The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted the Euroclub traditional meeting, related to presenting the priorities of the EU Council Hungarian Presidency since 1 July 2024. The Programme included three topics of discussion: the results achieved in the period of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2024, the priorities of the EU Council Hungarian Presidency with the motto: "Let’s Make Europe Great Again" and the initiatives of the Hungarian-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce.
Mr Tsvetan Simeonov, President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the successful presidency of Belgium was not a surprise, bearing in mind the experience of the country which headed the EU Council for the 13th time. He underlined the fact that it’s a lot that Bulgaria can learn from Belgium in the area of state governance and stability. Mr Simeonov emphasised that we are tied to Hungary by common roots and good relations, which are reinforced by good cooperation between the Chambers of Commerce of both countries.
Prof. Ingrid Shikova, Chair of the Euroclub at BCCI, outlined the current topics in the European Union, and placed an accent on the Strategic Agenda presented for the period 2024 - 2029, which sets the EU’s priorities and its main orientations, including: strengthening competitiveness, increasing investments in the sectors of defence, agriculture and social policy, among others. As an important step for the business, she highlighted the appointment of a Vice President of the European Commission as coordinator for reducing bureaucracy.
Mr Vianney de Wouters d'Oplinter, Deputy Head of the Mission at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium, gave a positive evaluation to what Belgium did in the first half of 2024. He shared that the country had 3 main objectives: to finalise as many legislative records as possible before the elections for a new European Parliament in May this year, to tackle the ongoing crises and to start the preparation for the European institutions new mandate. You can find more information HERE.
H.E. Mr Miklós Boros, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Hungary, said that his country takes over the Presidency of the EU Council at a particularly important transitional moment for the EU. He presented the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency, focusing on the guiding principles important to the businesses and to Bulgaria. Ambassador Boros shared that Hungary supports the completion of the process for Bulgaria's full accession to Schengen and the Eurozone. He said that the important priorities are the following: the future of cohesion policy and reducing inequalities in the EU, as well as dealing with illegal migration. He also emphasised the need to place an accent on a European perspective for the Western Balkans. A detailed presentation can be found HERE.
Dr Rossen Tkatchenko, President of the Hungarian-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, presented the activities and initiatives of the Joint Chamber in view of Hungary's Presidency of the EU Council. He also presented the idea of establishing a Standing committee of the bilateral Chambers of Commerce of the EU Member States operating in Bulgaria. For more information, please look HERE.
Mr Tsvetan Simeonov closed the event, expressing hope that, in their new mandate, the European institutions will work actively to reduce bureaucracy and facilitate the import of labour from third countries. The BCCI President said that the priority for our country remains to join the Eurozone and achieve a full Schengen.