The Secretary General of the BCCI took part in the delegation accompanying the Head of State Rumen Radev during his visit to Vienna

Vasil Todorov, Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was part of the business delegation accompanying the Head of State Rumen Radev to Vienna, Austria. The visit was in response to the invitation of the Austrian Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer and a round table was organized by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) as part of the program. The event was attended by representatives of the Bulgarian and Austrian business in the field of energy, the banking sector, the automotive industry and the high technologies.

The round table was opened by the Secretary General of the Austrian Chamber - Karlheinz Kopf. President Rumen Radev pointed out that during the crisis the Bulgarian businesses had to overcome and did overcome a number of challenges and today they can offer good opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships.

Another accent in the address of the President were the energy resources, the energy sector and the green transition. He indicated to the business representatives that the predictability in the energy sector in our country was achieved thanks to the enhanced security of the energy resources supply and the low prices of electricity.

President Rumen Radev outlined the use of high technologies in the field of the financial and banking sectors and the automotive industry as potential areas of bilateral cooperation. The president maintained that "the highest recognition of what Bulgaria has achieved is the fact that more and more car companies are opening their research and development centers in Bulgaria, which is a good opportunity for our engineers and companies".

President Radev highlighted the stable indicators of the Bulgarian economy, the economic growth of 3.4% for year 2022, foreign debt to GDP low ratio, the export and industrial production surge, as well as the qualified workforce as Bulgaria’s competitive advantages in Europe.

Vasil Todorov presented the BCCI's vision for the development of bilateral trade and economic relations in the framework of the active cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce of Austria and the commitment of both institutions to promote the trade and investment initiatives between Bulgaria and Austria.

The General Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry accentuated on the importance of the support the Austrian business and the Chamber of Commerce credited to the accession of Bulgaria to the Schengen area as a pivotal additional incentive for the development of the trade between the two countries.