60 Days of Caretaker Cabinet

Transcription

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60 Days of Caretaker Cabinet
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Business Park Sofia, Mladost 4 Area, Building 2, Floor 6, 1766 Sofia
Te l . : ( 3 5 9 2 ) 97 4 2 7 4 3 F a x : ( 3 5 9 2 ) 97 4 2 7 4 1
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homepage: www.amcham.bg
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e d i t o r i a l
Dear Reader,
After the protest wave and resignation of Boyko Borissov’s government,
Bulgaria is in the hands of a caretaker government for the next two or
three months. This, as the President of the European Commission Jose
Barroso said, is a normal democratic process. Now Marin Raykov’s government has as its main task to ensure continuing political and economic stability, and prepare the elections on May 12.
We all hope that Prime Minister Raykov will succeed in this undertaking
(read more about the challenges he faces on Page 4). We also wish the
best of luck to Roman Vassilev, the new minister for electronic government, who has been a member of AmCham Board of Directors and is
now leaving this position to concentrate on his new assignment. Vassilev
is certainly well attuned to the business community’s desire for a better
functioning system of electronic governance, which will cut down on the
red tape. Businesses of all sizes should also appreciate the stabilization
of the political system despite all street demonstrations and unrest.
Change for the sake of change is never good; some of the ideas floating in the public space
about a complete overhaul of the “political model” are unclear, confusing and outright disturbing.
Political parties – as trite, boring and used-up they may seem – are still the best way to represent
various interests in the socieity. This arrangement works in all developed democratic nations in
Europe, Asia and the Americas.
AmCham Bulgaria Magazine
Such a system at least makes it clear what unites the supporters of a certain ideology, how they
structure their political organization; in case on an electoral victory, we know who assumes
responsitiliby for the country’s governance. The desire of street protestors to participate directly
in day-to-day decisions of the government is understandable, and citizens by default are the
ones who should keep those in power accountable. No other practical way for this exists, though,
except through one of the nearly 200 political parties in Bulgaria. Or, alternately, any civic group
can create a new party completely representing its interests. Anything else – for instance, trying
to rule through incessant referendums – would be an untested, unproven, and utterly problematic way to run a country.
How can we hold responsible someone who enters the government of the wave of discontent but
all we have to contact this person is a Facebook profile and cell phone number? What if he/she
runs out of prepaid minutes tomorrow or moves e-mail address from everyone.net to everybody.
com?
p a g e
Sincerely,
Milen Marchev
Editor-in-Chief
M a r c h 2 0 13
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AmCham Bulgaria Magazine is a primary forum for political and economic analyses, news, viewpoints as well as for the presentation of new
business opportunities. The articles in the AmCham Bulgaria Magazine express the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
position of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria.
Publisher
Writers:
American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria
Business Park Sofia, Mladost 4 Area
Boyko Vassilev, Marina Tzvetkova,
Mina Georgieva, Panayot Angarev,
Building 2, Floor 6, Sofia 1766, Bulgaria
Yuliana Boncheva
Tel.: +359 (2) 9742 743
Fax: +359 (2) 9742 741
e-mail: [email protected]
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Nadejda Vakareeva, [email protected]
Editor-in-Chief
AmCham Bulgaria Magazine:
Milen Marchev, [email protected]
Milen Marchev
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Christopher Karadjov
The AmCham Bulgaria Magazine reaches a broad audience of AmCham members, leading US, Bulgarian and
Senior Editor:
Irina Bacheva
international companies, US and Bulgarian decision-makers, all AmChams around the world.
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ISSN 1312-935X
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a m c h a m
Contents
c o v e r
s t o r y
Board of Directors
of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria
President
Vice President
Mr. Peter Lithgow
Mr. Daniel Berg
Vice President
Treasurer
Mr. Alex Nestor
Ms. Petya Dimitrova
AES Corporation
European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (EBRD)
Dundee Precious Metals Inc.
Eurobank EFG Bulgaria
Members
Mr. Levon Hampartzoumian
Mr. Borislav Dimitrov
Ms. Mihaela Kalaydjieva
Ms. Krassimira Chemishanska
Mr. David Butts
Mr. Sergey Koinov
Mr. Solomon Passy
UniCredit Bulbank
Cisco Systems Bulgaria
Vivacom
Amgen Bulgaria
CMS Cameron McKenna EOOD
Forton International
Atlantic Club Bulgaria
Caretaker Government to Balance
Financial Stability, Unemployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
By Marina Georgieva
Foreign Media on Bulgaria’s Crisis:
Threshold of Social Endurance Reached . . . . . . . .10
a n a l y s i s
Silver Lining in Delaying Schengen . . . . . . . . . . . .12
a m c h a m
e v e n t s
Discover U.S. Expo Offers Advice
on Travel, Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
i n t e r v i e w
Get off the Beaten Track,
Discover Small U.S. Towns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
By Irina Bacheva
a m c h a m
e v e n t s
Seven Members Elected
at AmCham BoD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
n e w s
Amgen Launches Biotech Academy. . . . . . . . . . . .24
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m e m b e r s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Club 50 Plus
Zobele Bulgaria Eood
s p o r t s
Diplomats, Entrepreneurs Compete
at AmCham Ski Tournament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
u s
n e w s
US Timken to Serve Bulgarian Customers . . . . . . . .32
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p a g e
3
M a r c h 2 0 13
a m c h a m
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3M Bulgaria EOOD
5W Communications
AA KRES EOOD
Abbott Products EOOD
ACO Building Elements
Ltd.
Adecco Bulgaria ltd.
Advance International Transport (Balkan) EAD
AES Corporation
AFA OOD
AGORA-IN Ltd.
AIG Europe Limited
AIMS Human Capital
Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG
Albena
AD
Alfred C. Toepfer International Bulgaria EOOD
ALICO Bulgaria ZhZD EAD, a MetLife Inc. Company
All
Alliance One Tobacco Bulgaria
Allied Pickfords Bulgaria
Alpha Bank Bulgaria
Channels Communication
Amarant Bulgaria Ltd.
America for Bulgaria Foundation
American College of Sofia
American English Academy
American Research Center in Sofia
American University in Bulgaria (AUBG)
Amgen Bulgaria EOOD
AngloAON Bulgaria
APOLO Ltd.
Arco Capital Management LLC
Arexim Engineering
American School of Sofia
Ashtrom International Ltd.
Astra Zeneca Bulgaria EOOD
AT Engineering 2000 Ltd.
Atlantic Club Bulgaria
Atos IT Solutions and Services EOOD
Attica Media Bulgaria Ltd.
Aurubis Bulgaria AD
AVON Cosmetics
Bulgaria
Axway Bulgaria EOOD
Baker Tilly Bulgaria
Balkan Star Automotive EOOD
Ballistic Cell Ltd.
Baxter Bulgaria EOOD
Bayer Bulgaria EOOD
BC Serdon
BCD Travel Bulgaria
Bene Sofia EOOD
Berlitz Schools of Languages
BG Radio
BICA International Ltd.
BLD Asset Management
BMG Ltd.
BMW Vertiebs GmbH - Branch Bulgaria
BOYANOV & Co.
Braykov's Legal Office
British American Tobacco
Bulgaria
Brown Forman Beverages Worldwide Sofia Branch LLC
bTV Media Group
Bulgarian American Enterprise
Bulgarian Charities Aid Foundation (BCAF)
Bulgarian Development Bank
Bulgarian Executive Search
Fund
Association
Bulgarian Property Developments EOOD
Bulgarian VIP Travel Ltd.
BulPros Consulting JSC
Business Park Sofia EOOD
CallPoint New Europe AD
Carlsberg Bulgaria AD
Cefin
Business Intellect Ltd.
Bulgaria EOOD (IVECO dealer)
Center for the Study of Democracy
Cheque Dejeuner Bulgaria Ltd.
Chevrolet
Central & Eastern Europe LLC
Chevron Bulgaria Exporation and Production EOOD
Cisco Systems Bulgaria
Citibank N.A. - Sofia Branch
Club 50 Plus
CMS Cameron McKenna LLP - Bulgaria Branch
Coca-Cola HBC
Bulgaria AD
Coface Bulgaria Credit Management Services EOOD
COLLIERS International Bulgaria
Congress
Construction Management Group
Contitrans M Ltd.
ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 AD
Engineering Ltd.
Corstjens Worlwide Movers Group
Cr dit Agricole Bulgaria EAD
Curtis / Balkan Ltd.
Dalkia Bulgaria EAD
Danailov, Mihaleva, Nedelchev & Co.
Delchev & Partners Law Firm
Deloitte Bulgaria EOOD
Delta Mechanical
Branch Bulgaria
Deutsche Bank AG
Devin AD
DHL Express Bulgaria Ltd.
Diamed Ltd.
Dimitrov,
Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov, & Velichkov
Dobrev, Kinkin & Lyutskanov Law Firm
Dr. I.S. Greenberg
Petrov & Co.
Medical Center
Drujba Glassworks SA
Dundee Precious Metals Inc.
DuPont Bulgaria EOOD
E.ON Bulgaria
EcoPack Bulgaria AD
Edenred Bulgaria
Ekotoi - Service Ltd.
Ekzotika EOOD
Electron Progress
EAD
EAD
Elevat Ltd. Legal House
Eli Lilly and Company
Eltrak Bulgaria Ltd.
EMC Computer Systems Austria
Emerson Process Management
EnergoService AD
Engineeringservice Sofia Ltd.
ERATO HOLDING
GmbH
Plc
Ernst & Young Bulgaria EOOD
Etap Adress
Eurobank Bulgaria
Eurohold Bulgaria
EurOmax
Resources Ltd.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
European Trade Center EOOD
Expat Capital
Experian Bulgaria EAD
FairPlay International
Fama Consulting OOD
Flying Cargo Bulgaria
Ltd. - Licensee of FedEx
Force Delta Ltd.
Forton International AD
GAEA - Green Alternative Energy Assets
Gasstroymontaj Jsc
GEFCO Bulgaria EOOD
General Electric International
Geostroy AD
EAD
Geotechmin OOD
Geotrading Ltd.
GIFTA
GlaxoSmithKline
Grand Hotel Sofia
GTC Yuzhen Park
Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria Ltd.
HILD Asset Bulgaria Jsc.
Hilton Sofia
Honeywell EOOD
Hotel
EAD
Yastrebets Wellness & SPA
IBM Bulgaria
IBS Bulgaria Ltd.
ICAP Bulgaria JSC
Ideal Standard - Vidima
Incotex Group Ltd.
Industrial Holding Bulgaria
ING Bank N.V. Sofia Branch
Interallis Chemicals SA
AD
InterConsult Bulgaria Ltd.
Interdean Relocation Services
Interlang Ltd.
Intertek - Moody
Investbank
Investor BG AD
IP Consulting Ltd.
Iris Trade Consult Ltd.
ITT Exelis
Japan Tobacco International
PLC
Bulgaria
Jobs.bg EOOD
JobTiger Ltd.
Johnson & Johnson Bulgaria
Johnson Controls Electronics Bulgaria
Junior Achievement Bulgaria
Kaliakra AD
Kamenitza AD
Kamor Auto Ltd.
Katilin Popov Enforcement
Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko
Kempinski Hotel Zografski Sofia
KPMG Bulgaria OOD
Kraft
Officers
Foods Bulgaria AD
LANDMARK Property Management EAD
Lesaffre Bulgaria Ltd.
Lexim Sofia Ltd.
Lindner
Lirex BG Ltd.
M3 Communications Group, Inc. A Hill & Knowlton Associate
Immobilien Management EOOD
Maria Vranovska, MD, MBA
Mars Incorporated Bulgaria EOOD
Marsh EOOD
Maxi I AD
MB Communications
MBL| Part of the CBRE Affiliate Network
Megatron EAD
Mellon Bulgaria EAD
Merck Sharp & Dohme
Bulgaria
Microsoft Bulgaria
Miltech Ltd.
Minstroy Holding Jsc
Mobiltel EAD
Monbat Plc.
Moten
Moto-Pfohe Ltd.
Movex Relocations
Mr. David Hampson
Mr. Jean Talmon
Mr. Roman Vassilev
Sport
Mr. Stefan Ivanov
Ms. Kalinka Kovatcheva
Ms. Magdalena Nikolova
Ms. Margarita Radeva, CPA
Municipal Bank Plc
Musala Soft Ltd.
National DISTRIBUTORS
National Palace of Culture - Congress Centre
Sofia
NATO Defense College Anciens' Association
Nemetschek Bulgaria
NEXTDOOR Ltd.
Nova Broadcasting
Group AD
Novotel Sofia MHQ
On Bulgaria Ltd.
OPlus EOOD
Oracle East Central Europe Limited - Branch
Orak Group Europe Ltd.
Orbit Ltd.
Orkikem Ltd.
OSG Records Management
PANDA - IP
Bulgaria
Ltd.
Pedersen & Partners
Penev LLP
Penkov, Markov & Partners
Pfizer Luxembourg SARL Branch Bulgaria
Philip Morris Bulgaria EOOD
Pioneer Semena Bulgaria EOOD
PMB EOOD
PPD Bulgaria EOOD
PPTL
Ltd.
Premier Luxury Mountain Resort
Premier Tours Ltd.
Prestige 96 AD
Progress CAD R&D Centre Ltd.
PSG Payroll Services Ltd.
PwC Bulgaria
Quadrant Beverages JSC
Radisson Blu Grand Hotel
Red
Devil Catering Plc
Regus Bulgaria Ltd.
Renault Nissan Bulgaria SRL
Right Rental Ltd.
RSM BX Ltd.
S&T Bulgaria
Sanofi - Aventis Bulgaria EOOD
Sb Accounting and Consulting
Schenker EOOD
Schneider
Electric Bulgaria
SECTRON
Sensata Technologies
Shell Bulgaria EAD
Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan
Sherita M Ltd.
Siemens EOOD
SIENIT Holding
Sitel Bulgaria EOOD
Sodexo Pass Bulgaria EOOD
Sofia Bio
Sofia Princess Hotel AD
Sogelife Bulgaria IJSC
Sopharma AD
St. Sofia Golf Club & SPA
Stanton Chase International Bulgaria
Steelcase International
Stefan Dimitrov, Norman Realestate Co. Ltd.
StroyConsult EOOD
Sunfoods Bulgaria EOOD - Development Licensee of McDonald’s in Bulgaria
Sutherland Global
Services Bulgaria EOOD
TBI Bank EAD
TechnoLogica EAD
The City Media Group Bulgaria
The CocaTishman Management Company EOOD
Titan Zlatna Panega Cement
TMF
Totema
Cola Company Bulgaria
Engineering JSC
UniCredit Bulbank
UniCredit Leasing AD
Unimasters Logistics Plc
Unique Estates
Unisys Bulgaria Branch
United Bulgarian Bank
VAPTECH Ltd.
Videolux Holding / Technopolis
VISA Europe
VIVACOM
VMware Bulgaria EOOD
VSK Kentavar - IZ Dinamika EOOD
VUZF University Higher School of
Welcome to Bulgaria
Westinghouse Energy Systems Bulgaria Branch
World Courier
Insurance and Finance
Bulgaria Ltd.
World Transport Overseas Bulgaria Ltd.
WorleyParsons Nuclear Services JSC
Wrigley Bulgaria
Wyser
Xerox Bulgaria Ltd.
Zlatina Ruseva-Savova, LL.M., MBA
Zobele Bulgaria EOOD
EOOD
Free Style Cruising Becomes
Popular among Bulgarians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
US Senior Commercial Attache
Executive Director Mr. Valentin Georgiev
.
Microsoft Launches
Youth Initiative in Bulgaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
m e m b e r
Ex-Officio Member Ms. Barbara Lapini
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By Boyko Vassilev
b u l g a r i a
c o v e r
s t o r y
Caretaker Government
to Balance Financial
Stability, Unemployment
Only 3.1 million Bulgarians have jobs, while 40 percent of the people live in
deprivation
By Marina Georgieva
New prime-minister Marin Raykov and his cabinet (right side), former PM Boyko Borissov and former cabinet members (left side) during the official ceremony of
changing the governments in the building of Council of Ministers in Bulgaria.
M a r c h 2 0 13
“We will take concrete steps in the area of incomes, while
keeping within the budget framework,” caretaker Prime
Minister Marin Raykov said. He named improving the situation of Bulgarian retirees and the most vulnerable members
of the population as priorities. We shall not allow financial
destabilization. The currency board stays. “We shall not
allow an economic adventure in the form of nationalization,”
Raykov added.
4
In the short period of its existence, the caretaker government of Marin Raykov will inevitably be faced with acute
social challenges. At the same time it will not be able to
solve the painful problems of the public with the available
budget and even less with new loans. Thus, it will have to
rely on the inherited resource in a situation that is far from
rosy.
The Social Rubicon
As much as 7.5 billion Leva is budgeted for pensions this
year, including a 5-Lev increase planned from April 1, 2013,
which will raise the minimum retirement pension to 150
Leva. Maternity benefits remain unchanged at 240 Leva per
month, and the minimum unemployment benefit, at 7.20
Leva per day. The poverty line in Bulgaria is 241 Leva in
2013. The gross minimum wage in the country is 159 Euro.
The average monthly wage in December 2012 was 812
Leva, and the country has the biggest share of people living
in deprivation of all EU member states.
Against this background, the finance minister in the caretaker government, Kalin Hristov, reduced the 2013 growth
forecast, which underscored the vulnerable position of the
poorest EU country. On his first day in office Kalin Hristov
said he expected the Bulgarian economy to grow 1 to 1.5
percent this year. The former government forecast 1.9 percent.
“Unemployment is not the result mainly of the strict fiscal
policy, as many believe. What suppresses employment is
c o v e r
the drop in private investment: since 2008 both foreign and
Bulgarian investment has been a negative figure,” the new
finance minister said.
“We are a small economy and that is why the environment in
which we work is important for us, i.e. the condition of our trade
partners has a huge effect on us. The situation in the Eurozone
inevitably affects Bulgaria,” Hristov added. In his words the
good thing is that local companies are flexible and are already
shifting to Asia.
s t o r y
Experts from the Institute for Market Economics (IME) explained
that actually employment was not increasing because of a rise
in the number of jobs. “The truth is that though the employment
rate has bottomed out, there is no actually an increase in the
number of the employed. Moreover, the level of the employed
under labor contracts at the end of December was lower than
in the distant 2003,” IME concluded. That underscores a grave
trend in the Bulgarian economy: the number of jobs is decreasing more slowly than the number of people at an active age.
Preliminary data for the fourth quarter of 2012 show that
“The fiscal reserve is useful: it serves as a source of liquidity
and allows the cabinet to be independent of the markets; it
gives investors security about the situation of public finance. It
is believed that a reserve of 4.5 billion Leva would give comfort
to investors,” the minister said.
He also pointed out that neither extreme fiscal austerity, nor
lavish public spending with the aim of stimulating the economy
was the correct policy. The right policy is the balanced one, i.e.
seeing which deficit will not harm the economy.
A little more than 3.1 million
Bulgarians work
The total number of the employed in Bulgaria was 3.13 million in
the fourth quarter of 2012. The total number of hours worked was
1.320 billion. The data show that the employment rate of the
population in that period increased 0.8 percentage points, year on
year (from 58.6 percent to 59.4 percent). Is that a good sign?
the highest level of labor productivity is
again in the service sector –
15.1 Leva per hour worked. In the industrial sector, the product
created for an hour worked is 13.7 Leva. The lowest level of
labor productivity is in the agricultural sector: 3.9 Leva per hour
worked.
Unlike unemployment data, employment indicators really show
what part of the people in a given age group work. These indicators do not take into account whether the people are economically active, whether they are looking for work or just
staying “discouraged” at home. Though traditionally unemployment (reflecting those looking for work) is the more popular
indicator, employment data are indicative of the development
potential of a given society: that is why the European
Commission sets strategic goals for employment and not for
unemployment.
p a g e
M a r c h 2 0 13
5
c o v e r
s t o r y
The 60 days’ Government
President Rosen Plevneliev on the
caretaker government: “Each of them
is an indisputable professional; they
have started from zero and have built
their own reputation. They have proven
themselves. They are all experts in
their areas. They are nonpartisan figures. None of them has been a State
Security agent. There are prominent
scientists among the ministers, so that
we can use that potential too.”
“The road to higher wages does not
pass through nationalization but
through our learning how to make a
better product,” said Asen Vasilev, minister of economy, energy and tourism.
“A government has four years to carry
out its program, while we have 60 days
until the election. It is unrealistic to
think that we can solve the problems
remaining in the energy sector within
such a timeframe,” Vasilev added. “We
can think about an income increase,
provided that there are reserves available. We are working within the framework of the approved budget, which
places emphasis on investment expenditure,” caretaker Finance Minister
Kalin Hristov said.
“We will back the most vulnerable
groups of the population: those who
are unable to pay their energy expenses. If there are additional possibilities,
we will support a wider circle of people.
We have set ourselves a one-week’s
term for presenting measures,” said
new Vice Premier and Social Minister
Deyana Kostadinova.
“I do not plan any staff changes in the
structure of the interior ministry,
because our main task is ensuring the
smooth operation of the system,”
Minister of the Interior Petya Parvanova
said.
“We are stepping on solid foundations,”
said Minister of Agriculture Ivan
Stankov.
“The words ethics, honor and dignity
are missing from the Bulgarian media
and the Bulgarian society; not only are
they not used – they mean nothing. My
task as minister of culture, be it only for
two months, is to try and restore them,”
Minister of Culture Vladimir Penev
said.
The negotiations with the European
Commission on the European funds
start in a week, added Vice Premier for
EU Funds Iliana Tsanova.
The structure of employment by economic activity groupings
in the last quarter of 2012 shows an increase in the relative
share of the employed in the service sector. Each employee
created an average of 16 Leva of GDP per hour worked, the
data of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) show.
M a r c h 2 0 13
Ekaterina Zaharieva, vice premier and
minister of regional development and
public works, said that her key priorities would be the daily control on the
large infrastructure projects under the
Transport Operational Program, keeping the speed of fund absorption under
the Regional Development Operational
Program and continuing the negotiations on the new operational program,
as well as the work of the Civil
Registration
and
Administrative
Services directorate concerning the
printing out and delivery of the voting
lists.
The good news is that
6
GDP per employed person increased by
5.5 percent
in the fourth quarter of 2012 compared with the corresponding period in 2011.
Economists reckon, however, that in the past four years
nearly 250,000 jobs have been actually lost in the sectors of
construction, hotel and restaurant management and the pro-
“There will be no reforms in the next
three months; we will continue implementing the existing plans and the
White Book on Defense and Armed
Forces,” said Minister of Defense, Todor
Tagarev. “Everything that has been
started will proceed as quickly as possible. The privatization of BDZ Freight
Services is on course. I can assure you
that I will not allow the company to be
sold for nothing,” said Kristian Krastev,
caretaker minister of transport.
Minister of Education Nikolay Miloshev
said that the graduation examinations
will go on smoothly. “We will prepare an
operational program, Science and
Education for Intelligent Growth, so that
it can receive the full size of financing
from the EU.”
“I have prepared a bouquet of flowers
that are as white as my intentions are,”
Minister of Health Nikolay Petrov said
upon assuming office.
Maximum openness to the civil organizations on all matters related to the
environment will be the key priority of
the new Minister of Environment and
Water Yulian Popov during the next two
months.
By saying that he was not going to
“change horses midstream,” justice
minister Dragomir Yordanov announced
that one of his basic priorities would be
the good dialogue with Brussels on the
Mechanism for Cooperation and
Verification.
cessing industry. The drop in the number of the employed in
the three sectors continued in 2012, with a noticeable slowdown of the process seen only in construction. The slowdown
there was due to the recovery of the seasonal trend of a rise
in the number of the employed in the sector in the second and
third quarter in the past two years, which shows that the correction in construction may be nearing its end.
“Though slower than in 2010, the drop in employment in the
other two sectors that were hit hard by the crisis continued in
2012,” IME experts wrote. The recovery of these sectors is
crucial, mainly because of the profile of the currently unemployed labor force. Latest data of the Employment Agency
show that in 2012 more than half of the registered unemployed people had lower secondary education or less, with
two-thirds of the people in the group having primary education or less.
c o v e r
s t o r y
Eurostat: Bulgarians most
materially deprived
Marin Raykov, a diplomat and former ambassador to France, will head
Bulgaria's caretaker government until the May 12 elections. He will also serve
as foreign minister.
TABLE. Average number of the employed under labor contracts in the sectors with the biggest drop in the number of the
employed in the period 2008-2012
Economic activity
2008
2012
Change, %
Construction
202,188
123,272
- 39.03
Hotel and restaurant
management
115,870
92,565
- 20.11
Processing industry
615,554
474,499
- 22.90
Total for the three
sector
933,612
690,336
- 26.06
The employment rate of the population aged 15-64 is 59.4
percent, up by 0.8 percentage points as compared with the last
quarter of 2011, NSI data show. At the same time, however,
unemployment reached 12.4 percent, or 1.0 percentage points
higher as compared with the corresponding period in 2011.
The discouraged persons aged 15-64 were 210,200, or 13.3
percent of the total number of inactive persons in the same age
group. In the last quarter of 2012 the total number of the
employed aged 15 years or higher was about 2,951,800, representing 47.0 percent of the population in the same age group.
A total of 1,842,700 people (62.4 percent) worked in the service sector, 925,200 (31.3 percent) in industry, and 183,900
(6.2 percent) in agriculture, forestry and fishing. A total of
417,300 people were unemployed and in comparison with the
fourth quarter of 2011 their number rose 8.6 percent. Of all the
unemployed, 237,800 were men and 179,500 were women.
M a r c h 2 0 13
Structure of the employed by economic activity
groupings in the fourth quarter of 2011 and 2012
8
An average of 17 percent of the population in the EU is at risk
of poverty due to low disposable income, a Eurostat analysis
of the risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU27 shows.
The highest at-risk-of-poverty rates are observed in Bulgaria
and Romania (22 percent), Spain (21.8 percent), Greece
(21.4 percent), Lithuania (20 percent), Latvia (19 percent)
etc. The lowest rates are in the Czech Republic (9.8 percent),
the Netherlands (11 percent), Austria (12.6 percent), Denmark
and Slovakia (13 percent).
In Bulgaria and Lithuania, about 60 percent of the people
cannot afford to face unexpected expenses. The citizens of
Latvia and Hungary are at the bottom of the chart: 80 percent
of them are unprepared for unexpected expenses.
The analysis also shows that the poverty threshold varies
greatly among EU members and that it has fallen in the last
few years due to the economic crisis.
The number of the long-term unemployed (unemployed for one
or more years) was 230,100, or 55.1 percent of all unemployed,
and their number rose 7.5 percent as compared with the fourth
quarter of 2011. The unemployment rate for the population aged
15-29 was 20.7 percent (21.3 percent for men and 20.0 percent
for women), increasing by 0.7 percentage points.
The data show that
the labor market situation
in Bulgaria rapidly
worsened during the last year. What is more, it was not only
that the number of the unemployed increased: the structure of
unemployment worsened. An increasing number of people are
long-term unemployed and discouraged from seeking jobs.
They lose their working habits and at a certain stage it
becomes very hard for them to work again.
Moreover, the rise in employment obviously cannot make up
for the rise in the number of the unemployed; with youth unemployment above 20 percent, the problems of the labor market
are assuming long-term economic dimensions.
Ministry of Social Affairs has a budget of 450 million Leva for
employment measures and programs in 2013, including 73
million Leva through the national employment plan, with the
balance coming under the Human Resource Development
operative program. Some 120 thousand people have found
jobs with the help of the employment measures financed by
the national budget and the European funds. As many are
planned to start working in 2013 as a result of employment
measures and programs. There are intentions for another
130,000 people to be provided with jobs through the labor
bureaus. The key instrument for fighting youth unemployment
will be vocational education. That was put on paper by the
former government of Boyko Borissov. The caretaker cabinet
has not yet announced any concrete measures.
c o v e r
s t o r y
Year
Economic activity
Total
Agriculture,forestry and fishing
Mining and quarrying
Change
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2475982,58
2370261,58
2197721,83
2170480,92
2123208,75
-14,2%
60827,25
63860,25
60478,50
61731,58
58577,50
-3,7%
27907,67
26855,00
25949,92
25102,08
24575,92
-11,9%
615553,75
554797,75
509917,58
492214,08
474498,92
-22,9%
Electricity,gas,steam and air conditioning supply
33776,58
32759,67
32730,17
30780,00
30560,00
-9,5%
Water supply,sewerage,waste management and
remediation activities
34458,42
33438,08
32155,25
34067,08
36200,92
5,1%
Construction
202188,08
185119,42
145659,00
130528,00
123272,00
-39,0%
Wholesale and retail trade;repair of motor
vehicles and motorcycles
439471,92
434859,42
402930,33
390197,25
382555,67
-13,0%
Transportation and storage
141557,42
135764,83
128568,83
126005,58
123447,33
-12,8%
Accommodation and food service activities
115869,83
110657,33
95761,25
98342,67
92565,08
-20,1%
Manufacturing
Information and communication
55928,92
55756,75
56631,50
61184,08
63195,58
13,0%
Financial and insurance activities
51846,33
50344,17
52819,42
54996,42
54215,33
4,6%
Real estate activities
18667,42
18446,33
18662,67
20995,92
19679,67
5,4%
Professional,scientific and technical activities
71396,33
71225,83
63395,08
62327,25
60214,17
-15,7%
Administrative and support service activities
99395,42
104356,17
100818,50
110474,17
112095,17
12,8%
133139,58
130216,33
119139,08
115971,92
115794,50
-13,0%
Public administration and defence;compulsory
social security
Education
181299,83
173573,67
166654,00
166564,00
164416,50
-9,3%
Human health and social work activities
131247,67
130689,58
128038,58
130357,50
130365,00
-0,7%
Arts,entertainment and recreation
29253,67
28970,25
28998,92
29281,75
28615,50
-2,2%
Other service activities
32196,50
28570,75
28413,25
29359,58
28364,00
-11,9%
Form of ownership
Public sector
638649,42
627345,00
583305,17
580444,25
572657,33
-10,3%
Private sector
1837333,17
1742916,58
1614416,67
1590036,67
1550551,42
-15,6%
Minister of electronic government served at AmCham BoD
p a g e
9
Roman Vasilev, Minister of Electronic Government (first from right) during the ceremony of the official
announcement of the caretaker government by the Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev.
tions to OEMs in Europe, Americas and
Asia. In addition to engineering services,
he led Global Onboarding Program recommendations to corporate HR, S&GA cost
savings in Europe and improvements in
finance, IT, HR and purchasing departments servicing internal and external clients across Europe and Northern Africa.
M a r c h 2 0 13
Prior to his new appointment as minister,
Roman Vasilev has been consulting The
World Bank team on Bulgaria Innovation
Strategy (2014-2020). Until December
2012, Roman was Director of Johnson
Controls Electronics Bulgaria EOOD providing automotive engineering R&D solu-
Roman Vasilev was elected at the AmCham
BoD in June 2011. Since then he has been
actively involved in initiatives focused on
business, promoting investment and education in Bulgaria and USA. After becoming a board member, he volunteered to
co-chair the AmCham CSR committee and
as such contributed to major volunteering,
fund-raising and other CSR initiatives.
Participating in 2011 and 2012 AmCham
roadshows in US he demonstrated a
capability to professionally represent
AmCham and its members operating in
Bulgaria. Mr Vassilev proactively shared
new learning and recommendations for
improvement through the AmCham monthly magazine.
c o v e r
s t o r y
Foreign Media on Bulgaria’s Crisis:
Threshold of Social
Endurance Reached
Thousands of Bulgarians furious over eye-popping power bills
forced Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to resign, the USA Today
reported. Borissov told voters that he was stepping down after
the marches turned violent, which he said he could not take. “I
cannot stand looking at a bloody Eagles' Bridge. Every drop of
blood is a shame for us,” he said.
The government started off popular, but it lost voters as economic conditions worsened because of recession. Just before he
filed his resignation, in the heat of the protests, Borissov fired his
deputy and finance minister, Simeon Dyankov.
Protesters say that they won't be won over by the opposition –
much less the government. With its prime minister gone,
Bulgaria’s elections, previously scheduled for July, now have
been moved forward to May. Already some analysts are predicting a “dirty” campaign, the USA Today reminded.
Bulgaria has struggled to shed a
reputation for lawlessness and corruption,
the New York Times wrote
The U.S. newspaper pointed out that the resignation of the cabinet came after a tumultuous week of public anger over rising
electricity prices that grew into bloody clashes with the police.
The protests were set off by electricity price increases and corruption scandals, including one over the nominee to head the
state electricity regulatory commission, who was accused of selling cigarettes illegally online and her nomination was later withdrawn.
M a r c h 2 0 13
Tempers were inflamed further when Bulgaria's Finance Minister
Simeon Dyankov, the architect of painful fiscal probity, stepped
down. His resignation was greeted by the public as an admission
that the government’s economic policies had not worked.
According to NY Times, Bulgaria has struggled to shed a reputation for lawlessness and corruption. It remains the poorest EU
member with an average monthly wage of only $480.
10
“Now the people realize that they were lied to,” says Andrey
Raychev, a political analyst in Sofia. “No one can predict how the
public will react to the resignation. We could even reach the
absurd situation that the protests continue against no one. Which
means that they are against everyone.” While some were satisfied with Borissov's resignation, many people remained gloomy.
Given the severity of the economic problems, few expressed
confidence that the governing party or the opposition will be able
to remove their hardships, the Washington Post pointed out.
Reuters enumerated risks facing Bulgaria
after the government’s resignation
“Bulgaria is struggling to spur its small and open economy after
a deep precession but protests against tight fiscal policy and low
living standards forced the rightist government to resign in
February,” Reuters commented. Reuters answered some key
questions about the situation in the country and outlines the topics that will be important in the near future:
Who will govern?
Outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has kept a tight rein on
fiscal policy to maintain a currency peg to the Euro but did little
to improve living standards, which are less than half the EU’s
average. With an early election expected in May, Borissov’s
GERB party is neck and neck with the Socialists. Whoever wins
will almost certainly have to strike a coalition deal with a smaller
party. Borissov was hospitalized with high blood pressure after
his resignation, adding to a sense of political limbo.
Who will win the early election?
A hung parliament and horse-trading over a coalition look almost
certain. If GERB wins, there will still be pressure to roll back
austerity.
Sluggish economy
The EU forecasts growth at 1.4 percent this year, compared with
6-7 percent before the economic downturn in 2009, but that is
doing little to improve the lot of most Bulgarians. The average
monthly pension is just 135 Euro and the average salary is about
400 Euro. Sofia has managed to cut its deficit to one of the lowest levels in the bloc, at 0.5 percent of GDP last year, which is
important to maintain confidence in the lev's currency peg to the
Euro.
What to watch?
Will the caretaker government stay the fiscal course in the face
of protesters’ demands to cut electricity bills and raise wages and
pensions? Will it be efficient enough to ensure budget revenue?
Corruption and organized crime still blight Bulgaria 20 years after
the end of communist rule, deterring investors, hindering growth
and delaying its entry into the Schengen zone. The Balkan country has failed to uncover details on over 100 contract killings in
the past decade and has yet to jail a single senior official for corruption. The EU has its justice system, along with Romania’s,
under special monitoring. Will the country’s courts succeed in
convicting a top official? This might not move markets in the short
term but would signal that Bulgaria was becoming an easier
place to do business. The violent protests that forced Bulgaria’s
cabinet from power underscore the lose-lose situation facing the
EU's newest members as they struggle to stop economic downturn and stem growing public anger, Reuters commented.
a n a l y s i s
Silver Lining in
Delaying Schengen
By Boyko Vassilev
File photo of the former interior Minister of Bulgaria Tsvetan Tsvetanov (R) chats with European home affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom (L) at the start of
a European Union interior and home affairs ministers council meeting at the European headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, 07 March 2013.
M a r c h 2 0 13
When GERB came to power in 2009, it
looked simple.
12
Bulgaria had already joined the
European Union and NATO – and was
searching for new frontiers to conquer.
There was a push for joining something.
Logically enough, the Eurozone and
Schengen were declared as goals. The
authors of that strategy believed that the
common currency and the free-movement area would trigger that mobilization which put the Bulgarians on the
track of the democratic world at the
beginning of the new millennium; that,
sooner or later, Bulgaria would “join” –
and the government of the country would
triumph with another successful integration.
Four years ago no one could imagine
that things would change globally. That
from a tempting destination, the
Eurozone would turn into an earthquake
area. That the Schengen free-movement zone, named after a small town in
Luxembourg, would be mined with new
European fears.
But that is exactly what happened. And
one was connected with the other: the
Euro with Schengen. The economic
problems of Europe encouraged egotism and national aloofness. All of a
sudden, in just a few years, free movement turned from a blessing into a concealed threat.
Between 1989 and 2009 Europe was
growing and uniting; borders were falling, as were economic peaks. Then
suddenly, a cold wind started blowing. A
small Italian island named Lampedusa,
which is situated between Europe and
Africa, was attacked by people in boats:
a n a l y s i s
Africans who were ready to reach the
coasts of Italy disregarding the danger
to their own lives. Turkey waived the
visa regime for several Arab countries
– and the 12.5-kilometer land border
with Greece (the others being the
Maritsa River and the Mediterranean)
was stormed by 250 to 350
illegal immigrants
a day. In response, Greece started
building a wall. But that did not help:
squares of Athens were filled with camping immigrants of an Arab or African
origin. Today their exact number cannot
be established.
Don’t be fooled, it was not only the
European South that succumbed. The
final destination of the immigrant wave
was actually the rich North.
The economic hardships of Bulgaria and
Romania unleashed a flow of tens of
thousands of Roma people, who set off
for the lands of the rich. I saw them in
the small city of Helsinki, where their
number is quite conspicuous. The Finns
say that in the beginning they tried to
shelter them in their homes; but the
enthusiasts soon tired out. The insignificant share of local integrated Roma
dissolved like aspirin in the waters of the
immigrant sea.
Freedom became popular in the
Netherlands; it raised “freedom” as a
creed against Islam. In Finland, the True
Finns party made an election hit. In
France, the National Front felt
a fresh whiff of power
under the leadership of the founder’
daughter, Marine Le Pen. The party of
Nigel Farage, the noisy member of the
European parliament, became notorious
in the United Kingdom. An anti-immigrant Nazi group was uncovered in
Germany. Something very close to the
fascist original appeared in Greece in
the form of the extremely successful
Golden Dawn party, whose members
beat immigrants and escort ordinary
Greeks to ATMs in order to “protect”
them.
The whole multiculti concept was put to
revision after the German social-democrat and banker Thilo Sarrazin wrote the
book “Germany Does Itself In.” The construction of mosques encountered public criticism. The reports about the
crammed Roma hostels blasted the
peace of the ordinary Germans.
I purposefully draw a detailed picture of
the situation in Europe, so that you can
understand what changed between
2009 and 2013. In 2009 the question
about Bulgaria’s readiness for Schengen
was limited to meeting certain technical
criteria: building new modern border
checkpoints and hostels for future refugees; procuring helicopters for the
boarder police, night vision equipment
and other such particulars. The delicate
political moment was who was to blame
for the delay – the government of the
triple coalition (2005-2008) or GERB –
and how the construction works were to
be completed. With time, however, the
technical criteria were silently replaced
with political ones. That was something
Bulgaria wanted the least.
Bulgaria’s government could easily buy
helicopters or some night vision equipment for its border protection needs.
The questions shifted, though, to a set
of issues that were a lot more difficult to
solve outright: How does the Bulgaria
justice system work? Is there a supremacy of the law? Has the Bulgarian mafia
been brought down by law enforcement? Is there sufficient political stability?
One of the most tricky (and often concealed) questions was the following:
Can a country be deemed secure if its
That is how Geert Wilders’ Party for
p a g e
13
Romania Interior minister Radu Stroe (C) arrives for the start of a European Union interior and home affairs
ministers council. Bulgaria and Romania were set on 07 March to be handed yet another setback in their bid
to join the border-free Schengen area, with the European Union interior ministers expected to avoid a vote on
the matter. The pair have fulfilled all technical requirements to join the free-travel area since 2011, but have
seen their accession repeatedly delayed due to concerns that their failure to rein in corruption and organized
crime would put the 26 Schengen members at risk.
M a r c h 2 0 13
Well, not that there were any solutions
suggested, especially not easy ones.
Populist and anti-immigrant parties
flourished in the West. They are now
more and more rarely called “extreme
rightists,” because many of the measures they promote are extremely left or
even liberal.
France followed suit, when then
President Nicolas Sarkozy tried to send
Eastern European Roma back. Then it
was the Netherlands, until the flow was
felt even in a large country like Germany.
The intrinsic German tactfulness, combined with political correctness and a
respect for the multiculti model, did not
even want to say it out loud that the
problem was Roma. With a typical
German bureaucratic inventiveness the
people were called “social refugees”
and the process, “social migration.” This
raised the question whether you can
solve a problem if you cannot name it.
a n a l y s i s
German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich (R) chats with Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga in Brussels. Some weeks ago he said he wanted to
reinforce efforts to combat poverty-related immigration from Bulgaria and Romania, especially the Roma immigration. Friedrich is urging the Bulgarian and Romanian
governments to take measures domestically to stem the dramatic exodus, which is a phenomenon affecting many parts of Europe. "This problem needs to be tackled at
its source," Friedrich said. "That's why Germany is advising Bulgaria and Romania on both a European level and in its bilateral relations with the two countries to
invest more of its EU subsidies in the integration of those affected in their home countries."
Roma citizens are fleeing across Europe
in search of shelter and income?
M a r c h 2 0 13
That question may not have had much
relevance to Schengen. But it was the
question that interested the West,
because it strained its social systems
and encouraged the flourishing of the
extreme right. Therefore the countries
that caused most obstructions to
Bulgaria’s and Romania’s membership
of Schengen were the ones mentioned
above: Finland, the Netherlands,
Germany, France. At the end it seemed
that only the Netherlands remained
staunchly obstructionist.
14
I remember discussing that issue with
Dutch politicians and commentators in
2011. At that time Wilders’ party was the
make-or-break factor holding the Dutch
conservative government. The result of
the interviews was quite predictable.
The incumbents explained that
Schengen
was not only a set of
technical requirements
but the overall constitution of the state.
The opposition was adamant: since it
has fulfilled the technical requirements,
Bulgaria should join the coveted zone
and that’s it. The impression was clear:
that opinion was soon going to prevail.
Because it was – and is – shared by
separate politicians and whole countries
in the European Union, for instance by
the former vice president of the European
Commission, Franco Frattini. “The rules
should not be changed in the middle of
the game,” he told me. “Now that the
conditions have been fulfilled, there is
no other way but admit Bulgaria.”
What happened was just the opposite,
though. Countries that seemed to have
consented to Bulgaria’s membership
started backing out one by one. There
were at least two convenient pretexts for
that: the Roma emigration to Germany
and the Bulgarian protests, combined
with the government’s resignation and
the rapid implosion of the elite. Thus
Finland, the Netherlands and Germany,
which
had all almost consented
to back Bulgaria’s Schengen entry, in
March declared themselves adamantly
against it. The result: the integration was
postponed for an indefinite period of
time. What in 2009 looked like an easy
goal to achieve for internal use (including for election purposes), is today causing election problems to GERB. History
likes making such jokes.
Here’s the biggest of them. Joining
Schengen will put Bulgaria in front of
huge problems. The immigrants’ flow at
the 12.5-kilometer Turkish-Greek land
border will move to the 240-kilometer
Turkish-Bulgarian mountainous frontier.
The Arab and African refugees may fill
the Bulgarian cities. The same holds
true for drug trafficking: all channels are
likely to start flowing through Bulgaria.
The government will have to build walls
and buy more helicopters, while customs officers at two other borders lose
their jobs. Those inevitable problems
will be certain only to increase European
criticism – but they have been spared to
crisis-ridden Bulgaria for the time
being.
It turns out that at the moment
Schengen’s postponement comes with
a silver lining. If only we had realized it
four years ago!
a m c h a m
e v e n t s
t o u r i s m
Mario Karamfilov from the Banking School in Sofia was thrilled to accept the award - a return ticket to the US.
Discover U.S. Expo Offers
Advice on Travel,
Education
M a r c h 2 0 13
U.S. Ambassador Marcie B. Ries and American Chamber
President Peter Lithgow opened the Discover U.S. Expo at the
National Palace of Culture on March 7, 2013. The daylong event
promoted travel, tourism, and educational opportunities in the
United States. Hundreds of Bulgarians visited the Expo to ask
questions to educational experts and travel companies.
16
Last year 764,000 international students attended U.S. universities. “During this Expo we’ll try to get people more information about studying in the United States and we hope that they
will get advantage of talking to experts how to make this more
feasible, more appealing and less expensive,” Ambassador
Ries said. Each year more than 75, 000 people travel between
the United States and Bulgaria. “Our Consular Section works
very hard to make the visa application process as user friendly
as possible,” the ambassador added.
In the afternoon, Expo visitors had the opportunity to attend
several seminars. Consul General Deborah Campbell held a
session on the visa application process, Bulgarian Fulbright
Commission gave a presentation on educational advising for
study in the United States, and Emily Wolman, associate publisher of Lonely Planet Americas, shared her tips about budget
travel in the United States.
Exhibitors at the expo included Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa,
Turkish Airlines, Premier Tours, Vakantsia, Contitrans M, Integral,
Orange Education, USIT Colors, Viking, and ZIP Travel. There
were also representatives from the U.S. Embassy’s Consular
Section, U.S. Foreign Commercial Service, U.S. Foreign
Agriculture Service, AmCham Bulgaria members, and the
Bulgarian Fulbright Commission/Education USA.
Consul General Campbell presented the visa application process
by providing useful tips for successful visa applicants: to apply
early, be truthful, provide thorough answers during the visa interview. She continued by explaining that a one-word answer is not
good enough. Applicants must be sure that the decision about
their visa is not taken based on one question only.
Snezhana Taneva and Maria Kostova with the Bulgarian
Fulbright Commission elaborated on the opportunities to study
in the US. The Commission provides U. S. government supported grants to Bulgarian scholars, students and professionals for research, lecturing and study in the United States. In the
academic year 2011-2012, some 1,694 Bulgarian students
were admitted to the US universities.
Emily Wolman, an inspiring presenter from Lonely Planet
a m c h a m
e v e n t s
Americas, revealed the secrets of budget travel in the U.S.
for a seven-day trip with less than $500. She pointed out to
some useful sites for air transport: travelosity.com; expedia.
com; sidestep.com; kayak.com; hotwire.com; priceline.com.
The budget U.S. airlines are Southwest, JetBlue and
Allegiant.
For train and bus lovers, here are the most popular companies:
Amtrak, Greyhound, MegaBus, ISIC, and Student Advantage
Discount Card.
Regarding accommodations, Wolman referred to the following
resources:
z If you want to rent a house or flat: vrbo.com
z When renting a room: airbnb.com or homeaway.com
z If you want to crash on a sofa: couchsurfing.com
US Ambassador Marcie B. Ries tours the exhibitors’ stands.
At the evening cocktail for the businesses the guests were
warmly welcomed again by U.S. Ambassador Marcie Ries,
Peter Lithgow and Valentin Georgiev, AmCham’s executive
director. All of them encouraged the visitors to get acquainted
with the U.S. products and services. Georgiev introduced the
winner of a roundtrip airplane ticket to the U.S. provided by the
Turkish Airlines - a young man from the Banking School in
Sofia named Mario Karamfilov, who was thrilled to accept the
award in the presence of his family.
We kindly thank our generous sponsors: Hilton Sofia Hotel,
AES Bulgaria, Dundee Precious Metals, Jeep, Sofia Airport
Center, Turkish Airlines, Amgen, Coca-Cola, Force Delta, and
McDonald’s.
11 companies exhibited at the expo.
p a g e
Looking for winners at the game with the awards.
M a r c h 2 0 13
17
a m c h a m
e v e n t s
t o u r i s m
Michelle Osmanli, Director AmCham Macedonia won a rucksack from
McDonald’s.
Deborah Campbell, US Consul General presented the visa application process.
The whiskey and bourbon were provided by Brown-Forman Bulgaria,
Maxxium Bulgaria and Pernod Ricard. Wines were kindly offered by Bibendum,
Cartel, Global Vini – Agency Mitev Radulov, and Winemarket.
Summer work and travel program in US among most attractive programs for
students.
American jazz with Alexandrov Ragtime band.
Valentin Georgiev announces the winners of the game.
The second winner of the return ticket to US is happy to tell the news.
M a r c h 2 0 13
Snezhana Taneva, Bulgarian Fulbright Commission.
18
i n t e r v i e w
Get off the Beaten Track,
Discover Small U.S. Towns,
Advises Emily Wolman, Associate Publisher of Lonely Planet Americas
By Irina Bacheva
- Ms. Wolman, how can one discover unusual places in the
United States on a relatively small budget?
- It is possible, definitely. With an open mind and on a small
budget you can get quite far in the United States. There are
lots of ways to experience America if you just get off the main
highways, away from the big cities and expensive destinations.
They are worth seeing but more unique and authentic U.S.
experience is represented by the smaller towns and rural
areas. New York city and Las Vegas are wonderful but my
advice is - get off the beaten track to the local which is more
genuine. There are great deals to find on rental cars to go
much deeper into the country than with your own vehicle. If you
book in advance and well ahead, you can get a really good
price.
- How would you describe the profile of your customers?
- Lonely Planet Americas has a global network serving from
domestic students to foreign travelers up to 70 years of age. All
of them are people who want to experience the world, so the
Lonely Planet product reaches a very diverse audience
throughout the world.
- Could you tell us about your most exciting journey?
- My most recent trip was to China, which amazed me because
it is a really unique and incredible culture and very different
from ours. Looking back, when I was a bit younger, I went to
Australia on a five-day backpacking trip on a small island just
off the coast. I was travelling by myself and all I had was my
backpack, tent and food. I was very ill prepared. The weather
was horrible, I did not have enough food, I was inexperienced
but learned so much about myself. It was a life-changing experience.
- Which places in the United States would you recommend
to a traveler from Bulgaria?
- I am a huge fan of the national parks. The American
Southwest – Arizona, New Mexico, southern portion of Utah,
Idaho - these are probably among the most exciting and beautiful places to visit. The highest concentration of national parks
is there - with canyons, rivers and mountains, cliffs, not to forget the culture, which is very rich. The Native American influence is still very strong. In general it is safe to travel across the
United States. I prefer doing nice little trips mostly with my car
for the weekend.
p a g e
- Did you have a chance to do some sightseeing while in
Bulgaria?
- Sofia is beautiful, people are very friendly. I went to the
Boyana Church and Rila Monastery, and these are spiritual
and magical places. The history of the United States is so short
in comparison to the churches here that are four times older
than our country. Next time I would love to go to the Black Sea
coast and to explore your mountains.
19
M a r c h 2 0 13
- It was raining all the time, almost freezing at night and I was
alone, there was nobody around. I got dropped off on the
northern part of the island to hike for five days and had to be
picked up by boat at the southern part. Everything that happened in between was up to me. I was totally on my own and
it turned out to be a good learning experience. It broadened my
perspective on the world and the knowledge about myself.
- Was it hazardous?
Emily Wolman is originally from New York, born and raised in
the city. She studied Literature at SUNY-Buffalo. She was
involved in the college newspaper, which launched her to a
career in journalism and publishing. She worked as an editor
for several publishers. Wolman has been an associate publisher of Lonely Planet for almost a year now. She is responsible for North, Central, South America and Antarctica.
Wolman lives in the Bay Area.
a m c h a m
e v e n t s
Microsoft Launches Youth
Initiative in Bulgaria
improve performance. In his speech
Courtois delivered the following key
messages:
• Microsoft is committed to being a strategic long-term partner for growth in
Europe and Bulgaria to businesses and
governments.
• The Cloud and smart workforce dynamics are among the levers for European
competitiveness.
• The imbalance between the supply
and demand of skilled labor is significant for the youth. Microsoft YouthSpark
is about how to transform education and
entrepreneurship by connecting 300 million young people to opportunities
around the world.
Daniel Berg, AmCham vice-president and director of EBRD Bulgaria opens the event together with George
Randelov, Microsoft Bulgaria.
M a r c h 2 0 13
Microsoft in Bulgaria team and AmCham
Bulgaria had the privilege of hosting on
Feb. 19, 2013, Jean-Philippe Courtois,
President of Microsoft International in
Sofia. Courtois leads global sales, marketing and services for the company, a
territory that spans more than 100 subsidiaries operating outside the United
States and Canada.
20
He drives strategic planning, global
operations and key growth initiatives in
developed and emerging markets.
Outside of Microsoft, Courtois is administrator for PlaNet Finance and
Microsoft's official representative at the
Institute Montaigne. He has served as
co-chairman of the World Economic
Forum's Global Digital Divide Initiative
Task Force and on the European
Commission
Information
and
Communication Technology task force.
In 2009, he also served as EU
Ambassador for the Year of Creativity
and Innovation, and in 2011 he was
named as one of “Tech's Top 25” by The
Wall Street Journal Europe.
During his visit in Bulgaria Courtois also
met with more than 100 representatives
of the Bulgarian business elite to talk
about the real impact of technology and
innovation on modern economies and
society. The attendants represent companies that deliver more than 75 percent
of the Bulgarian GDP. The business
breakfast took place in Hilton hotel
Sofia, and was organized in partnership
with AmCham and CEIBG. Moderators
of the business breakfast were Daniel
Berg, AmCham vice-president and
director of EBRD Bulgaria, and Petko
Dimitrov, VP of CEIBG and managing
partner in PwC.
George Randelov opened the event. He
said: “An important part of Microsoft
operations in Bulgaria is how we measure ourselves with partners and customers. That is why we ended up having
this breakfast with the idea how modern
technologies influence economies and
societies, and through them the business.”
Randelov expressed his hope that the
attending business representatives will
be able to transfer the Microsoft vision
to their own businesses and organizations in order to reach success and
Courtois announced the launch of the
Microsoft YouthSpark Initiative in Bulgaria
with a $49,200 grant to the non-governmental organization (NGO) FEBA Alumni.
This grant will enable the NGO to implement a skills training program CareerIT
for 13,000 students from schools in rural
areas of the country. The announcement
was made later that day at a public discussion with more than 300 Bulgarian
students at Sofia University “St. Kliment
Ohridski.” Joining Courtois for the discussion were Professor Ivan Ilchev, Sofia
University rector, U.S. Ambassador to
Bulgaria Marcie Ries, and Kiril Roussev,
co-founder of Nimero and winner of the
Imagine Cup Bulgaria 2009 technology
competition.
“We believe that addressing the challenges facing youth is one of the most
important actions that we can take
together now to secure the future of this
generation and the future of our global
economy,” Courtois said. “We want to
ensure that our most valuable resource
– young people – receive the proper
education and training needed for a
society in which everyone has equal
opportunities. This grant continues to
build on our long- standing commitment
to establishing strong community partnerships to drive this work.”
a m c h a m
e v e n t s
research shows that a full 74 percent
want to immigrate. As a result of that
lack of skills, the European Foundation
for the Improvement of Living and
Working Conditions estimates that
Bulgaria is losing more than 1 billion
Euro a year.
Jean-Philippe Courtois, president of Microsoft Int.
According to the European Commission’s
studies, youth unemployment in the EU
has increased by 50 percent since the
beginning of the global economic crisis;
it especially impacts young people
between the ages of 15 and 24. At the
same time, there are some four million
vacant jobs. A survey by the National
Employment Agency from last year
shows that more than 19 percent 15-to29-year-olds are unemployed; other
estimates indicate that this number is
actually closer to 30 percent. The number of Science, Technology, Engineering
and Math - or STEM - graduates in
Bulgaria is around 5 percent as compared to about 11 percent in the United
Kingdom, Germany, Greece and Ireland.
National statistics show that roughly 10
percent of graduates leave the country
to get their higher education abroad and
never come back. Eurobarometer
The CareerIT project will help FEBA
support the overall Bulgarian national
goal of doubling the number of higher
education graduates as envisioned
under the Europe 2020 Agenda. It is one
of 27 Microsoft YouthSpark grants to
youth-focused NGOs in 25 European
countries this year and part of Microsoft’s
worldwide commitment to create opportunities for some 300 million youth over
the next three years. The company-wide
initiative goes beyond philanthropy and
includes other programs — both new
and enhanced — that empower youth to
imagine and realize their full potential,
connecting them with greater opportunities for education, employment and
entrepreneurship. Among these programs are Imagine Cup, Innovate for
Good, Skype in the Classroom, Bizspark,
Office365 for EDU, Dreamspark and
Partners in Learning.
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M a r c h 2 0 13
21
a m c h a m
e v e n t s
Seven Members Elected
at AmCham BoD
AmCham Board of Directors convened
in mid February to appoint a president,
two vice presidents and a treasurer after
the chamber’s general assembly meeting on Feb. 12. Peter Lithgow, AES
Corporation, was re-elected as president. Daniel Berg, EBRD, and Alex
Nestor, Dundee Precious Metals,
became vice-presidents. Petia Dimitrova,
Eurobank Bulgaria, was re-elected as
treasurer.
The changes take effect after the
AmCham General Assembly meeting.
Seven BoD members were also elected:
Daniel Berg, EBRD Bulgaria, David
Butts, CMS Cameron McKenna, Petia
Dimitrova, Eurobank Bulgaria, Sergey
Koynov, Forton International, Peter
Lithgow, AES Corporation, Solomon
Passy, Atlantic Club Bulgaria, and
Roman Vassilev, individual member.
M a r c h 2 0 13
Sergey Koynov, Forton International elected at AmCham BoD for the first time.
22
The general assembly took place at Hilton Sofia.
Koynov was elected to the BoD for the
first time, while the other six have begun
their second or third terms.
m e m b e r
n e w s
Amgen Launches
Biotech Academy
In the beginning of 2013 Amgen Bulgaria presented its
long-term scientific educational programme "Amgen
Biotech Academy", which sets the following main objectives:
- Building on the knowledge and continuing education of
medical specialists about new scientific discoveries and
development of innovative treatment approaches in key
areas in which the company operates - kidney disease,
oncology, bone and cardiovascular disease;
- Ensuring participation of the leading Bulgarian specialists
and academics in international and local expert boards,
and educational programmes and scientific events to prepare them for the training of young experts and students in
medicine (using the "train the trainer" approach);
M a r c h 2 0 13
- Including educational module "Biotechnology innovations
in medical treatment" in university medicine and pharmacy
education;
24
- Ensuring educational modules on Biotechnology innovations for medical journalists in order to promote the value
of biotech innovation to the broader audience.
Scientific and educational initiatives included in "Amgen
Biotech Academy" will set a solid ground for a deeper
understanding of the enormous potential of biotechnology
for innovation in medicine, enhancement of education and
scientific exchange in this field.
In 2013 "Amgen Biotech Academy" will be held in two modules. The first module, which has already started in
February 2013 is conducted jointly with the national scientific societies and includes three scientific and educational
meetings involving over 400 medical specialists in three
main areas - nephrology, oncology and bone disease,
osteoporosis.
The second module aims the penetration of "Amgen
Biotech Academy" among medical students and pharmacists and conducting educational meetings on "Biotechnology
innovations in medical treatment." It will be held in collaboration with the "Junior Achievement" and the medical universities in the country.
The project was presented to major institutions and NGOs
- The Presidency, Bulgarian Medical Societies, US
Ambassador, AmCham and the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria
etc., who were invited as partners. All these institutions
expressed their endorsement and support to our project,
sending letters as formal address to participants in the
opening ceremony. Ambassador Marcie Ries message to
the audience was: „This is an important milestone in the
development of the biotech sector in Bulgaria. I believe the
Academy will give the medical and scientific communities
in Bulgaria an opportunity to exchange knowledge and
learn about some of the latest advances in the field.”
“Amgen Biotech Academy” was launched with an Opening
ceremony during the Amgen National Standalone
Nephrology meeting 8-9 Feb, held in cooperation with the
Scientific Society of the BG nephrologists. Over 150 nephrologists took part. 25 Journalists participated in the educational seminar on “Biotech innovation” the day before the
opening.
m e m b e r
n e w s
Biotechnology is having an increasingly important impact
on almost all sectors and disciplines. Moreover, during the
21st century medical-related sectors had the highest
impact of the added value from biotechnology.
The practice of medicine has changed dramatically over
the years through pioneering advances in biotechnology
research and innovation; and millions of patients worldwide continue to benefit from therapeutics developed by
companies that are discovering, developing, and delivering
innovative medicines to treat grievous illnesses. As companies continue to develop medicines that address significant unmet needs, future innovations in biotechnology
research will bring exciting new advances to help millions
more people worldwide.
The President of AmCham Peter Lithgow addressed the audience. Next to him
is Krassimira Chemishanska, General Manager of Amgen Bulgaria.
The President of AmCham Peter Lithgow was present at
the event and addressed the audience to express support
to innovation and Amgen project: “The Chamber recognize
the great impact of Biotechnology on socioeconomics and
believes that its potential should be harnessed through
purposeful and sustainable efforts for the achievement of
higher goals, including advancement in medicine, enhancement of education and, in the end of the day, improvement
of the quality of the human life. This process envisions a
long-term commitment and is a prerequisite for a strong
and fruitful partnership between the business and the academia. Fostering such partnership, promoting innovation
and striving for improvement of education are among the
highest priorities of the Chamber for 2013.”
For more than 30 years Amgen makes significant scientific
breakthroughs in the biology field, discovers, develops,
manufactures, and delivers innovative human therapeutics, based on the advances in molecular biology, recombinant DNA and gene engineering.
A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the
first companies to realize the new science’s promise by
bringing safe and effective medicines from lab to manufacturing plant to patient. Amgen has launched the development of a number of innovative medicines that are „first in
class ” and help millions of people around the world in their
fight against serious diseases.
At the moment Amgen is developing nearly 50 potential
medicines by investing more than 20% of its revenue in
R&D.
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M a r c h 2 0 13
25
m e m b e r
n e w s
Free Style Cruising
Becomes Popular among
Bulgarians
Says Vladimir Matov, Owner & Director - Cruise Agency CONTITRANS M Ltd.,
Sofia, Bulgaria
- Cruises are relatively new concept
in holiday business in Bulgaria.
How did you decide to start and
develop this kind of business
here?
- Not long ago cruising was something
vague for most Bulgarians. Actually
this branch of tourist industry is pretty
new for Europe and many other countries around the Globe. The idea to
establish a cruise agency here in
Bulgaria and to develop this product
came nearly 15 years ago. I and my
associates intended to create a unique
and of high quality tourist business
that would attract those people who
like variety and traveling in style. We
were convinced cruising was the right
thing that we were looking for. That is
how we started. Many years of hard
working was what followed next.
M a r c h 2 0 13
- Obviously cruises enjoy success
abroad and locally. Can you name
the most popular cruise destinations among Bulgarians?
26
- Certainly I can. The Mediterranean is
number one in the Bulgarians’ top 10.
And that’s easy to explain. The region
is full of history, beautiful nature, nice
climate, delicious and healthy food,
amazing beaches…everything you
may need is available nearby - only
one hour flight from Sofia and you can
board a cruise ship to Paradise.
Cruises to Baltic countries take second place. The Caribbean is getting
more and more popular. The number
of passengers who book cruises to
remote destinations like Hawaii,
French Polynesia, Australia, New
Zealand and Japan grew rapidly in the
last few years.
- What are new forms of cruising?
What’s fashionable?
- Speaking of modern cruising I’d like
to mention the so called Free Style
cruises. This kind of cruising aims to
attract young generations of travelers
and we have to admit, it works perfectly. Free Style means breaking the
rules that are valid on classic cruise
ships. No fixed hours for dining. No
fixed table for you and your family. No
formal dress code in the evenings.
Free Style ships are built with one
thing in mind – to entertain! On a big
scale! Just imagine: 18 restaurants
offering an incredible variety of the
world’s most famous cuisine – French,
Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese,
etc. There are also night clubs, piano
bars, jazz clubs, even an ice bar…!
First class bands play live music in different styles. Glamorous shows run
m e m b e r
every night. There’s a casino and even
a circus! A huge aqua-park with fantastic water slides, swimming pools,
basketball, tennis, squash and minigolf courts …. And you got it all
onboard the cruise ship. Ask for m/s
Norwegian EPIC! All Free Style ships
are equipped with similar facilities. Not
to mention cozy SPAs and fitness centers available on each ship. So people
more often are going on a cruise just
to get relaxed and for entertainment.
Exploration of sites and ports of call is
important of course, but it seems now
it goes to the second place.This trend
of cruising is more popular in developed markets. Our market is considered emerging but we notice many
people here are excited with the opportunity of visiting different countries
even continents within a week, to have
n e w
a lot of fun and, to get relaxed and
rejuvenated as if 10 years have fallen
down form their shoulders.
And what’s most fashionable? – no
doubt, this is cruising on small ships!
People who can afford a luxurious and
stylish vacation chose small cruise
ships. And that becomes a stable trend
on our market. Wealthy people even in
Bulgaria make no compromise with
quality of life when traveling abroad
and small ships are their best option.
Small ships offer great opportunities
for traveling and recreation and may
be that’s the main reason for making
them so fashionable these days.
- Do you think Bulgarians are well
informed about the benefits of
cruises or they lack cruise culture?
n e w s
- I wish Bulgarians were much better
informed about cruises. And I’m still
dreaming of having well motivated
customers with good cruise culture. In
fact, we have a small number of very
experienced customers with huge
knowledge in cruising. Some go on a
cruise 3-4 times a year even more!
The good news is that the number of
these people is increasing, but still not
fast enough to make me happy.
To promote cruises among Bulgarians
was and still is our major goal. It’s
quite difficult but we’ve never stopped
and we’ve never saved our efforts,
time and money on doing this.What’s
important is that every one of our team
is full of energy and enthusiasm and
we’ll continue making cruises easy to
go for Bulgarians.
m e m b e r s
Club 50 Plus (www.club50plus.bg) was established in 2010 to help fully empower and promote an active,
engaged, self-reliant life-style for Bulgarian citizens 50 years and older, who represent more than 40% of the total
population of the country, i.e. close to 3 million people, more than 500,000 of which are online. The company is
a Bulgarian online social enterprise, which adheres to a triple bottom line managerial policy (people, planet and
profits). We offer unique, flexible and innovative services that directly empower people fifty and over develop their creative
abilities while at the same time helping them learn how to use internet technology to greatly improve their quality of life.
Club 50 Plus' business model is focused on long-term partnerships with socially responsible corporations, by establishing a
win-win relationship, that creates real and measurable value for all of our partners. So far we have successfully partnered
with a number of companies in different social projects.
+
Contacts:
Radoslav Tsonov
CEO
Tel.: + 359 2 8194583
Web: http://club50plus.bg
[email protected]
Address: 1, Tulovo Str., Fl. 2
1504 Sofia
p a g e
27
M a r c h 2 0 13
Contacts:
Norberto Furiani
Plant General Manager
Tel.: +359 32 279696
Industrial Zone Rakovski, Warehouse 2, Plovdiv District
4142 Stryama, Bulgaria
ZOBELE BULGARIA EOOD is a part of ZOBELE GROUP, a worldwide business partner that provides
innovative and cost-effective solutions for leading household, health and personal care brands. The
manufacturing plant of the company is located in the heart of the Industrial zone of Rakovski
Municipality, Plovdiv District. Inheriting century old traditions, ZOBELE BULGARIAhas specialized in the production of insecticides, air freshener products and other home care and pet care products. The company is dedicated to innovative technical
solutions, focused research and development approach and efficient delivery systems. ZOBELE BULGARIA EOOD has contributed on the economic scene of Bulgaria, creating professional paths in its international environment. Corporate practices
of the company are based on maintaining open relationships with educational institutions, continuous implementation of
measures in environmental friendliness and increasing social responsibility in business.
a m c h a m
s p o r t s
Diplomats, Entrepreneurs
Compete at AmCham
Ski Tournament
M a r c h 2 0 13
Brimming with positive emotions and
perfect skiing mood, AmCham’s 9th Ski
Tournament swept on March 9, 2013,
over Pamporovo Ski Resort. Some 100
ski racers took part in the event and
enjoyed the wonderful mountain atmosphere, many presents and after- party
fun. Ambassadors and senior executives of AmCham member companies
competed neck to neck for the awards
provided by our member companies.
28
Eight categories competed; the winners are as follows:
1. In the Children category the first
place was taken by Mihail Angelov,
Nemetschek Bulgaria, followed by
Martin Pavlov, Sb Accounting &
Consulting, and Kamen Nikolov,
GlaxoSmithKline.
2.
In
Junior
category
Nikoleta
Pandjerova took the first place, followed by Tsveta Pandjerova - both from
Aurubis Bulgaria AD, and Alexander
Brashnarov, Nemetschek Bulgaria.
3. In Women category the first place
was taken by Albena Ekimova,
EnergoService AD, followed by Sara
Draguleva, Sunfoods Bulgaria Ltd., and
Plamena Hristova, GlaxoSmithKline.
4. In the category of Official Guests and
Diplomats the first place was taken by
Karol Mistrik, ambassador of the Slovak
Republic to Bulgaria, followed by Pavel
Vacek, ambassador of the Czech
Republic, and Bruce Carswell, U.S.
Embassy.
5. In the category of Senior Executives
the first place went to Sasho Chakalski,
Municipal Bank Plc, with Plamen
Stoichev, Eltrak Bulgaria Ltd., in sec-
AmCham kindly thanks the
sponsors: Aurubis Bulgaria,
Euroins Insurance Group,
Kamor Auto BMW Dealer,
Microsoft Bulgaria, and
Pamporovo AD.
We also thank the awards’
providers: Aurubis Bulgaria,
FPI Hotels & Resorts, Grand
Hotel Sofia, Kempinski Hotel
Grad Arena Bansko, Novotel
Hotel Sofia, Premier Luxury
Mountain Resort, Bansko,
SLS Rossignol, Vivacom,
and
Hotel
Yastrebets
Wellness & SPA, Borovets,
St. Ivan Rilski Hotel, SPA
and Apartments.
a m c h a m
Juliette Berg competed in the children category.
s p o r t s
Snejanka II, Stenata course welcomed a lot of skiers.
p a g e
M a r c h 2 0 13
29
a m c h a m
s p o r t s
ond, and Ilian Iliev, Interallis Chemicals S.A., in third.
6. In Men category the winner was Peter Kandilarov, Congress
Engineering EOOD. Lyubomir Blagoev, Interallis Chemicals
S.A. took the second place, and Boyan Angelov, Nemetschek
Bulgaria finished third.
7. In Snowboard category the first place was taken by
Borislava Pokrass, CMS Cameron McKenna LLP. Latchezar
Georgiev, Sb Accounting & Consulting, came in second, while
Ivan Neykov, Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria, became third.
8. The first place in the Team award category went to Aurubis
Bulgaria AD, followed by Nemetschek Bulgaria, and
GlaxoSmithKline.
In the evening AmCham hosted a gala dinner at Perelik
Hotel with some 140 distinguished guests. In attendance
were Barbara Lapini, U.S. Commercial attaché, Karol
Mistrik, Slovak ambassador, Pavel Vacek, Czech ambassador, Marco Conticelli, the ambassador of Italy, Chun
Bee-Ho, the ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Sheila
Camerer, South Africa’s ambassador, along with top bankers and general managers of member companies. Bulgarian
folk ensemble “Chinary” performed spectacularly during
the dinner and led the foreign diplomats and Bulgarians in
a traditional dance.
Arexim Engineering hosted a business luncheon the next day
for AmCham members at Bear’s House restaurant on Perelik
Peak.
The smallest ski admirer.
M a r c h 2 0 13
Bulgarian folk ensemble “Chinary” performed spectacularly during the dinner at Perelik hotel.
30
a m c h a m
s p o r t s
Mihail Angelov, Nemetschek Bulgaria (third right) ranked first among children.
Second in the racing placed Pavel Vacek, Czech ambassador (left), the first was
Karol Mistrik, outgoing Slovak ambassador (middle). Bruce Carswell, US
Embassy was third.
In junior category Nikoleta Pandjerova, Aurubis Bulgaria AD took the first
place.
In men category the winner was Peter Kandilarov, Congress Engineering
EOOD.
In snowboard category the first place was taken by Borislava Pokrass, CMS
Cameron McKenna LLP.
Sasho Chakalski, Municipal Bank Plc (middle) took the first place among the
senior executives.
p a g e
David Butts, CMS Cameron McKenna LLP presents the first place award in
the category of team to Aurubis Bulgaria AD.
Albena Ekimova, EnergoService AD takes the first place among women.
M a r c h 2 0 13
31
u s
n e w s
US Timken to Serve Bulgarian Customers
Mr. Jeffrey Daf ler - Director International Government Affairs is talking, Mr. Jozsef Kiss - Sales Manager
for Central and Eastern Europe and Mr. Bogdan Scarlatescu-Rafu, Principal Service Engineer for Central
and Eastern Europe are seated and listening.
M a r c h 2 0 13
The US global provider of friction management and power transmission solutions TIMKEN met with Bulgarian managers, owners and government officials
in January 2013 at the Hilton Hotel
Sofia. The informative and well attended
event was organized by U.S. Commercial
Service in Sofia. It was led by Mr. Jozsef
Kiss - Sales Manager for Central and
Eastern Europe, Mr. Jeffrey Dafler Director International Government
Affairs, and Mr. Bogdan ScarlatescuRafu, Principal Service Engineer for
Central and Eastern Europe.
32
Ciprian Chiric and Adriana Stoica from
Timken’s regional sales office located in
Romania coordinated the event organization process together with US
Commercial Service Bulgaria. The technological center is based in Ploiesti,
Romania. The forum promoting Timken
100+ years of quality, innovation and
development of highly engineered products put specific emphasis on their sales
expansion to Bulgaria’s public and private sectors. Official distributors and
sales companies of Timken products in
Bulgaria are the local Trierra and
TiViGroup.
There was a Q&A session after the compelling presentation, followed by a networking reception. Timken specialists
and representatives agreed to answer
all subsequent questions as the presentation stirred big interest among the
attendees.
The Bulgarians were curious about
Timken plans for development and
expansion of sales of bearings used in a
wide range of industrial applications,
including steel mills, refineries, paper
mills, and oil and gas production. Timken
representatives engaged themselves to
expand further ability and serve new
Bulgarian customers and discuss inquiries in follow-up meetings and direct
correspondence.
From the effective presentation we
learnt also that Timken products helped
drill the world’s longest, deepest rail tunnel, linking Zurich to Milan. Nearly
100,000 aircraft a day are landing on
Timken’s bearings - one good example
of the company’s commitment to quality
and reliability. Timken precision pins and
Hilton Sofia hotel hosted the event.
US Ambassador Marcie B. Ries
shafts have multiple uses in health
applications and are produced using
medium and low carbon stainless and
specialty steels.
The company was established in St.
Louis, Missouri in 1899 by the carriage
maker Henry Timken, who has later
turned it into a bearing manufacturing
company after he had received patents
for a tapered roller bearing. The patented bearing design gave the company a
competitive product in the formative era
of a rapidly developing industry. Henry
Timken provided initial investment and
continuing financial support through a
difficult start-up period. His motto was But above all, don't set your name to
anything you will ever have cause to be
ashamed of.

60 Days of Caretaker Cabinet

Transcription

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