Address by the President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Dear members and partners of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry,

We are about to welcome the New Year 2023 - a year that will be filled with inherited crises to overcome and new challenges that should not be underestimated.

The two years of varying degrees of isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic (which unfortunately is still not over) and the military invasion near Bulgaria will continue to hamper both our and your activities. Regardless of this, BCCI once again did not stop for a minute its activities to provide overall and thorough assistance to companies - from simple consultations, certificates, including force majeure certificates, to resolution of disputes in the most competent way by our modern Arbitration Court.

We will continue our efforts to ensure a healthy and stimulating economic environment for Bulgarian companies. We will look for ways to overcome the disruption of global supply chains, to negotiate compensations for businesses with the government, mitigating as much as possible the spikes of energy prices and the uncertainty of obtaining it.

In conditions of political opposition and inability of the political parties to find a formula for more stable governance of the country, a complex situation is emerging. The business is worried about the lack of horizon and perspective to be able to plan its activities. There is a lack of clarity regarding the minimum wage, the anti-crisis measures and compensatory mechanisms.

In this situation, we, together with other NGOs, must implement the Recovery and Resilience Plan and assist companies to make optimal use of the resources provided by EU programmes during the new programming period, to adjust their development plans, taking into account the specificities of the sectors in which they operate, which without a doubt is not an easy, nor a simple task.

Many of the companies that followed our advice and recommendations to limit or cease loss-generating operations tried to diversify their activities by entering other sectors, by becoming more energy independent, by introducing innovations, and by looking for new partners - including with the assistance of over 200 BCCI’s partner organizations abroad. These businesses are beginning to stabilize because the path they have chosen in the right one.

As we have done for almost 130 years, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry will continue to do what is necessary to help the business in these efforts, relying on knowledge, cooperation and loyalty.

Rest assured that we will be adding our expertise and experience to the efforts of all of you to recover and return to the growth rates of recent years.

Let us have the courage and the will to move forward, regardless of the difficulties and temporary setbacks. In times of difficulties we are stronger when we stand together!

Thank you for your trust!

Tsvetan Simeonov     
BCCI President