCHAMBRES, the European Parliament of Enterprises, numerous bilateral business forums, meeting of the 16 + 1 initiative, etc. BCCI also presented the upcoming Balkan Bazaar which will take place in India in 2018. The chambers of commerce – members of ABC have committed to invite suitable Balkan companies to participate in the event. More information about the event is available HERE.

The President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and Deputy President of EUROCHAMBRES Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu was elected President of ABC for 2018.