The Ambassador of the Republic of Austria H.E. Andrea Wicke visited BCCI

The President of BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov had a meeting with the newly-appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Austria H.E. Andrea Wicke. The meeting was also attended by Vasil Todorov, Secretary General of the Chamber.

Ambassador Wicke has been in Bulgaria for only two months but is already actively participating in her country’s initiatives under the Presidency of the Council of the EU (July - December 2018).

Tsvetan Simeonov acquainted the Ambassador with BCCI’s relations with partners from Austria and stressed that the relations with the Austrian Economic Chamber have been excellent for decades. The cooperation with the Commercial Department of the Austrian Embassy in Sofia and the Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy and representative of the Austrian Economic Chamber in Bulgaria - Mrs. Ulrike Straka has also been very fruitful in 2018. Mr. Simeonov pointed out a series of business events, initiated by the Austrian side and organized in Bulgaria in cooperation with the BCCI, to build on the traditionally good economic relations. As especially successful were noted the presentation of the Austrian industry and investment in Bulgaria, a meeting and presentation of students from the University of Salzburg, a business mission in the machine-building and metalworking sectors, regular meetings of the Austrian Business Club, etc. The Embassy's Commercial Department provided assistance in the visit and participation of the President of EUROCHAMBRES – Mr. Christoph Leitl  in the European Parliament of Enterprises in Sofia. The biggest event of the year was the Bulgarian-Austrian Forum on Transport Infrastructure, with the participation of the Presidents of the two countries in Bulgaria.

The President of BCCI informed Ambassador Wicke about the Chamber’s cooperation with the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry (EUROCHAMBRES) and especially with the President of the organization Christoph Leitl, who was in Sofia on the occasion of the European Parliament of Enterprises in Bulgaria and a meeting of the Board of Directors of EUROCHAMBRES in June this year. Simeonov also noted that BCCI supports the Association’s development programme and successfully complements it.

The next event of the EU Club at BCCI, which will take place on 7 January 2019, with the handing over of the Presidency of the Council of the EU from Austria to Romania, was also discussed during the meeting.