site.btaDeputy Economy Minister Participates in Online Meeting with European Commissioner for Trade

Bulgaria's full accession to the Schengen area will have a strong positive impact on trade, tourism, transport and many other sectors, said Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Nikolay Pavlov as quoted by the ministry on Friday. He was speaking at an online meeting with the newly elected European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic, which was also attended by ministers and deputy ministers of Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Belgium, Italy, Lithuania, and Romania. They expressed their satisfaction with the positive developments for Bulgaria on this important topic.

During the online meeting, the key priorities of the EU Member States on the topics of trade policy and economic security were discussed. Emphasis was placed on the development of sustainable, transparent and open trade relations.

"Free and fair trade must remain our primary objective. Achieving this requires further strengthening relationships with trading partners and fostering a sustainable and competitive global environment," Pavlov said. 
 
He identified access to markets in third countries as another important priority of EU trade policy. "This objective can be achieved not only through free trade agreements (FTAs) but also through other forms of economic partnership," Pavlov underscored. According to him, an individual approach to each country's economic development is needed.

The deputy minister also noted that in order to ensure fair trade and a competitive environment for EU companies, all existing trade defence instruments should be used. "The European Commission should continue to ensure a level playing field on international markets for EU businesses and new trade defence instruments should be developed where necessary," Pavlov underscored.
 
In his words, the implementation of the European Economic Security Strategy and the swift entry into force of the revised Foreign Direct Investment Regulation, which will ensure economic security, are also key in this respect.