A general meeting of the Association of Balkan Chambers of Commerce was held in Thessaloniki

The Chairman of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry took part yesterday in the general meeting of the Association of Balkan Chambers /ABC/, held in Thessaloniki. In 2023, the Union of Greek Chambers of Commerce and Industry headed the organization, which has been in existence for three decades.

Representatives of the chambers of commerce from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, North Macedonia, Serbia, Romania, Turkey, Montenegro took part in the event.

Ioannis Masoutis, Chairman of the Union of Greek Chambers and the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry, hosted the event. He stated that the Association continues to maintain its mission - to assist the companies of the member countries in the development of their bilateral and multilateral relations and to help the liberalization of trade in the Balkans through specific proposals to the governments.

The Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs for Macedonia and Thrace Stathis Konstantinidis, the Governor of Central Macedonia Region Apostolos Tsitsikostas, the Mayor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Zervas took part in the event.

Representatives of the University of Macedonia, the Federation of Industries of Greece, and the Union of Turkish Chambers also took part in the discussion.

Tsvetan Simeonov addressed the participants, recalling the idea for the creation of the Association of Balkan Chambers, born in Bulgaria by the previous chairman of the BCCI Bozhidar Bozhinov in 1993. He pointed out that Bulgaria and BCCI continue to support the priorities of the European Union in the direction of expansion. Simeonov stated the interest of the BCCI to include women's entrepreneurship in the agenda of the next presidency of ABC.

The chairman of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also gave an economic overview of Bulgaria, introducing his colleagues to the low levels of business taxes, the development of the Bulgarian economy and attractive sectors for investment, as well as the country's preparations for joining the Eurozone, OECD and Schengen, together with Romania.

The Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of North Macedonia, Branko Azeski, will head the Association of Balkan Chambers next year. He said he would follow ABC's key priorities for the region to create greater economic growth. Growth, in turn, is of great importance for the implementation of infrastructure projects and the support that countries must provide to improve the economic environment throughout the region.

Exports, investments and infrastructure will be the focus of the presidency of the Chamber of Commerce of North Macedonia in 2024. The accession of the countries of the Western Balkans to the EU and the Eurozone will also be among the important topics next year.