Deputy Ministers of Economy Daniela Vezieva and Lyuben Petrov met with representatives of over 50 sector organizations, members of the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) and the Management Board of the BIA , which hosted and organized the meeting.
Deputy Minister Vezieva announced that the Ministry of Economy has targeted to reduce the administrative burden on business. She added that one of the key priorities of the Ministry of Economy is the electronic provision of administrative services aimed at efficient service to the business, reducing its administrative costs and opportunities for corruption.
Deputy Minister Lyuben Petrov said that set-up of a separate Ministry of Economy is an essential prerequisite to begin dealing with, as a matter of priority, improving the business environment. It was clear that the Ministry relies on feedback from business in order to achieve a better competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy whilst working together. He told summit participants the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations are in the initial phase, but the Ministry of Economy will stand firm the positions of the Bulgarian business.
Representatives of professional organizations raised a number of questions related to the regulatory environment and the improvement of the opportunities for doing business in Bulgaria. The high level of the informal economy, the lack of personnel for various industries and government intervention in wage were among the key issues discussed. They shared the opinion that the adoption of any single legal act shall be preceded by a qualitative assessment of its impact on the economy, as well as business representatives to be involved the evaluation process.
Another issue raised in the discussion, was the support of micro and small companies that operate under the same legislation as the large companies and are unable to successively meet the regulatory requirements. This is a prerequisite for thir entry into the infomal economy, the summit participants clearly stated. In this regard, Ms. Vezieva said the possibility of returning the patent regime for micro companies is under consideration.
The Ministry of Economy expressed readiness for an active dialogue with representatives of the business in order to improve the business environment. The participants agreed that separate meetings with any branch organizations will be further held to consider in depth the particular issues arisen within the sector.