site.btaPresident Plevneliev, German Chancellor Merkel, Former French President Sarkozy Attend German Family Business Day

President Plevneliev, German Chancellor Merkel, Former French President Sarkozy Attend German Family Business Day

Berlin/Sofia, June 12 (BTA) - "Today, Southeastern Europe has a
considerable chance to develop and fulfill its large potential
and large economies will recognize this historic opportunity,"
said President Rosen Plevneliev on Friday. President Plevneliev,
alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French
President Nicolas Sarkozy, the German Family Business Day, which
is one of the most prestigious forums for entrepreneurs in
Germany.

Participating in the forum are the owners of over 400 of the
largest family companies in Germany, which generate nearly 90%
of the country's GDP. These include Daimler, BMW, Bosch, etc.

The Bulgarian head of State delivered a speech on Bulgaria and
Southeastern Europe: economic and geopolitical challenges and
prospects.

Plevneliev underscored that never before Balkan states have been
linked so closely with the rest of Europe, nor cooperation and
goodneighbourly relations so decisive a factor for positive
development. "It is important that Europe recognizes and builds
up the region's potential. My message to you is use this
potential," the President said.

According to him, increasing German investments in the Balkans
is of strategic importance both for countries in the region and
Europe's stability. In the past ten yeas German investments in
Southeastern Europe have increased sixfold and annual trade
has tripled to 53 billion euro. Plevneliev said that several
German business delegations are expected in Bulgaria soon.

The Bulgarian President urged against new attempts to divide and
build walls between the Balkan countries, which have once again
been put at the centre of geopolitical interests. "We fear that
the policy of great powers creates a risk of disregarding the
will of the peoples, which in turn may give rise to new
instability. History has taught us that Europe is destabilized
most easily through the Balkans, which is why the European Union
should look at Southeastern Europe not as the fringes but as
the core of European politics," said Plevneliev. The Bulgarian
head of state was adamant that the worsened security throughout
Europe as a result of the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East
and the subsequent influx of migrants require a common approach
and pooling of the efforts of the European countries.

Plevneliev called on EU countries to work and regain the trust
of the citizens in the EU's ability to counter populist and
nationalist messages born out of today's economic challenges.

"Bulgaria is a country which carries out far-reaching reforms in
key sectors. The main thing is that the country has
demonstrated a will for reform, which is a process involving a
lot of effort," said Chancellor Merkel during the forum. She was
adamant that the efforts of Bulgarian institutions have been
acknowledged and that Europe should support them. "We've already
seen the positive effects of such reforms in Spain, Portugal
and Ireland, which is why we are doing everything possible to
encourage and support Bulgaria. We have been working excellently
with Bulgaria and we believe that now is the time to further
our cooperation," added Merkel.

Earlier, meeting with the members of the German-Bulgarian Forum,

President Rosen Plevneliev said that Bulgaria's EU accession was
the right political decision with a long-term prospect. It is a
forward-looking decision which has enhanced security and
stability in the Balkans, said the President, who presented
Bulgaria's achievements ten years after it signed its EU
Accession Agreement.

Plevneliev said: "German-Bulgarian relations have also made
progress. Trade between the two countries doubled in the last
ten years. Today Germany is Bulgaria's number one trading
partner, and the number of German tourists has increased
considerably in recent years."

The Bulgarian President also said that European solidarity had
yielded its first fruits in Bulgaria, and enumerated projects
including 300 km of motorways, 26 underground train stations,
railways, roads, water projects, Sofia Tech Park - the country's
first innovation ecosystem, and over 10,000 projects in support
of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Plevneliev stated that despite the difficulties of the last two
years - five governments changing, the fourth largest bank going
bankrupt, devastating natural disasters, the migration wave and
the negative impact of the crises in Greece and Ukraine -
Bulgaria managed to sustain stability and projects economic
growth of nearly 2 per cent in 2015.

"I am confident that with bold reforms and good government we
could soon see growth of over 4 per cent," he said.

"2015 is a key year because the 2007-2013 programming period is
to be completed. EU funding can be invested successfully and
Bulgaria wants to absorb at least 90 per cent of the allocated
funds," Plevneliev said.

The EU is planning to invest nearly 50 billion euro in the
region through structural instruments until 2020. So the Balkans
will considerably improve and modernize their transport
infrastructure, the regions will get a new perspective and
people are certain to benefit from this, the President added.