NEWS

President Rosen Plevneliev: the State Will Respond with Reforms to the Correctness of the Business

The fact that President Pavlopoulos’ first state visit in the region is precisely to Bulgaria is a clear sign of the special relations between Bulgaria and Greece. We would like the Greek business to succeed and profit in Bulgaria and the Greek investments to increase – the Bulgarian people and state will also benefit from these. This is what President Rosen Plevneliev said at a meeting with representatives of the Bulgarian and Greek businesses within the framework of the state visit of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos. The two heads of state opened the meeting organized by the Greek Business Council in Bulgaria, which marks 10 years since it was set up in our country.  

President Plevneliev said that Greek investments are a factor in the Bulgarian economy that cannot be disregarded. 11,500 Greek companies provide more than 40,000 jobs, and the Greek business is a leading one in strategic sectors in the Bulgarian economy, such as the banking sector, machine building, trade and food production, textile industry, real estates and many others.

“We will respond to the correctness of the business by conducting reforms and ensuring stability, the Head of State said. “I am sure that the stability in the economy achieved in the past year will continue and the planned reforms will be implemented,” the President said and recalled that reforms in the Security sector, in the pension system and in the energy sector were conducted in 2015. Continuing the reform of the Bulgarian justice system, of the healthcare, energy, education and water sectors is on the agenda in 2016.

“The ambitious program for the modernization of Bulgaria will continue,” the President assured representatives of the business from the two countries. The EU funds allocated to the regions will increase by 2020 and about 15 billion euros from the EU funds will be invested in the country’s modernization. The President also expects a higher than the forecast economic growth rate, driven by the growth of the domestic consumption and the decline of the unemployment rate. The investments in strategic infrastructure – highways, energy connectivity projects, new border checkpoints, will also continue, the President added.  

The Head of State highlighted Bulgaria and Greece as the engines of the European integration of the Western Balkan countries. “Integration opens up new horizons in a region with 12 countries and a population of 150 million people. This is a dynamic market and we will pool efforts to ensure that the positive development of the region continues, in line with European values, with the principles of good-neighborliness and with the principle that history should be respected, not manipulated,” President Rosen Plevneliev said.

The Head of State reiterated that the solution to the migration crisis lies in strengthening the control over the external EU borders, pan-European solidarity and solutions of the migration problem, and also in drawing a clear distinction between economic immigrants and those who are escaping from the horrors of war. “These solutions will become possible also thanks to the efforts of Bulgaria and Greece,” Rosen Plevneliev said.

The President assured that the Bulgarian state is a partner of the Greek business and at the same time encouraged the Bulgarian companies to be more active and ambitious in the region. “Together we are stronger and we can work at third markets,” the Bulgarian President further said.

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, for his part, highlighted that the business environment in Bulgaria is better than that in Greece and welcomed the interest of the Greek companies in operating on the Bulgarian market. “Although the economic and political relations are very good, they could be even better. We are on the right road and we have already shown what development of trade and economic relations means by signing the final investment decision for building the gas inter-connector between the two countries,” the Greek president said and highlighted the importance of the project for the whole region’s energy independence.

President Pavlopoulos voiced Greece’s readiness to work on implementing additional projects on bilateral cooperation, including those within the framework of the Southeast European Cooperation Process, the chairmanship of which is currently held by Bulgaria. “We would like our neighbors to develop on their European road, to become aware of their European prospects and to work for meeting all criteria, as Greece and Bulgaria did before they joined the EU,” the Greek president said.

Prokopis Pavlopoulos reiterated Greece’s firm support for Bulgaria’s membership of the Schengen area and assured that Greece will also support Bulgaria’s future accession to the single European currency zone. “Greece will continue to support Bulgaria in its consistent European road. Bulgaria has proved that it has always followed this road showing a European mentality, respect and enjoying high prestige because it participates in the European project not only with its economy, but also with its culture. The Bulgarian people deserves its future in the European family and we will be among the first to support you,” President Prokopis Pavlopoulos further said.