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Guidelines for the Activity 2009-2014

商会章程
道德准则
2014-2018活动指南

XXXII General Assembly of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

GUIDELINES

for the ACTIVITY of the BULGARIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
for the period 2009 - 2014

 

The members of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry – regional chambers, branch organizations, firms, non-profit organizations – participants in the 32nd General Meeting of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) held on 17th June 2009, in fulfillment of powers according to Article 23, Paragraph 1, Item 2 of the BCCI’s Statutes,

LED BY THE WISH TO:

  • Preserve the stability of the Bulgarian economy, improve the business conditions and the attractiveness of the economic environment in the Republic of Bulgaria ;
  • Curtail the consequences of the world economic and financial crisis for Bulgaria and ensure a speedy economic recovery in its aftermath ;
  • Secure the stability of the country’s energy system ;
  • Improve trilateral cooperation, inclusive of achieving a better balance in the relations between workers/employees and employers, and shared rights and responsibilities for the firm’s economic results;
  • Preserve the BCCI’s capacity, and optimize and enhance the efficiency, types and quality of the BCCI’s services and its role in upholding the business circles’ interests.

JOIN THEIR EFFORTS AT THE BCCI TO ACHIEVE RESULTS IN THE FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS:

  1. GUARANTEEING THE MACROECONOMIC STABILITY
    1. Abide by the rules of the currency board till the Republic of Bulgaria’s accession to the Eurozone.
    2. Take the necessary steps for Bulgaria’ accelerated accession to the Eurozone.
    3. Limit the funds redistributed by the budget to a maximum of 35 % of the GDP.
    4. Carry out reforms to enhance the efficiency and tangibly reduce the expenses in the public sector.
       
  2. IMPROVEMENT OF THE CONDITIONS FOR ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND CURTAILMENT OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS’ CONSEQUENCES FOR THE BULGARIAN BUSINESS
    1. Sharp reduction in the number of regulative regimes, transfer of registration regimes to branch organizations according to a legally stipulated procedure .
    2. Strict observation of the normative requirement (Law on the normative acts) for preliminary assessment of the impact of normative acts projects .
    3. Enhancing the control on the observance of the taxation, insurance and customs regime (especially regarding commodity importation at reduced prices and commodities that violate industrial property rights), fast execution of administrative and punitive sanctions upon violations, in order to strongly curb the grey sector and corruption .
    4. Tangible reduction of administrative charges, as well as argumentation and validity in the determination of their size.
    5. Enhancing the transparency of the public procurement procedure by including in the assessment commissions branch organizations’ representatives and widening the range of data entered in the public procurement register ; in public procurement assignments, not to admit participation of foreign firms from non-European countries without reciprocal access for Bulgarian firms to public procurement assignments, nor companies using direct or indirect assistance through public resources.
    6. Definition of concrete commitments for:
      • Accelerated construction and improvement of the main infrastructure ( railway, road, marine, river and airport ), both on the territory of Bulgaria and regarding its connections with neighboring Balkan states and Central Europe;
      • Restructuring and effective regulation of monopoly activities and introducing requirements for monopoly companies, public services suppliers and state enterprises for disclosure of information as public companies.
    7. Elaboration of a package of measures and active implementation of a “Choose the Bulgarian” campaign to promote consumption of goods and services produced in Bulgaria, including for the purpose of anti-import effect, within the framework of our country’s international agreements.
    8. Review of the implementation policies regarding the rules and regimes for state assistance, with the priority of securing a maximal degree of support to the business (particularly for start-up small and medium enterprises) within the framework of the existing European regulations.
    9. Acceleration of the administrative servicing procedures via electronisation of documents; standardization and simplification of all procedures and services administered by local or state authorities – for example collection of all payments relevant to working salaries ( social insurance, health insurance from the firms, health insurance from the workers) with the National Revenues Agency to be effected via single bank payment order in a single item , and automatic distribution of the sums at the National Revenues Agency in the stipulated ratios.
    10. Discussion with the Association of the Banks in Bulgaria on the issue of credit interests alleviation.
       
  3. ENHANCING THE ASSIMILATION OF EUROPEAN FUNDS’ RESOURCES AND THE ROLE OF SOCIAL PARTNERS IN THE SUPERVISION COMMITTEES
    1. Ensuring greater transparency in the spending of European funds’ resources by increasing (to 50%) the number of social partners’ representatives in the Committees for surveillance of the operative programs and repealing the confidentiality requirement in the work of these committees.
    2. Accelerating the process of announcing new procedures for collecting project proposals with potential beneficiaries (and subcontractors) – the business and the social partners. Obligatory consultations with the interested parties in the preparation of projects with institutional beneficiaries under the operational programs, financed with resources from the European Structural Funds .
    3. Fast prosecution of officials, faulty for suspension or detention of European funding.
       
  4. EFFICIENCY OF THE ADMINISTRATION
    1. Liberation of administrative capacity and reduction of the economic expenses, via:
      • Transfer of the lighter regulative regimes from the state bodies to branch organizations, on competitive basis and with lawfully determined criteria – adoption of a Branch Organizations Act ;
      • Dispensing the state institutions from information, consultancy and other services, by a principal ban that such services be carried out by institutions financed by the budget of the Republic of Bulgaria or the budget of EU institutions, when such services are provided against payment by non-governmental organizations and firms. If this is necessary for the realization of policies adopted by the government, their execution should take place according to the public procurement procedure and the conditions for utilizing resources from the European Funds ;
      • Actual introduction of the “tacit consent” principle into the special laws ; a regulated procedure for proving the tacit consent.
    2. Elimination of the restrictions on the reception business hours of services, servicing companies and citizens within the administration’s total working hours .
    3. Property (personal and institutional) responsibility of the administrative servants for not responding in due time to lodged-in complaints, signals and enquiries.
    4. Reciprocal responsibilities of the state bodies, physical and juridical persons for inaccurately, or not fully, or partially fulfilled obligations of their employees ; reciprocal personal responsibility of the guilty state employees, in order to guarantee enhancement of the state system and just accounting of every public administration employee’s contribution .
    5. Efficient opposition against corruption – with preventive activity against the restriction of the possibilities for expedient decision-making by the employees in the public sector, perseverance by the state bodies in its establishment, penal prosecution and serving a term of imprisonment ;
    6. Obligation of the NPOs to motivate their proposals to the administration. Reciprocal obligation of the administration to report on the fulfillment of assumed commitments and obligations, and stating reasons upon non-acceptance of proposals or non-fulfillment of assumed obligations.
       
  5. PROVISION OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES AND RESERVES THROUGH ASSISTANCE UPON:
    1. Adoption of Bulgaria’s energy strategy, reflecting the long-term interests of suppliers and consumers in the main economic sectors, and including:
      • Dramatic increase in the efficiency of the energy system – both production and conveyance ;
      • Connecting the gas-conveyance networks of the individual European states;
      • Commitment to stipulate promotion measures for the construction of standby gas economies of the enterprises and for the availability of alternative energy source in newly-built enterprises ;
      • Principles/instruments to finance the enterprises in order to maintain alternative fuel resources ensuring their normal operation process for 15 days.
    2. Elaboration/adoption of normative acts for:
      • A change in the mechanism of determining the state-regulated prices of energy-carriers ;
      • Changes in the Law on Energetics , orientated towards protecting the Bulgarian firms’ rights and interests upon unjustified suspension of deliveries ;
      • Regulating possibilities for the granting of tied credits (Development Bank) to the firms for purchase of alternative fuels ;
      • Reducing the excise of propane-butane to the minimum for the EU countries .
    3. Development of measures to secure future investments for :
      • The Chiren depository, ensuring daily output of natural gas, satisfying up to 70 % of the daily-average consumption during the autumn-and-winter period ; construction of a new underground gas depository in the Galata region to provide for additional reserves for the economy;
      • Connecting the gas system of Bulgaria with those of Greece and the three gas-pipelines of Romania with resources provided by the European commission for coping with the world financial crisis ;
      • Building-up liquefied-gas terminals of regional significance outside the Black Sea aquatory .
    4. Periodical analysis of the reasons for detention of concessions for exploration and output of natural gas and other energy resources and proclaiming new ones in view of ensuring permanent local sources of energy raws;
    5. Transparency and public awareness of the progress on inter-state negotiations, and activating the Bulgarian participants to speed up the implementation of the international projects of South Stream and Nabuko ;
    6. Negotiating a sale of emission rights under the Kioto protocol in view of realizing appr. BGN 1 billion and supporting with a part of these incomes the implementation of projects for the reduction of their emissions.
       
  6. OPTIMIZATION OF THE TAXATION AND INSURANCE REGIME
    1. Accelerated introduction into the state bodies’ practice of the principle “The State – Example Of An Impeccable Payer”;
    2. Elimination of the 5 % tax on dividends and 5 % reduction of the tax on sole traders’ incomes.
    3. Elimination of the levy on business-trip costs exceeding the maximum set for the public sector ;
    4. Clear regulation for VAT exemption of payments between partners under EU-funded international projects ;
    5. Reducing the term for VAT refunding and setting clear deadlines and liabilities upon their non-observance on the part of taxation bodies as well ;
    6. Elimination of the joint liability for VAT, transparency in the actions of the taxation administration .
    7. Reducing the insurance burden on the firms and equal participation of employers and workers in the contribution to the pension funds, and preservation of the incentives for additional voluntary pension insurance.
       
  7. REGULATING BALANCED RELATIONS BETWEEN WORKERS, EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS BY:
    1. Balanced freedom of negotiation in the worker/employee – employer relations.
    2. Establishment of a more flexible labor market, including simplified conditions for beginning and terminating the labor relations .
    3. Elaboration of a mechanism for the size of the minimal working salary. The basic criteria for its determination will be the growth of productivity and GDP per capita of the population.
    4. Standardized regulation of reciprocal labor-relations responsibilities for employer on one side and workers/employees on the other hand.
    5. Revocation of the employer’s obligations to finance production-extrinsic costs.
       
  8. IMPROVEMENT OF THE TRILATERAL COOPERATION
    1. Adherence to the regulations of the Labor Code and to its amendments where necessary, guaranteeing discussion at the National Trilateral Cooperation Council of all projects for normative acts on issues within its competence, including draft projects developed on the deputies’ initiative with the participation of all parties in the social dialogue .
    2. Developing the legislation in regard to agencies for temporary employment .
    3. Normative regulation of the work from a distance ( telework ).
    4. Equating the number of the state’s and municipalities’ representatives with those of the health-insured persons in the Meeting of the National Health Insurance Fund’s representatives.
       
  9. IMPROVEMENT OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
    1. Outlining and implementing efficient practical measures for a closer link between education/vocational training and the need of the economic entities .
    2. Simplifying the procedures for recognizing education acquired abroad and removing hindrances to recognizing education received in EU member-countries.
    3. Binding further investments in the education system with reform obligations also in the direction of modernizing the educational content, enhancing the qualification of teachers and masters, regulation of the public-and-private partnership .
    4. Promoting the vocational training in perspective and key branches for the economy – such as the high-technology professions.
       
  10. OPTIMIZING AND ENHANCING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE BCCI’S ACTIVITY IN SUPPORTING THE BULGARIAN FIRMS
    1. Overall readjustment of the BCCI’s services and activity in the conditions of greater competition because of the firms’ increased needs for modern equipment and methods of operative management, including foreign trade, caused by the present crisis and necessary in the period of coming out of the crisis .
    2. Optimizing the operational criteria for the BCCI’s Unified System to improve the efficiency of operation in a system – with the members, the central power and the local state and municipal structures and the branch organizations. Improvement of the mutual exchange of information and good practices.
    3. Establishment of regional branch councils .
    4. Expanding the BCCI’s activity towards enhancing the business entities’ awareness of the conditions for applying with projects under EU programs , including assistance in the preparation of concrete projects.
    5. Purposeful efforts to attract new members at the BCCI – competent and well-managed firms and NPOs.
    6. Continuing the efforts towards expanding the assistance and the forms of cooperation with the international organizations, with measured transfer of the accents also towards new regions that are important for the long-term development of the Bulgarian economy.
    7. Creating possibilities to enhance the international contacts of the member-firms by organizing their participation in international forums at home and abroad.
    8. Expanding the participation in projects orientated towards achievements in favor of the firms.
    9. Harmonization and adequate use of the possibilities for expanding the BCCI’s services and capacity through participation in the international organizations and related foreign chambers.
    10. Expanding the BCCI’s activity with the international organizations where the BCCI is a member, including the Association of the World Trade Centers.