Traditional meeting of the EU Club at BCCI dedicated to the Estonian Presidency of the Council of EU

The regular meeting of the EU Club at BCCI on the occasion of the assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the EU by the Republic of Estonia once again brought together diplomats, representatives of business and institutions. The event was organized with the support of Enterprise Europe Network under the motto “Europe in Development”. The focus of the meeting was on the widely discussed 5 scenarios for the future of Europe outlined in the European Commission’s White Paper published on 1 March 2017.

The Secretary General of BCCI Vasil Todorov welcomed the guests and gave the floor to the President of the EU Club – Prof. Ingrid Shikova. She expressed confidence in the future success of the new trio Estonia, Bulgaria and Austria, which adopted a common programme for the Presidency of the Council of the EU.

In his presentation, Prof. Lino Bianco summarized the results achieved during the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU, presenting 13 priority sectors in which Malta has achieved excellent results. The Ambassador informed the guests about cultural and other events related to the Presidency held in Bulgaria, saying that the previous six months were not easy given the limited funds and time.

The event continued with a presentation by H.E. Ants Frosch, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Estonia, on the priorities of the Estonian Presidency. The Ambassador outlined the priorities over the next six months, namely: digitisation and free flow of data, security, open and innovative economy, inclusive and sustainable Europe.

BCCI’s European Integration and European Affairs Advisor Beata Papazova presented the five scenarios that will help guide the debates on the future of Europe and give an insight into the potential status of the European Union by 2025.

BCCI’s Economic Analyst Olga Chugunska introduced the guests to the results of a business survey on the most preferred scenario. The conclusion was that business sees as most positive scenario 1 (Carrying on, where the EU sticks to its course, implementing and upgrading its current agenda without changes in relation to the single market, Schengen, migration and security, with partly modernised budget) and scenario 5 (Doing much more together, strengthening the single market, achieving economic and fiscal union, with the EU laying down the rules for trade with third countries, creating a European Defence Union, significantly modernising and increasing the budget).

At the end of the meeting the Secretary General of the Chamber expressed optimism about the future development of our relations with Estonia and called for support for Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area and the ERM II mechanism, as a step towards adoption of the Euro. The Secretary General pointed out that Bulgaria will also support Estonia in its responsible mission, especially with regard to digitisation, as the newly-appointed European Commissioner of Bulgarian Maria Gabriel is responsible for digital economy and society.

The event continued with informal talks and an exhibition of Bulgarian paintings at BCCI.