• The focus of the Association's activities in 2025 will remain focused on the transport connectivity in the Balkans and the trade and economic integration of the countries in the region.
• The Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro will chair the Association in 2025.
Dr. Vasil Todorov, Vice President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), participated in the General Assembly of the Association of Balkan Chambers (ABC), which took place at the end of last week in Skopje. The event was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of North Macedonia, which presided over the ABC in 2024. The focus of the past presidency was on exports, investments, and infrastructure as key drivers of increased productivity and growth, which facilitate the trade and connectivity while promoting enhanced economic cooperation in the region.
Vasil Todorov actively participated in the discussions and underlined that BCCI collaborates with national and international partners to create a more favorable environment for entrepreneurship, investment growth, and sustainable development. The BCCI's strategic objectives for the 2024–2028 period include enhancing the competitiveness of goods and services at both national and regional levels, developing the flexible employment models, fostering the youth employment, aligning the work opportunities with higher education, qualification and retraining, creation of high-tech, high-productivity jobs, ensuring of sustainable national economic growth, and strengthening of the regional and international partnerships to stimulate the investment activity.
Antoni Peshev, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce of North Macedonia, welcomed the participants—representatives of chambers of commerce and industry from Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Serbia, Romania, and Turkey. He stressed that transport connectivity among the Balkan countries is crucial for facilitating the trade, accelerating the transportation, and ensuring more effective regional integration. This, in turn, enhances the competitiveness of the companies and improves the conditions for doing business.
Peshev also addressed the significant challenges facing the global economy in 2025, including the unpredictability of the business environment and rising of the tariffs, which could negatively impact the enterprises with global supply chains.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport of North Macedonia, Aleksandar Nikoloski, also attended the General Assembly of the Association of Balkan Chambers. He emphasized that North Macedonia has launched an infrastructure development program to leverage its strategic location in the Balkans and bring economic benefits to both the country and the region. The program includes improvements over the border crossings, the key transport corridors, and achievement of better connectivity.
Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and President of the World Federation of Chambers, also participated in the event. He highlighted that the Balkans, as a region with a rich history, culture, and economic potential, has long been at the crossroads of the global trade routes. However, to fully capitalize on this strategic position, the modern, efficient, and interconnected infrastructure is not just an advantage but a necessity.
During the discussions on the transport connectivity in the Balkans, the regional chambers of commerce jointly concluded that the competitiveness requires improved infrastructure, particularly road and railway transport corridors. The ultimate goal remains the full integration of the region’s transport sector into the EU transport market.
Considering the priorities of the Association for Regional Connectivity, the progress made in implementing the Green Lanes between the EU and the Western Balkans was welcomed, along with a call for their full application at all relevant borders in full compliance with the EU regulations.
However, the challenges continue, and infrastructure gaps remain evident. Addressing these issues is not only critical for separate countries but also essential for the region’s ability to compete globally and attract new investments, the participants concluded.
The event also included discussions on the current economic environment in the Balkan countries, their prospects for EU accession, and the broader issue of trade and economic integration in the region.
In 2025, the Association of Balkan Chambers will be chaired by the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro.