Address from Eduard Schwartz, Head of the Liaison Office of DIHK at ABC in Sofia

Ladies and gentlemen, dear exhibitors of the Balkan Partenariat,

The partnership project between the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and the Association of Balkan Chambers (ABC) is looking back into its more than two years long successful work.

This project which is funded by the German federal government has been launched under the umbrella of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe aiming to help the Balkan chamber organizations in strengthening the services for their members and giving on this way a contribution to the revitalization of the economic relations in South-East Europe and with Europe.

26 seminars and workshops with a participation of more then 500 experts from the ABC- member chambers, numerous conferences on important issues such as free trade, investments and infrastructure projects in South-East Europe, the new ABC information system, the carrying out of business meetings in the Balkan countries and in Germany, the training of chamber experts in german chambers of industry and commerce and not last also publications supporting the economic activities of small and medium sized enterprises are demonstrating the efforts of our partners to efficient benefit of the opportunities of this unique project.

The main point within the project was and is to support the efforts of the ABC in providing a help first of all to small and medium sized enterprises on their way to Europe.

The Balkan Partenariat which is carrying out in Sofia is uniting more then 100 companies from our partner countries on the Balkans and from Germany and is the up to date culmination of the activities of the DIHK-ABC partnership project.

We are confident that this entrepreneurs meeting and the German-South-East Forum on SME that is carrying out in this framework will give an excellent contribution to the regional economic development.

We have to thank first of all to the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for its professional organization of the event, to the current ABC presidency and to all other partners from the ABC system and Germany participating in its preparation.

The partnership project between DIHK and ABC will pay also in the future its high attention to the development of the regional economic relations and will realize appropriate activities in close co-operation with all project partners.

We wish to all participants in the Balkan Partenariat good business meetings and a lot of success in their economic activities.