site.btaBulgarian Chamber of Commerce Joins Position of Visegrad Four's Commerce Chambers against German Minimum Wage

Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce Joins Position of Visegrad Four's Commerce Chambers against German Minimum Wage

Riga, June 11 (BTA) - At the 117th Plenary Assembly of the
Association of European Chambers of Commerce and
Industry(EUROCHAMBERS) held in the Latvian city of Jurmala,
Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) President
Tsvetan Simeonov took part in a discussion related to the
position of the commerce and industry chambers of the Visegrad
Four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) against
the minimum wage introduced in Germany, the BCCI told BTA
Wednesday.

According to the Visegard Four's commerce and industry chambers,
the introduced requirements go against the EU's principles of
free movement of people, goods and capital, with a trend of
Member States using control as a discriminatory practice aimed
at the protection of their markets by limiting the access to
them.

The BCCI recalls that in May the European Commission (EC)
launched an infringement procedure against Germany concerning
the application of the Minimum Wage Act to the transport sector.
The EC considers that the application of the Minimum Wage Act
to all transport operations which touch German territory
restricts the freedom to provide services and the free movement
of goods in a disproportionate manner. In particular, the
application of German measures to transit and certain
international transport operations can in the Commission's view
not be justified, as it creates disproportionate administrative
barriers which prevent the internal market from functioning
properly. The EC considers that more proportionate measures are
available to safeguard the social protection of workers and to
ensure fair competition, whilst allowing for free movement of
services and goods.

The Automobile Administration Executive Agency with the
Bulgarian Transport, IT and Communications Ministry shares this
position, the press release reads.