The President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tsvetan Simeonov met with the newly appointed Head of the Commercial Section of the Austrian Embassy in Bulgaria Mr. Philippe-Giuseppe Kupfer.
Ms. Ulrike Straka, who occupied the position until now, also took part in the meeting. She has been awarded by the BCCI on several occasions for her assistance in the development of bilateral economic relations, as well as for her contribution to the implementation of the objectives of the BCCI. Ulrike Straka received the Annual Award for 2018 for activating the economic cooperation between Bulgaria and Austria, participated in numerous business forums, including on the occasion of the official visit of the President of the Republic of Austria Mr. Alexander Van der Bellen in Bulgaria.
Tsvetan Simeonov acquainted the newly appointed Head of the Commercial Section with the activities of the BCCI, the services provided by the Chamber online during the pandemic, as well as the active cooperation of the BCCI with the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and the Association of the European Chambers of Commerce and Industry /EUROCHAMBRES/.
During the working meeting, trade with Austria as an important and traditional partner of Bulgaria was discussed. According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy, our exports for 2020 amounted to EUR 536.6 million and imports from Austria amounted to EUR 821.9 million. Trade turnover amounted to EUR 1,358.6 million, registering a decline of 2.1% compared to last year.
Philippe-Giuseppe Kupfer informed about upcoming initiatives of the Commercial Section, including participation with a stand and a delegation during the exhibition for machines and technologies in metalworking MACHTECH & INNOTECH EXPO, which will be held in the period 14-17 September this year in Inter Expo Center, Sofia.