Dutch companies got acquainted with the advantages of Bulgaria as a business destination

The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as an associated World Trade Center Sofia  organized together with its partner the World Trade Center Leeuwarden, the Netherlands a webinar to present Bulgaria as a good destination for doing business.

The President of BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov emphasized the positive characteristics of the Bulgarian economic environment, including low taxes, low operating costs, the variety of sectors in which mutually beneficial business can be developed between Bulgarian and Dutch partners. He stressed that intolerance of corruption in the country is growing and EU criticism of this shortcoming is declining. The surveys conducted by BCCI and partner business organizations show that 95% of foreign companies that have already invested in Bulgaria are ready to expand their investments. Simeonov gave some valuable advice to Dutch companies preparing to develop business relations with Bulgarian partners, including: to consult the BCCI, the Registry Agency, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Sofia and the Embassy of Bulgaria in the Hague for assistance; to include an arbitration clause in their contracts and to keep in mind that the Bulgarian people are tolerant in many respects and companies are open for business.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Sofia H.E. Mrs. Bea Ten Tussher also addressed the participants in the event - more than 50 Dutch companies. She expressed her satisfaction with the joint work with the BCCI, as a result of which in 2020 she received the Chamber’s award for Ambassador of the Year. She stressed that the investments of a number of companies from the Netherlands in our country are very successful: Heineken, Jacobs, Philips, Motorola, etc. Ambassador Tussher paid special attention to agriculture and provided additional information on companies with interests in this field. The team of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Sofia also supported the event and offered assistance to companies willing to establish bilateral economic relations.

The Head of Bulgaria’s Commercial and Economic Section in the Hague Panko Panov was also among the participants in the webinar and confirmed his readiness to help companies from both countries.

The Executive Director of Invest Bulgaria Agenct Desislava Trifonova presented detailed information on investments in the country, the sectors that are promising at the moment, as well as the incentives provided by the state for investors.

The event continued with a very lively discussion with questions from the participants.