"I hope that there will be sustainable governance after these elections and that we do not have to go to elections again. Our ambition is to form a serious and sustainable governance, and this means that we must immediately work on a governance program and that Bulgarian business should be at its core." This was said by President Rumen Radev, leader of the Progressive Bulgaria coalition, during a meeting with the Association of Bulgarian Employers' Organizations (AOBЕ [1]), which was attended by the chairmen of the four nationally representative employer organizations - Rumen Radev (BICA), Dobri Mitrev (BIA), Tsvetan Simeonov (BCCI) and Kiril Domuschiev (CEIBG). On the part of Progressive Bulgaria, Galab Donev, Konstantin Prodanov, Rumyana Petrova, Ivan Vassilev and Alexander Pulev also participated in the meeting. The meeting was part of a series of talks initiated by the AOBR with the political forces that, according to sociological surveys, have a chance of overcoming the 4 percent barrier to enter the National Assembly in the upcoming April 19 parliamentary elections.
During the meeting, the AOBE representatives presented the main priorities of employers in the areas of tax policy, business environment, energy, education, labor market, etc. The key priorities were the predictability of the business environment and the sustainability of the tax and social security model, as well as measures to counteract price shocks in the energy sector.
For his part, the leader of Progressive Bulgaria Rumen Radev thanked for the fruitful cooperation during his presidential terms and emphasized that the election program of the political force he represents largely coincides with the priorities of the AOBE. "The philosophy of our program is very clear - predictability, tax stability, a priority for the Bulgarian manufacturer. At the forefront of our program is support for Bulgarian business. A foreign investor can do a lot, bring technologies and good business practices, but as he came, so he can leave. But the Bulgarian investor remains. The added value he provides remains in Bulgaria," said Rumen Radev. He emphasized that "when we talk about a social state, we must keep in mind that only an economically strong state can be truly social. We are against the money continuing to come from loans for social programs and payments, because this leads to catastrophic effects for the country's economy." The leader of "Progressive Bulgaria" emphasized a special section in the coalition's program - protecting Bulgarian business not only from administrative burdens, but also from oligarchic racketeering. "We have shameful, shameful cases of asset seizure in a brutal manner. We want to stop this," explained Rumen Radev. Regarding the labor market, he noted that higher and secondary vocational education should provide a product that can be immediately implemented on the labor market, and not for Bulgarian business to invest funds in additional training. He also called for the implementation of active incentive policies regarding innovations and new technologies, the introduction of artificial intelligence in business, administration, and education, as well as for transforming Bulgarian exports into goods with high added value.
“Our country needs predictability and stability in management – constant changes do not bring anything good. Our hand is always extended not for a request, but for partnership,” the representatives of the AOBE emphasized in conclusion.
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[1] AOBЕ unites the nationally representative employer organizations BICA, BIA, BCCI and CEIBG. The main goal of the organization is to consolidate, balance and represent the interests of its members. Enterprises that are members of the AOBE produce 86% of the country's gross added value and employ 82% of all employees in our country.
