124 ECONOMY - FORUM - BULGARIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

President Plevneliev: "Let Us
Work for Better Business
Environment, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem"


Sofia, June 24 (BTA) - President Rosen Plevneliev Wednesday said
that the development of Bulgarian economy in unison with the
European requires work to be done on improving the business
environment and entrepreneurship ecosystem. He was speaking at
the opening of an international business forum on the role of
business organizations in support of entrepreneurship, organized
under the auspices of the head of State and marking the 120th
anniversary of the Bulgarian chambers of commerce.

Plevneliev underscored the important of placing
entrepreneurship, SMEs and innovative enterprises in the focus
of economic policies. In his words, there are many instruments
for support - the Juncker Plan, the Connecting Europe Facility,
the cross-border cooperation programmes, the EU-backed
operational programmes - and all of them will help improve the
investment environment, promote and support SMEs, and encourage
entrepreneurship.

Only together can the business community and institutions
achieve full transparency and efficiency in the management of
state and EU programmes and mechanisms, Plevneliev said. He
added that during the previous programming period of Operational
Programme Competitiveness, 7,000 SMEs received support and over
120 new Bulgarian companies were established.

The head of State noted the contribution of the chambers of
trade and industry to professional education and the opening of
the first high schools of commerce in Bulgaria, as well as the
need of reforms in education and of introducing strong
professional education.

Plevneliev conferred the Honorary Sign of the President on
Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Tsvetan
Simeonov on the occasion of the 120th anniversary.

Labour and Social Policy Minister Ivailo Kalfin, who also took
part in the business forum, said that one of the greatest
challenges facing Bulgaria is the creation of more sustainable
jobs in Bulgaria's priority sectors, which support the
innovative and ecological development of the economy.

Addressing the forum, International Labour Organization (ILO)
Director-General Guy Ryder put an emphasis on trilateral
dialogue. In his words, this was the best way for Bulgaria to
pass through the transition period to democracy and prepare for
EU membership. "We cannot deny the weight of the political
challenges facing Bulgaria and other ILO members," he said. "We
all want to see a lower unemployment level, particularly among
young people, higher economic growth and to be sure that all our
fellow citizens will not be at risk of poverty," he added.
Ryder recalled that trilateral dialogue cannot guarantee magical
solutions but that it is important to adopt and seek solutions
that are accepted by all partners.

Ryder also said that 40 million new jobs need to be created in
the world so as to cover everyone appearing on the job market.
In his words, this means an optimization of SMEs' potential. He
noted that this requires the establishment of a stimulating
environment that supports the growth of SMEs, which is also tied
to the provision of adequate regulation, a smaller number of
administrative procedures, access to loans, and safety at work.

Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva told the business forum
that Bulgaria cannot continue to be a two-speed nation when it
comes to education because this would inevitably have a lasting
negative effect on the economy. She expressed confidence that in
this respect the dialogue between the Government and the
business community will be exceptionally important in the
following months.

Kuneva confirmed that the Government's main priority is to
preserve the economic and financial stability, take active
measures aimed at achieving economic growth and conduct
long-term reforms. "It is no longer possible to postpone the
reforms in the judicial system, the fight against corruption,
the improvement of the legal framework for the business,
healthcare and education," she noted.

Also attending the forum were Bulgarian former presidents Peter
Stoyanov (1997-2002) and Georgi Purvanov (2002-2012).