World Bank Mission confirmed partnership for sustainable growth of Bulgaria

On 5^th – 6^th May, nine Executive Directors of the World Bank Group, representing 72 member states, visited Bulgaria to get personally acquainted with the progress of the unique knowledge-based partnership in support of Bulgaria’s EU membership. The visit took place nearly a year after the World Bank Board approved a new Strategy for Partnership with Bulgaria and only several months after the signing of Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate the absorption of EU funds through provision of analytical and advisory services.

During the meetings the question of how Bulgaria could achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in order to improve its standard of living and equalize it to that of the European Union was discussed. The new partnership model based on analytical services in favour of developing and implementing strategies and projects within Operational Programmes financed by EU Structural funds was also subject of discussion.

The high-level World Bank Mission met with the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev, the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Simeon Dyankov and the Manager of the Bulgarian National Bank Ivan Iskrov.

The President of BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov, together with representatives of the non-governmental and private sector, participated in one of the meetings with the delegation of World Bank Group Executive Directors. *

On the photo (left to right) part of the World Bank Mission Executive Directors: The speaker of the delegation Hassan A. Taha - Executive Director from Sudan, representing Botswana, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia (unofficially), Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda,  Zambia, and Zimbabwe; Ruud Treffers - Executive Director from the Kingdom of the Netherlands representing Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Romania, and Ukraine; Shaolin Yang - Executive Director for China and Vadim Grishin - Executive Director for the Russian Federation

* The World Bank Mission Executive Directors that visited Bulgaria were:

Marta Garcia Jaurequi - Executive Director for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain, and República Bolivariana de Venezuela

Vadim Grishin - Executive Director for the Russian Federation

Marie-Lucie Morin - Executive Director representing Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Iceland, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Ian H. Solomon - the U.S. Executive Director

Hassan A. Taha - Executive Director representing Botswana, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia,  Kenya,   Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda,  Zambia, and Zimbabwe 

Shaolin Yang - Executive Director for China 

In-Kang Cho - Alternate Executive Director representing Australia, Cambodia, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu

Stewart James - Alternate Executive Director for United Kingdom

Ruud Treffers - Executive Director representing Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Romania, and Ukraine