Bulgaria may become the fifth door for Tunisia’s access to the EU markets

More than 50 companies from Bulgaria and Tunisia participated in a business forum held at the BCCI within the 14th session of the Bulgarian-Tunisian intergovernmental commission for economic and scientific-and-technical cooperation. The business forum was opened by Mr. Traycho Traykov – Minister of the Economy, Energetics and Tourism of Bulgaria, and Afif Shelby – Minister of Industry and Technolgies of Tunisia. Presented were companies from the foodstuff and the chemical industry, agriculture, building, renewable energy resources, tourism, textile production, etc.

Mr. Georgi Stoev – Vice President of the BCCI, and Mr. Ali Slama – Vice President of the Union of Industry, Commerce and Crafts of Tunisia (UTIСA) signed an agreement for cooperation. The business forum presented the advantages of investing in the economies of the two countries and the possibilities of increasing the commodity exchange.

It is a pity that now Tunisia’s investments in the Bulgarian economy should be reduced to the price of a flat in the center of Sofia. We want to encourage and restore the commercial positions of Bulgaria – said at the forum the Minister of Economy, Energetics and Tourism, Traycho Traykov. We welcome our partners from Tunisia and they welcome us, the important thing is to work towards increasing the commodity axchange and restoring it to the levels of more than an year ago. Minister Traykov reminded that Bulgaria and Tunisia have a wide potential for cooperation in the field of mining, agriculture, light industry, construction of equipment for renewable energy resources and tourism. These themes were discussed during the talks with the Minister of Industry and Technologies of the Republic of Tunisia Mr. Afif Shelby.

Minister Traykov underlined that Bulgaria and Tunisia create a good framework for partnership with the signature of agreements in the field of tourism, for cooperation between the agencies for SMEs promotion, for removal of the visas for holders of diplomatic, special and official passports.

The two countries have a wide potential to intensify their cooperation also in the context of the Mediterranean states – EU partnership, so that Bulgaria may become the fifth door for access of Tunisia’s produce to the EU markets – added Minister Traykov. Within the Bulgarian-Tunisian forum at the BCCI, he noted Bulgaria’s potential as attractive destination for cultural tourism, SPA and winter tourism, as well as the possibilities for cooperation in the mining industry, light industry, and energetics on the Bulgarian part, and on the Tunisian part – for cooperation in the areas of light industry, agriculture and food production.

By statistical data in 2009 Tunisia ranks 34th in Bulgaria’s export and 72nd in Bulgaria’s import. The bilateral commodity exchange amounts to 83.95 million USD, including export at 75.64 million USD and import at 8.31 million USD.