ABEO and the Minister of Economy and Industry will prepare a work plan for the National Economic Council and measures to accelerate economic growth
The Association of Bulgarian Employers' Organizations (ABEO) and the Minister of Economy and Industry Petar Dilov will prepare a work plan for the National Economic Council under the Council of Ministers and will propose measures to ease the administrative burden for business. In addition to the Minister of Economy and Industry and nationally representative employer organizations, the National Economic Council also includes representatives of ten more ministries. Among them are those of finance, labor and social policy, education and science, regional development and public works, environment and water, etc.
During the meeting, the representatives of ABEO presented key priorities and measures for them to achieve a predictable economic environment, which in turn would contribute to increasing investments in the country and improving the competitiveness of Bulgarian enterprises.
Focus was placed on restoring macroeconomic, fiscal and tax stability, including preserving the tax and social security model, which is among the main advantages of the Bulgarian economy. Representatives of the employers' organizations called for the introduction of a cost-recovery principle in determining fees and a reduction in the 900 regulatory regimes that create a bureaucratic "avalanche" for economically active enterprises in our country.
According to the AOBR, it is high time that our country began to apply the "polluter pays" principle in determining the "Household Waste" fee. The introduction of this mechanism was determined in 2015 and has been constantly postponed since then. In Bulgaria, waste management costs continue to be based on the tax values of properties, without taking into account truly relevant parameters such as the amount of household waste. Currently, our country is the only one in the EU that has not introduced this principle and is following a punitive procedure.
Representatives of the employers' organizations discussed with Minister Petar Dilov the possibility of Bulgaria introducing various mechanisms through which Bulgarian enterprises would have an affordable price for electricity. Among them were the automation of the compensation mechanism for non-household consumers in crisis situations with the price of electricity, as well as various instruments to support energy-intensive companies.
"My team from the Ministry of Economy and Industry and I will make every effort to solve both short-term problems and launch long-term initiatives to improve the economic situation. Our main tasks continue to be reducing the administrative burden, digitalizing enterprises, and addressing regional imbalances. In the medium term, priority will be placed on the creation and development of industrial parks, stimulating green technologies and sustainable production," said Minister Dilov.
The meeting also discussed the new EU industrial strategy, including Bulgarian priorities, the need to recalibrate the Green Deal, easing the immigration of workers from third countries and accelerating the issuance of Single Permits for the import of employees, introducing more administrative electronic services to minimize direct contact between companies and public administration officials in order to reduce bureaucratic and corrupt practices, mechanisms for ensuring affordable electricity, as well as the mandatory introduction of an assessment of the impact on competitiveness when adopting each new regulatory act.