Employers and President Rumen Radev discussed measures to save the economy

At a meeting between the nationally represented employers’ organisations in Bulgaria and the President Rumen Radev, emergency economic measures were discussed in relation to the complicated situation caused by the coronavirus and its impact on the business. The representatives of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (KRIB) were Eng. Iliyan Terziev, Chairman of the MB of Bulgarian Construction Chamber and member of the Board of Directors of the Confederation, as well as Rumyana Georgieva, Parliamentary Secretary and Head of KRIB's „Industrial relations” Department. The meeting was attended also by Radosvet Radev, President of the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA), Tsvetan Simeonov, President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Vasil Velev, President of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), as well as the Deputy Chairmen – of BICA Kancho Stoychev and of BIA – Stanislav Popdonchev. „The head of the state said: „Complex of measures will be needed to support the Bulgarian economy's health and its capacity for living after the coronavirus“. President Radev pointed out that together with the already imposed restrictive measures, is necessary to undertake measures to support the business, the most affected Bulgarian citizens and those currently losing their jobs and means of living. The state should pay off the delayed payments, due under public procurements. According to Bulgarian Industrial Association this is one of the measures for business to became stable in the conditions of the crisis, caused by the coronavirus. „We are not aware now about the degree of the impact on the particular economic sectors. Some work normally, others has stopped working, yet others are developing – like food delivery industry. The state is known as the most reliable payer and now it has to demonstrate its fairness by paying off all the due amounts under the various operational programmes and public procurements“, said Radosvet Radev. He added that public procurement limits have to be reconsidered, because this would ensure work for smaller companies. „It is important what Bulgaria will look like after the coronavirus. It would be good to extend the deadlines for payments and those related to tax declarations, as well as to pay attention to the banks on decreasing the levels of strictness. In construction business work from home is not applicable, but we will survive, as we have been doing even in severer crises“, commented Eng. Iliyan Terziev.