The Future of Europe: the Bulgarian Presidency 2018 and the Priorities of Bulgarian Business and Society
Discussion organized by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) - Sofia, the Information Office of the European Parliament in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum (BBLF) at the House of Europe in Sofia on 23.02.2017.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Denitsa Zlateva, who is responsible for the preparation of the Presidency in the caretaker government, Foreign Minister Rady Naydenov, Members of the European Parliament Eva Maydel and Georgi Pirinski, Josef Janning, Senior Analyst and Director of the ECFR - Berlin, and senior representatives of more than 30 member companies of the BFBL.
The discussion was moderated by Vessela Tcherneva, Director of ECFR - Sofia. "Europe's connectivity is what brings us together", she stressed and focused the discussion on the following questions - what coalitions will be created in the future EU, will there be a change in the treaties and how will Brexit affect the European and Bulgarian economy.
"The rotating presidency gives us the opportunity to show Bulgaria as a modern, responsible, well-integrated country in Europe", Radi Naydenov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in his speech. He also underlined all the positives that EU membership brings to Bulgaria, adding that the Union must be ready to respond to today's challenges. "Brexit demonstrates that Europe needs to be more pragmatic, with more visible benefits and responding to citizens' perceptions," he said. Minister Naydenov announced that the Bulgarian government was considering Bulgaria's application to the eurozone - an idea that was clearly supported by business representatives.
Georgi Pirinski stressed that the UK's departure also means a smaller EU in terms of population, economy and political weight internationally. On the issue of innovation, he noted that the main problem in our country is the lack of an environment to stimulate their creation. Commenting on Bulgaria's role in the EU, Georgi Pirinski expressed the opinion that the country is a factor of stability in the Western Balkans and the Black Sea region. This first part of the discussion, which focused on the future of Europe, was also attended by expert Josef Janning. In his words, "the European Union today needs a political centre - an informal group of member states ready to act on key issues".
"Before the EU we will defend the need for good education, job creation and preserving freedom of movement," Deputy Prime Minister Denitsa Zlateva stressed in the second part of the event, dedicated to the country's priorities. "Within the Bulgarian presidency, we want to bet on the principle of 'think small' in terms of business," she added.
MEP Eva Maidel highlights the need to remove obstacles to the creation of a single digital and energy market in the EU. She stressed that the voice of the Bulgarian business should be heard in Brussels and recommended Bulgarian companies to attend the forums there not only through the organisations they are members of, but also in person. Eva Maidel also touched upon the topics of education, vocational training and economic growth.
Business representatives also took part in the different panels. "Businesses can provide expert assistance to the institutions in formulating national priorities with concrete proposals," said Kamelia Slaveikova, member of the BFBL Board and CEO of Shell Bulgaria.
The business leaders joined the dialogue with their opinions, comments and recommendations on many issues. The parties committed to continue their cooperation in future meetings between interested companies from different industries and representatives of the executive branch to discuss in depth the formulation and implementation of the priorities of the Bulgarian EU Presidency in 2018.