site.btaBusiness Europe Asks Bulgarian EU Presidency to Help Advance Discussions on Next Financial Framework

Sofia, January 25 (BTA) - The Confederation of European Business (BusinessEurope) has urged the current Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council to help advance the discussions on the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) as part of a whole list of priorities which the confederation would like the Presidency to consider. The proposals were sent in a letter to Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and unveiled by the Bulgarian Industrial Association on Thursday.

Concerning the MFF, BusinessEurope reasoned: "The proposal for the next MFF will only be published in May 2018 at the earliest. [...] It would therefore be helpful if the Bulgarian Presidency supports the efforts of the Commission to advance discussions in concrete issues as the time frame for adoption of the MFF proposal will be very tight - if we are to achieve an agreement before the European elections in mid-2019. Failing to agree on the proposal by then would be of serious consequences: it would very likely mean a last-minute deal, followed by serious delays in the start of programmes in 2021, and a lost year in investment by the EU budget - as it was the case in 2014."

BusinessEurope further wrote: "[W]e must ensure Europe remains one of the best places in the world to live and work, by taking forward the necessary economic and social reforms. [...] We need to lift rigidities in labour law, reduce excessive non-wage labour costs, address skills mismatches, promote mobility and legal migration, and remove unemployment traps."

Other proposals to the Bulgarian EU Presidency are about making progress with discussions on the Economic and Monetary Union, maintaining a high profile for an EU industrial strategy, developing the Single Market, and urgently completing the Digital Single Market.

BusinessEurope wrote: "[I]t is key for the EU to promote an ambitious trade policy. [...] The EU must not refrain from global competition but it must strengthen the overall companies' ability to face this global competition, defend and prioritize the interests of European citizens and companies. This includes [...] negotiating comprehensive modern trade agreements leading to strengthened international cooperation and a liberal rule-based global trading system."